Talk on "Reading Tea Leaves: How Technology Forecasting Works"
Speaker: Dr. Ardhendu Pathak
Title: Reading Tea Leaves: How Technology Forecasting Works.
Abstract:A typical product company, whether whether developing a simple gadget or jet engines, confronts a few challenges. Some of the key questions are about what kind products to develop for future, what features the products should have, and which technologies will be required to implement such features. Attention also has to be paid to integration of new, developing technologies that may not be mature today but could be available at some point in future. And all of this needs to be translated into actual products in a cost-efficient manner, before the competition, and well before the obsolescence catches up.
Even when the products are simple, this is not an easy task. For highly engineered products consisting of thousands if not millions of parts, and hundreds of specialised technologies, this turns out to be a nightmarishly complex undertaking.
This lecture is meant as a brief introduction to modern techniques used in the industry for technology forecasting and product development planning processes. An overview of various methods will be presented along with their relative merits. The methods will be illustrated with relevant examples. Techniques such as scenario planning, technology foresight (including technology road-mapping, systematic scouting, and IP analytics), and the role of competitive business intelligence will be briefly discussed.
Speaker Bio: 
Event Date: 12th March, 2019(Tuseday)
Event Time: 11:35 AM to 12:35 PM
Venue:
IIT Dharwad, Karnataka