The work of this SME Instrument Phase 1 project has involved eight tasks, the results being briefly summarised as follows.
Task 1 of the study involved development of a detailed business model (BM) for exploitation of the GreenSoft results based on the approach proposed by Osterwalder. This approach encompasses work of previous authors by identifying nine basic model building blocks that,
considered together, can adequately describe the main characteristics of a business model.
These identify
• Key partners,
• Key activities,
• The Value Proposition,
• Customer Relationships,
• Customer Segments,
• Key Resources,
• Channels,
• Cost Structure, and
• Revenue Streams.
From this starting point, a SWOT analysis was then undertaken to identify
• Strengths (characteristics of the business or project that give it an advantage over others),
• Weaknesses (characteristics that place the business or project at a disadvantage relative to others),
• Opportunities (elements that the business or project can exploit to its advantage), and
• Threats (elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business or project).
Within Task 2 of the study, market opportunities and user requirements for GreenSoft have been evaluated in detail, based on literature and patent searches, personal interviews and questionnaires involving a broad range of stakeholders. These have included companies involved
in the design of electronic systems, together with manufacturers of electronic products covering a broad spectrum of applications.
Using the identified user requirements from Task 2 of the study as an input, the work of Task 3 has identified requirements and specifications for development of the partitioning, layout and routing, code separation, and code generation tools. The feasibility of implementation of
each aspect has been considered in relation to the associated effort and cost to adapt results of previous work and develop the overall commercialised solution. These activities have resulted in definition of the detailed programme of work and estimated budget for the Phase 2 project.
Within Task 4 of the study, a large number of organisations have been consulted, both in relation to the market study and with the objective of identifying the most appropriate partners for collaboration in the Phase 2 project as the system is enhanced and brought to market.
Within Task 5 of the study, identified revenue streams, together with associated projected costs have been integrated. This process has enabled financial ratios and investment indicators to be quantified. The results have been used as an input to Tasks 7 and 8 to define the
comprehensive business plan including feasibility analysis.
Based on consideration of alternative protection mechanisms in Task 6 of the study, a strategy has been developed for protection of the GREENSOFT Intellectual Property (IP), including that expected to result from the Phase 2 project.
Integration of the preceding tasks within tasks 7 and 8 of the study has resulted in a feasibility report detailing the methodology used, the evaluation criteria, the study findings and recommendations. The market, technical, business, and economic and financial model viabilities
have each been critically appraised in the study process.
