Product Roadmapping in Collaboration

Product roadmapping has not been widely examined, and particularly an intercompany collaboration perspective to product roadmapping is a fresh field of research. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to research factors related to the product roadmapping process, and to give solutions to the problems that emerge when product roadmaps are created in collaboration. Hence, the research questions are divided into two groups. The first group of questions relates to general information about the product roadmapping process and the second group of questions relates to collaborations affecting product roadmapping. The research questions are answered based on an extensive literature analysis and empirical studies. The empirical studies consist of multiple-case studies, in which the experiences of several companies are gathered and analysed to verify the research results. The empirical data is collected through questionnaire studies and semi-structured interviews. These data collection methods are chosen, since using questionnaire studies, the basic knowledge about product roadmapping in industry can be discovered, and by interviews, more in-depth knowledge about product roadmapping in collaboration can be revealed. Based on the research results, the product roadmaps can be created totally, partly, or not at all together with the collaboration partners, depending on the product to be developed and the form of cooperation. Also, the results indicate that inter-company collaboration has effects on each phase of the product roadmapping process. For instance, there can be disagreements and misunderstandings between partners, and it can be more difficult to reach an agreement. Thus, continuous communication between partners is needed. The research results are applicable to companies that are involved in software product or service development. The research results are best applicable to larger companies with more than 250 employees.