In order for companies to sustain themselves in the future through such a competitive market, They need to have different tools that allow them to maintain support and generate economic profits..
Accordingly, technological surveillance has been developed for some time. Which is a technique that is used to collect data in a certain environment. We will see this concept in greater depth in the following paragraphs.
But this is not the only thing that we will distinguish, but we will also delve into other criteria to establish what the objectives of a VT are, as well as the advantages that companies obtain when they use this type of tool. So that you do not have any doubts, we have developed a glossary with the most important terms. Let’s get started!
What is Technological Surveillance and what is this process for?
We can define Technological Surveillance according to the document “UNE 166006” (whose last modification was made in April 2018) as the set of procedures necessary to obtain information on science and technology, of the company itself as well as its environment.
This collected information will then be selected, analyzed, studied, disseminated and communicated. In this way, it will become knowledge for all participants in the organization so that they can make decisions that reduce the risks inherent in operations. This will generate that you can be one step ahead to make changes when specific events happen.
In this way, according to “Spanish Standardization of R+D+i Management”it is necessary to capture data about the competitors and the news about the market in which the organization develops the usual course of business.
It is also necessary to gather qualified opinions regarding the activity carried out by the organization and, in particular, on all those legal regulations that may influence the entity. You must not forget the “papers”studies that are of interest as well as all the events and meetings related to the activity.
What are the main objectives of Technology Watch?
Among the objectives set out in this regulation we can find that, when the processing and analysis of the information is carried out, it is possible to understand much better the environment in which the company operates. This makes it possible to establish different strategies to be competent in the market.
Therefore, we can emphasize that what is sought with technological surveillance is Be aware of the technological changes that take place in the company’s environment. This is necessary in order not to waste time and to be prepared to obtain the greatest benefits from new technologies and surprise market competitors.
What is also sought is that at the time of making decisions the risks decrease substantially. This happens because it is known with much more precision what are the changes that exist to better position the organization’s strategies. It must be taken into account that, in order to achieve these objectives, it is necessary to have products that are actually competitive, but also with a human capital that is up to these new processes.
Finally, we can also indicate as a central objective of technological surveillance the establishment of the path that must be followed in order to advance and thus satisfy the needs of customers. This will be achieved as long as 2 points are clear, one is the mission and the other is the vision of the company.
Why is it important for companies to use Technology Watch? Advantages and benefits
When companies use technological surveillance, they have different benefits that they can only be acquired using these procedures.
For example, knowing all the technological changes that exist in the world of computing, as well as electronics, VT allows you to be one step ahead of other companies that are in the same market. With this, what is meant is that the changes are more predictable and can generate a greater approach to the strategies of the companies.
The organizational cultureas well as everything related to the strategies, they become more versatile. Therefore, producing a change does not generate too much disruption, since companies are constantly thinking about improving, according to the information retrieved from the environment as well as the data collected internally.
All the participants of the organization know what are the central objectives of the same. Therefore, everyone can help by providing information or data that, in many cases, goes unnoticed by higher-ups or by the people in charge of monitoring the environment.
Business profits become more predictable. Since by knowing more accurately the opinions and data that exist within the sector in which it moves, it generates that more real manufacturing, purchasing and sales budgets can be made.
We can also highlight as an important benefit that changes occur in a much shorter time than in those companies that do not have adequate technological surveillance. In this way, survival is much easier in the medium and long term..
Instruments for Technological Surveillance What are the most used tools?
As you may have noticed, Gathering information is not an easy task.. Since you should not only focus on what happens internally within the organization, but also everything related to the market. To make sense of “Spanish Standardization of R+D+i Management” There are different instruments that can be used in technology surveillance.
Among these necessary tools, the following can be named:
- Alert system: This refers to specific data on legislation, events, projects, success stories of other companies and “best practices”. With which it is necessary to generate a procedure through a Registration Form that processes all the information collected by users. These collaborators will have a specific profileaccording to the different themes that may arise and in relation to their training or academic knowledge.
- Seekers: Actually, what this type of tool refers to is those pages or websites that have a level of specialization according to the activity carried out. For example, you can get a specific search engine for the agriculture sector offered directly on the site of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), of our country on aid and subsidies or market regulation. Web: “https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/agricultura/ayudas-y-subvenciones/”
- Access to databases: When we refer to this search element, we are orienting ourselves to those specialized databases for the sector in which the company operates. This will provide access to information that will have a structure with which the most relevant data can be captured easily and quickly. In this case, continuing with the example of an agricultural company, we can mention Redalyc AmeliCA. Which contains a system of scientific information based on magazines for Ibero-American countries. Web: “https://www.redalyc.org/”
- Information location system based on search engines: This is what is commonly known as metasearch engines. These tools generate searches intensively and simultaneously in the most important search engines. This allows obtaining much more precise information on certain topics. For this case we can mention Observe and dogpile. Web: “https://www.ovtt.org/observa”, “https://www.dogpile.com/”
- Platform Store: This is also known as Technology Marketplace. It is a platform that is dedicated to exchanging technological ideas, as well as all the data related to innovations, demands and the different offers that exist in the market. For this tool we can mention as an example Ibridge Network. With which you can find and connect with technology professionals and understanding jobs in this matter. Web: “https://www.ibridgenetwork.org/#!/”
- Technological surveillance computer programs: As it could not be missing, there are software dedicated to this technique to collect information. This is very useful in those companies that belong to volatile markets and need to be permanently informed of the changes that are made in the environment. watch him is a good example of a web platform. In it you can make online supports and any type of relevant information intended to collect data and display them in a special bulletin. Web: “https://www.vigiale.com/#contact”
- Open Analytics: They are tools that are responsible for studying all open source programs. As well as analyzes those technologies for business intelligence and the so-called “open dates”. In this way, you can get opinions from many experts who are dedicated to developing free software for data collection. Medialab Prado is an example of this. Web: “https://www.medialab-prado.es/medialab”
VT methods What are the main processes that must be carried out?
In order to carry out an efficient technological surveillance, it must be done according to a procedure that guarantees the success of obtaining the information. In this way, it you will get accurate, useful results and of which can be draw conclusions to be able to compare it with the organization.
Next, We will show you the steps that must be taken so that you can make an effective VT. You must bear in mind that these stages are itinerant, so many times you will have to return to the previous step and then continue with the one you were at. But to simplify these concepts we will show you the sequence in a linear way.
The main processes of technological surveillance are:
- To identify: The first thing to do is Determine what is important to the organization and which needs to be studied. This will lead to the generation of a strategy to be able to carry out a more efficient surveillance, for which objectives and responsibilities must be established for different people or departments so that they can carry out VT. This stage is where critical factors are determined that can harm the whole data collection process, so you need to keep in mind the possible solutions and determine the priorities that need to be taken into account.
- Search: Once you have established what is needed, strategy should be implemented which has been mentioned in the previous point. This will generate the establishment of the objectives that will be carried out for the search for information. The different computer tools that are needed to learn and develop the useful data must also be established. It is at this moment that the elements are established…
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