In order effectively to synthesise a broad methodology for robotisation, a comprehensive analysis is conducted of the patterns and consensus within existing, yet frequently uncorrelated, industrial and academic experience. This analysis concentrates on two fundamental areas: robotic assembly, and introduction of robotics technology. The first includes detailed analyses of approaches to product and system design and evaluation. Choice of robotic equipment, parts handling, flexible assembly system design, and assembly task evaluation are considered. The second considers approaches to management of technological innovation and economic evaluation. In both cases, in addition to comprehensive analysis in the light of personal investigations by the author, there is also the synthesis of a unification of the existing approaches, together with new heuristics generated by the synthesis process.