The Oakland TREE® process is a proven technique that helps identify the best technologies to enable new product development. The TREE process can be used to:
- Identify and interrogate potential technology enablers for specific product opportunities
- Identify potential enablers for subsequent generations of product
- Create a springboard for new product ideas via a better understanding of the possibilities
- Identify potential threats posed by technologies that competitors could use to disrupt your market share
- Identify potential partners who could fast-track your innovation processes.
The TREE process is made up of four steps.
1: Targeting – identifying what to look for and where
The first step is to develop a framework to search for relevant technology enablers. This includes briefing, scoping, idea generation, and clustering of potential strategies and technology platforms for further exploration.
2: Reconnaissance – prioritising possible solutions
The second step starts with carefully targeted discussions with experts, stakeholders, and industry analysts to develop and test ideas and insights. This is followed by research to build and validate the case. Clusters of candidate technologies will emerge that can be given a first cut score for likely applicability.
3: Exploration
The third step explores outline ideas for the most feasible candidate options in more depth. Through rigorous analysis and further discussions with experts and stakeholders, outline ideas are filtered and refined, resulting in a shortlist of specific solutions.
4: Evaluation
The final step is a rigorous evaluation based on the Oakland 3A’s Matrix®. This practical decision-making tool is used to assess the value and viability of each option in terms of three key measures, the 3As: Applicability, Availability, and Affordability. The outcome of this scenario modelling is a clear analysis of the opportunities, providing reliable guidance to inform decisions.
