An integrated decision model for strategic evaluation of the viability of new technologies

Diploma Thesis from the year 2000 in the subject Engineering - General, grade: 1.3, Technical University of Munich, language: English, abstract: This project is a continuation of the Total Technology Development (TTD) Framework which has been derived by Schulz (1998). The TTD is divided into four phases: a) Integrated Technology Strategy (Defining next generation technologies) b) Concept Generation and Enhancement (Overcoming psychological inertia) c) Robustness Development and Analysis d) Technology Selection, Transfer and Integration The Integrated Decision Model (IDM) is partially going on with the ideas of the phases a), b) and d) of the TTD. It proposes and derives new methodologies for the evaluation and selection of new concepts. Furthermore, it considers - in contrast to the TTD - the development process as a continuous process which has to be evaluated continuously as well. That is, the attributes and influencing factors of the concepts are often changing during the development process which makes competing concepts possibly more valuable and attractive for the developer or changes the value of the concept to be developed. Improvement in standards of living depend to a remarkable degree on the success of industrial innovations, but the odds of any one idea becoming an economic success are so low that many ideas are needed.