Transcript Slide 1

Third International Seville Conference on
Future-Oriented Technology Analysis (FTA):
Impacts and implications for policy and decision-making
16th- 17th October 2008
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for
Scenarios Building: a case report on an
aeronautical firm
Denis L. Balaguer
José Eduardo de C. Bezerra
Rodrigo C. da Silva
Embraer
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for Scenarios Building: a case report on an aeronautical firm
1. Introduction
The aeronautical industry and the need for a prospective mindset
• The aeronautical industry
– Commercial leadership strongly driven by the continuous innovation;
– But, the products development cycles are complex, long and integrated.
• This leads to high uncertainties and high risks
• Thus, in order to mitigate the risks associated with innovation, is mandatory
to deal with futures studies, with a prospective view of the future (Balaguer et
al, 2007).
– Probabilistic assessment of possible future worlds, or scenarios - no need to
choose a single set of future market assumptions.
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for Scenarios Building: a case report on an aeronautical firm
1. Introduction
The aeronautical industry and the need for a prospective mindset
• Traditionally scenarios building approach: Delphi.
– Long and in most cases extenuating process.
• Improved approach: Real-Time Delphi – RTD (Gordon and Pease, 2006).
– Resembles the traditional Delphi, but using a web based environment;
– Real-time feedback which drives the consensus in a more streamlined way;
– More active interaction between the exercise managers and the respondents.
• This paper shows a case of RTD use as tool for a scenarios building
exercise on an aeronautical firm.
– Conceptual foundations;
– Context of the application and the main pitfalls; and
– Solutions developed.
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for Scenarios Building: a case report on an aeronautical firm
2. Methodology
The scenarios approach
• Quantitative probabilistic assessment of future scenarios (Marcial and
Grumbach, 2005).
– 1. Construct a model of the system to be analyzed
• 1.1. Identification of the variables that describes de system behavior;
• 1.2. Identification of single possible events that quantifies the changes through the
variables.
– 2. Conduct expert survey (Delphi)
• 2.1. Quantify the possibility of occurrence of the events;
• 2.2. Quantify the importance of the events to the system.
– 3. Build the scenarios (by combinatory analysis).
– 4. Select a scenarios set for further analysis.
• Scenarios question: future of the aeronautical transportation.
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for Scenarios Building: a case report on an aeronautical firm
2. Methodology
Real-Time Delphi
• Delphi concerning the model of the system built
• Consult based on a web site running on the firms’ intranet system with a
friendly interface.
– The site is programmed using the Cold Fusion language
– Databases using SQL..
• First phase of the Delphi.
– Probability of occurrence of the events;
– Importance of the events to the system; and
– Self-evaluation of the experts concerning the theme of the event.
• Second phase of the Delphi.
– Cross influence of the occurrence of each event on all others events (crossimpact matrix).
• In both phases:
– Graph with the distribution of all the answers;
– Choice to change the vote; and
– Space to make comments about their votes.
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for Scenarios Building: a case report on an aeronautical firm
2. Methodology
Real-Time Delphi
• Detailed view of the RTD page (phase 1)
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for Scenarios Building: a case report on an aeronautical firm
2. Methodology
Real-Time Delphi
• Combo-box (phase 1)
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for Scenarios Building: a case report on an aeronautical firm
2. Methodology
Real-Time Delphi
• Explanation box (phase 1)
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for Scenarios Building: a case report on an aeronautical firm
2. Methodology
Real-Time Delphi
• Votes distribution chart (phase 1)
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for Scenarios Building: a case report on an aeronautical firm
2. Methodology
Real-Time Delphi
• Detailed view of the RTD page (phase 2)
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for Scenarios Building: a case report on an aeronautical firm
2. Methodology
Real-Time Delphi
• Votes distribution chart (phase 2)
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for Scenarios Building: a case report on an aeronautical firm
3. Results
Participation effectiveness
• The first phase of the Delphi
– Participation effectiveness of 62%
• In the previous scenario exercise with paper forms the participation effectiveness was
46%.
• The second phase of the Delphi
– Participation effectiveness of 43%
• In the previous scenario exercise with paper forms the participation effectiveness was
33%.
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for Scenarios Building: a case report on an aeronautical firm
3. Results
Convergence and discussions
Real-Time Delphi as a Tool for Scenarios Building: a case report on an aeronautical firm
4. Conclusions
Scenario and Real-Time Delphi
• The experience of using Real-Time Delphi (RTD) in the aeronautical
prospective exercise report proved fruitful.
– Importance of the RTD to enable a more streamlined way to achieve the results
of a Delphi process.
• Also some others interesting results achieved
– Participation effectiveness;
– Good convergence through a reasonable consensus; and,
– Rich discussion environment that was created at the web page.