# Industry 4.0 Roadmap: Implementation for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
## 2 Methodology
### Roadmap  
Based on a systematic review, the benefits of Industry 4.0 have been well identified in Sections 1 and 2.1.2. There is, however, an important gap as regards the strategies required to deploy these technologies within SMEs, as mentioned in Section 1. All research works addressing these roadmaps make no distinction between large companies and SMEs and consider a large company structure and expertise for these roadmaps, which ends up involving several departments and teams, such as strategic management, procurement, human resources, Industry 4.0 transition teams or production. SMEs, however, do not have these kinds of structures; they are single-layer companies. Microenterprises, for instance, have fewer than ten employees, and every single employee--rather than teams--should be able to use the roadmap. Many different approaches to roadmapping have been developed, and roadmaps can take many shapes and forms. Generally, the roadmap focuses on a graphic representation that provides a strategic overview of the topic at hand. The authors have selected the templates and guidelines proposed by the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) of the University of Cambridge [44; 45; 46] for the basic development of this roadmap. This holistic roadmap framework links directly to the following fundamental questions that apply in any strategic context:  
* Where do we want to go? Where are we now? How do we get there? * Why do we need to act? What should we do? How should we do it? By when? These questions are addressed during the first two steps of the six-step roadmap. Additionally, as the research wants to address the practical viewpoint, steps 2-5 present a business-oriented implementation strategy that takes into consideration the limitations of SMEs (e.g., budget, personnel, etc. ), as shown in Sections 1 and 2.1.2. Step 0--Identify bottlenecks  
The roadmap begins by identifying those areas of production that are hindering the overall efficiency. The search for bottlenecks consists of evaluating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) throughout production. This evaluation will reveal the answers to the following questions: \"Why do we need to act?\" and \"Where are we now?\". Step 1--Develop a strategy  
Step 1 is a crucial stage for the proper development of a roadmap. During this step, the person in charge at the SME must propose possible long-term countermeasures for these bottlenecks using selected Industry 4.0 technologies (Cloud Computing, IoT or VR) that best suit this purpose. This person must also consider the maximum available budget for the SME when creating this strategy, as already stated in Section 2.1.4. This step provides an answer to the following questions: \"Where do we want to go?\", \"How do we get there?\", \"What should we do?\" and \"By when?\". Step 2--Ideas and prototypes  
The roadmap continues with the initial deployment of the tool selected in the production line. This initial roll-out begins with a prototype, not by installing the tool across the entire production line. The success of the prototype must be evaluated during a defined time span. If the prototype does not show promising results, the process must return to step 1 in order to propose different long-term countermeasures. Step 3--Connect/plug-in devices  
If the results during step 2 are satisfying, the process continues by deploying the solution across the entire production line. This phase starts by training the operators in the production line on how the tool is used and carrying out some dry runs. This step will improve the acceptance of the selected Industry 4.0 technology by the operators. Step 4--Analyze  
The original KPIs identified during step 1, and how they are measured, may no longer be adequate. During this process, additional KPIs must be proposed and Cloud Computing must be ready to support the storage and analysis of data that the technology selected will generate. Step 5--Go live  
The final step is the official roll-out of the technology across the entire production line. This step focuses on monitoring the defined KPIs.