Note that the scale proposed here could be used for assessing industry-wide robustness or company-wide robustness. a DARPA-challenge style event for commercial long-haul trucking).
#LEADING EDGE VS BLEEDING EDGE HOW TO#
There are some formulations of how to use this technology, but no proofs of concepts either analytically (i.e. Therefore I assume a “level 1” robustness is simply a good concept of how to use a given technology in a supply chain context.Īutonomous long-haul trucks are at level 1 robustness (as of mid-2014). The scale proposed above is simpler than the NASA scale, mostly because supply chain technology selection doesn’t usually concern itself with the earliest stages of conversion between basic research and applied research. No part of the supply chain is waiting to use this technology. The scope of coverage is limited or incomplete. The concept is deployed in to a real and complete supply chain environment, as part of the new standard technology landscape. The new technology is used as planned according to the level 2 concept, in support of actual supply chain needs, but with a limited scope and under the guise of an experiment. Proofs of concept are completed analytically, validating expected use cases and outcomes from the concept formulated in level 1. A speculative vision is created to show how the new technology can be used to meet a supply chain need. Here is my attempt to do so, the Supply Chain Technology Robustness Scale: But it needs to be adapted in order to be used for supply chain contexts. In short, this is a useful scale for NASA. It serves as both an assessing tool and as an indicator of how to move a technology towards being more provably robust. This scales removes ambiguity about the “proven robustness” of a technology. System prototype demonstration in a space environment.System/subsystem model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment (ground or space).Component and/or breadboard validation in relevant environment.Component and/or breadboard validation in laboratory environment.Analytical and experimental critical function and/or characteristic proof of concept.Technology concept and/or application formulated.Recently within the entrepreneurship community the NASA technology readiness level has been pointed to as an example of an assessment of robustness.
#LEADING EDGE VS BLEEDING EDGE FULL#
Just because something works in a lab, or in limited tests, does not mean it is ready to support full scale operations. Supply chain managers are not the first to need to assess the robustness of a new technology. I believe the scale is more anecdotal than quantitative. Third, it’s simply imprecise because the curve graphic implies continuity but gives no guidance on what a smidge left or right really means in a factual sense.
This is part but not most of what makes a technology adoption-ready. Second, its primary axis is concerned with the emotional engagement or trust in the technology.
First, as noted in a separate article, it lacks the final stage of technology adoption: obsolescence and replacement. But it is flawed in several important ways.
That is indeed an instrument to judge the degree to which a technology has been adopted by the industry. Some readers may now be asking themselves “what about the Gartner Hype Cycle?”. This article will introduce one approach in hopes of filling that gap or sparking further research and discussion. I think it’s fair to say that there are no good instruments or metrics for supply chain managers to assess the adoption readiness of new technologies. As part of my career I’ve been on the buying, advising, and selling side of this process. A major part of current supply chain managers’ attentions are in winnowing tech options and building together a bouquet of effective solutions that are multiplicative in impact when used in concert. Therefore a good supply chain leader is also a selector of technologies. Supply chain managers have a wealth of technology tools available to them, far more than they can deploy effectively. Bleeding Edge to Trailing Edge: Assessing Supply Chain Technology Readiness
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