Strategic standardisation of smart systems: A roadmapping process in support of innovation

•A systematic process model of supporting standardisation roadmapping for smart systems is proposed.•It helps effective organisation, management, and governance of standardisation roadmapping exercises.•There are growing standardisation challenges in complex heterogeneous areas of smart systems.•Useful activities and tools for addressing these challenges are presented.•Government plays an important role as coordinator in standardisation roadmapping.

With increasing awareness among policymakers and other stakeholders of the importance of standards in supporting innovation, many national governments and standards organisations are taking strategic foresight approaches to standardisation. This is especially the case for ICT-based 'smart systems', where an increasing number of different technologies and systems are interconnected to each other, involving a complex variety of actors. Roadmapping is a widely used tool to support such strategic policy processes, yet there remain significant challenges in terms of structuring and managing roadmapping exercises. This paper proposes a systematic process of managing roadmapping practices to develop effective strategies for standardisation in support of innovation. Based on literature regarding public-level strategy roadmaps and reviews of existing standardisation roadmapping exercises, a more systematic process has been developed, incorporating activities and tools to address increased challenges associated with standardisation in such complex areas. The findings of the research not only provide guidance on how roadmapping processes can be structured and organised to more effectively address standardisation issues in innovation strategies for smart systems, but also highlight policy implications, including potential roles for government in supporting standardisation efforts.