Winter 2023 // Canadian Government Executive / 19 FUTURE TEST APPROACH The first step in the timeline (post program announcement) would be companies asking questions about the program to government officers. The second step was they then applying to the program. Other sequencing steps were identified including those related to R&D activities. Now business analytics is brought in to future test the program. To address the first step in the timeline, the recommendation for future test was to gather from government officers who answer companies’ questions about programs a list of all questions and discussions they had with companies about the program. The questions about the nanotechnology program were gathered and analyzed. Content analysis and word maps would show in a sense what they planned to use the program for (or hoped that the program would do). This would enable projecting how the companies would likely use the program, the type of R&D they were thinking of doing. The applications were also analyzed on an ongoing basis. This would let the department know at a very early stage if the eventual products envisioned by the program were going to be developed and then whether commercialization would happen. This type of future test was done on an ongoing basis and enabled the Department to modify both the program and the program information material to ensure that program objectives could be realized. The above addresses the question of is the program going to be used as intended and could be done on a frequent basis. As for the question of does the outcome of the program still make sense. Competitive intelligence, foresight and futures literacy approaches would be used. If the products are expected to be in the future, what does that future now look like. One year into the program a new roadmap would be put together. Further officers would ve asked when they were at trade shows and conferences to look for information on emerging innovations in the nanotechnology industry that would challenge the ability of the program to reach its targets. Looking at decisions being made that can affect the market for the intended nanotechnology will enable the department to determine whether the future market will still support the investment. Again, information gathered enables the Department to further modify the program, its delivery and how it was being communicated to companies. This future test approach has been applied by me both directly through consulting activities and indirectly by government officers taking my program. It has been used to develop Telecommunications policy, identify agrifood markets, develop industrial policy, create investment tax credit, loan guarantee programs and grant programs for many different industries and more. The future test approach has been used in several countries include Canada at the Federal provincial and municipal levels. A future test approach using techniques from competitive intelligence, market insight, foresight, futures literacy, and marketing is not intended to replace how programs (including policies and legislation) are developed but does provide an additional approach to help better develop and target programs, policies and legislation. A future test approach using techniques from competitive intelligence, market insight, foresight, futures literacy, and marketing is not intended to replace how programs (including policies and legislation) are developed but does provide an additional approach to help better develop and target programs, policies and legislation.
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