There are many good references on how to conduct good technology and commercial intelligence. The secret is not so much in ways to get information, but rather in asking the right questions and making sure the answers create a self-consistent viewpoint. For Technology Planning the iterative process is shown in the “Intellectual Asset Management Process” figure.

Note that this process starts with business strategy and ends with the products or services available for monetization. The key role of competitive assessments is shown along with the high-level questions competitive assessments must answer to promote high-quality sourcing and asset decisions.