Synchronization in Strategic Planning: A Roadmapping Framework

Abstract

The research question is “How can firms approach synchronization in strategic planning?”, aiming to investigate opportunities for improved synchronization within strategic planning. The focus is on roadmapping, as a relatively simple, flexible and widely used method that includes time as an explicit dimension. The adopted methodology is a process approach, consisting of literature review, exploratory interviews, practitioner interviews, and case studies with large multinational firms based in the UK that are familiar with roadmapping. As a result, four types of synchronization have been identified and discussed, including generic forms of each type, illustrated with industrial examples from the case studies.