Customer Needs & Product Specifications

8/12/2019 Customer Needs & Product Specifications

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Customer Needs & Product Specifications


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Product Planning Process

Planning

Planning ConceptDevelopment

ConceptDevelopment

System-LevelDesign

System-LevelDesign

DetailDesign

DetailDesign

Testing andRefinement

Testing andRefinement

ProductionRamp-Up

ProductionRamp-Up

Four Phases of Design Progress

The product planning phase precedes the Design process.


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Xerox Lakes Project Example

Xerox Document

Centre 265

Xerox Cooperation is a global Enterprise offering a wide range of

documents related products. Its mission is being a leader in the globaldocument market. Technological innovation in a rapid changing market is

their key element in competitive strategy. Lakes is a project in Xerox that

resulted a product called Centre 265.


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Product Planning Process

Product plan identifies the portfolio of products to be developed by the

organization and the timing of their entering to the market.

Main output of Product Planning Process is Mission Statement


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Four Types of Product Planning

Process

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Hodaka

Lakes

H-Net

L-Net

Astro

595 6010 392 393

NewPlatforms

Derivatives

Improvements

Fundamentally New

Legend

Project

ProductRelease


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Five Steps of Product Planning

Process

Evaluate and

Prioritize

Projects

Allocate

Resources and

Plan TimingPortfolio

of

Projects

Multiple Projects

Complete

Pre-Project

PlanningProduct

Plan

Mission

Statements

Product

Development

Process

Identify

Opportunities

To develop a product plan and a project mission statement a five steps

process is suggested:

1- Identify Opportunities

2- Evaluate and prioritize projects3-Allocate resources and plan timing

4-Complete Pre-project planning

5- Reflect on the results and the process


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Process

Step 1: Identify Opportunities

Ideas may come from several sources:

Market, sales personnel, R&D, Current Product development team,Manufacturing, Customer, Third parties such as suppliers, Inventor,

Business partner


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Process

Step 2: Evaluate and Prioritize Projects

Selection between hundreds or even thousands opportunities in a year

Competitive strategy

Market segmentationTechnology Trajectories

Product platform planning

Balancing the Portfolio


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1998 19991997 2000

Department

Workgroup

Personal

40 ppmnetwork

$20k

30 ppm

$10k

20 ppm

$8k

40 ppm

$16k

65 ppm

$23k

55 ppm$20k

25 ppm

$9k

30 ppm

$10k

25 ppm

$10k

35 ppm

$15k

20 ppm

$7k

40 ppm

$20k

60 ppmnetwork$35k

LegendXerox

product

competitorproduct

potentialcompetitor

65 ppmnetwork

$31k

Year ofRelease

HodakaProject

LakesProject Lakes

Extensions

HodakaProject

LakesProject Lakes

Extensions

MarketSegment

Market Segment Map

Xerox B&W digital products and competitors in three marketsegments. Key performance dimensions are pages per minute,

networking capacity and price


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Technology trajectories (S-Curves)

Light-LensTechnology

DigitalTechnology

Time

Co

pierPerf

ormance


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Technology RoadmapFunctional Elements

Photo-receptor

ScannerLayout

TonerType

OutputModes

UserInterface

CylindricalDrum

2D CCD Arrayw/Optical Reduc.

Keypad

3-Pitch BeltPhotoreceptor

Full-Width, Linear Arraywithout Optical Reduction

Touch Screen, Remote PC

Color: Paper, Fax, Scan,Local Network, Internet

Document

Centre220, 230

Document

Centre240, 255, 265

DocumentCentre

2XX

HodakaProject

LakesProject

LakesExtensions

DocumentCentre

3XX

NextPlatform

Technologies

n-Pitch BeltPhotoreceptor

HighTemperature

Low MeltingPoint

Low Melting Point,Low Emission

Touch Screen

ImageProcessing

Automatic Image Quality

Diagnostics On-BoardDiagnostics

Remote-DialupDiagnostics

RemoteRepair

Time

1200 dpi600/1200 dpi 1800 dpi600 dpi

Monochrome: Paper, Fax, Scan,Local Network, Internet


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Product platform planning

time

Platform BPlatform

Product

Development

Derivative

Product

Development

Legend

Project

ProductRelease

Research and

Technology

Development

Platform A

A Platform development project creates the structure of a

family of products. Derivative Products may be included in the

initial platform (A) of may follow thereafter (Platform B)


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Balancing the Portfolio

Product-Process Change MatrixExtent of Production Process Changes

Exten

tofProduct

Changes

NewCore

Process

NextGeneration

Process

SingleDepartment

Upgrade

Tuning andIncremental

Changes

NoProcessChange

New

CoreProduct

NextGeneration

Product

Additionto Product

Family

MinorProductEnhancement

NoProduct

Change

LakesProject

Research andTechnology

Development

Breakthrough

DevelopmentProjects

PlatformDevelopment

Projects

DerivativeProduct

Development

CurrentProduct/Process

Support



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Process

Step 3: Allocate Resources and Plan Timing

Project timing

Product Plan


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Aggregate Resource Planning

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

1 0 0 %

120%

140%

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Capac it y Ut ilizat io n

MechanicalDesign

ElectricalEngineering

ManufacturingEng

ineering

Software/Firmwar

e

IndustrialDesign

MechanicalDesign


ManufacturingEng

ineering

Software/Firmwar

e

IndustrialDesign

MechanicalDesign


ManufacturingEng

ineering

Software/Firmwar

e

IndustrialDesign



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Process

Step 4: Complete Pre-Project planning

Project is approved but before substantial resources are applied

A small cross- functional team

The Lakes core team: 30 people with wide range of technologicalexpertise, marketing, Manufacturing and service functions


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Mission Statement

L k P j t Mi i St t t


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Lakes Project Mission StatementProduct Descript ion

Networkable, digital machine with copy, print, fax, and scan functions

Key Business Goals

Support Xerox strategy of leadership in digital office equipment

Serve as platform for all future B&W digital products and solutions

Capture 50% of digital product sales in primary market

Environmentally friendly

First product introduction 4thQ 1997

Primary Market

Office departments, mid-volume (40-65 ppm, above 42,000 avg. copies/mo.)

Secondary Markets

Quick-print market

Small satellite operations

Assumptions and Constraints

New product platform

Digital imaging technology

Compatible with CentreWare software

Input devices manufactured in Canada

Output devices manufactured in Brazil

Image processing engine manufactured in both USA and Europe

Stakeholders

Purchasers and Users

Manufacturing Operations

Service Operations

Distributors and Resellers



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Process

Step 5: Reflect on the Results and Process

Asses the quality of both the process and the results

Concept Development; Front-End


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Concept Development; Front End

Process

Interrelated activities ordered roughly in the front-end process

Identify customer needs

Case Study: Design of Screwdriver


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Case Study: Design of Screwdriver

Existing productused to drive the

screw:

-Manual

screwdrivers

-Cordless

screwdrivers

-Screw gun-Cordless drill with

driver bit

A successful hand tool Manufacturer was exploring the growing

market for hand-held power tool. Identification of the customer needs

an adequate process.

Mission Statement: Screwdriver Project


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Mission Statement: Screwdriver Project

Mission statement identifies a direction to go, but generally dont

specify a precise destination or the particular way to proceed

Five Steps of Identifying


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p y g

customer needs

To Identifying customer needs a five steps process is suggested:1- Gather raw data from customer

2- Interpret the raw data in terms of customer needs

3-Organize the needs into a hierarchy of primary, secondary and (ifrequired) tertiary needs.

4- Establish a relative importance of the needs




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p y g

customer needs

1- Gather raw data from customer

One to one interview (One hour)Focus groups (8 to 10 customers- $2500 each focus group)

Observing the product in use



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p y g

customer needs


Visual Information Example: Book Bag Design


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Visual Information Example: Book Bag Design



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customer needs

1- Gather raw data from customerNumber of Interviews

Case studies:-90% of customer needs for picnic coolers were revealed after 30

interviews-98% of customer needs for a piece of office equipment were revealed

after 25 hours data collection in both focus groups and interviews

General rule: Between 10 to 50 interviews



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customer needs

1- Gather raw data from customerChoosing Customers



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customer needs


The Art of Eliciting customer Needs Data

Documenting Interactions with Customer (Template for the raw data)


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t d


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customer needs

2- Interpret the raw data in terms of customer needs


t d


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customer needs

3-Organize the needs into a hierarchy of primary, secondary and (if

required) tertiary needs.


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customer needs


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customer needs

4- Establish a relative importance of the needs


customer needs


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customer needs


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Concept Development; Front-End

Process


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Process


Product Specification

Case Study: Design of ScrewdriverSpecialized Bicycle components was interested in developing a new


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Existing Suspension:

It is successful in the high-

performance segment of the market

racing cyclist with less concern for

cost or long term durability. The firmwished to broaden the sales of the

suspension forks and therefore was

interested in developing a productthat would provide high value for the

recreation cyclists

Specialized Bicycle components was interested in developing a new

suspension fork for the mountain bike market.

Case Study: Customer Needs for the

Suspension


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Suspension

Fork

What are Specifications


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Language of Customer should be translated

A specification consists of a metric and a value.

For example:

Customer Language

Easy to Install

Specification

Average time to Assemble the Fork to the Frame is Less than 75

Seconds

When are specifications established?


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Product Specification

Establishing the Target Specification is a preliminary specificationLater these specifications will be refined based on the limitations of the

product concept actually selected: Set Final Specification

Four Steps of the process of Establishing

the Target Specifications


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A four steps process is suggested:1- Prepare the list of metrics

2- Collect competitive benchmarking

3-Set idea and marginally acceptable target values4- Reflect on the results and the process


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Four Steps of the process of Establishing



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Fall2005- ENGR 3200U 44

g p

1- Prepare the list of metrics

The metrics should include the popular criteria.

Many customers buy products based on independently

published evaluations.Popular Science, Consumer Reports

In case of bicycle: Bicycling and mountain bike magazine

Monster test machine is used by this magazine which measure

of the vertical acceleration of the handlebars as a bicycle

equipped with the fork runs over a block 50 millimeter tall


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Four Steps of the process of Establishingthe Target Specifications


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2- Collect

competitivebenchmarking

(A room of houseof quality)

Based on the

Metrics



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2- Collect

competitivebenchmarking

(A room of houseof quality)

Based on the

Satisfaction of

Needs



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3-Set idea and marginally acceptable target values

At least X: the value of the brake mounting stiffness is specified to be at least 325kilonewtons/meter)

At most X: the value of the mass of suspension forl is set to be at most 1.4 kilograms)

Between X and Y: spring preload between 480 and 800 Newtons

Exactly X: ideal value for the rake offset metric is set to 38 millimeters

A Set of Discrete Values: headset diameters 1.00, 1.125 or 1.250 inches



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Five Steps of the process of Setting theFinal Specifications


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As the team finalize the choice of a concept and prepares for subsequentdesign and development, the specifications are revised.

A five steps process is suggested:

1- Develop Technical models of the product2- Develop a cost model of the product

3- Refine the specifications, marking trade-offs where necessary

4-Flow down the specifications as appropriate




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1- Develop Technical models of the productA technical model is a tool for predicting the values of the metrics for a

particular set of design decisions.

Example: Oil-damped coil spring concept suspension fork



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1- Develop Technical models of the product



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2- Develop a cost model of the product

The goal of this step is to make sure that the product can be

produced at the target cost

A simple method is a bill of material with cost estimates



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2-

Deve

lop

acos

tmo

de

lo

fthe

pro

duc

t



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Competitive map is the tool for this step. It is also called a trade-off map.

It is simply a scatter plot of competitive products along two dimensions

selected from the set of metrics



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Competitive map is the tool for this step. It is also called a trade-off map.

It is simply a scatter plot of competitive products along two dimensions

selected from the set of metrics

Regions by the marginal and ideal values are shown in the map.

Armed with technical performance model and a cost model the team can

asses it will be able to beat the trade off exhibited in the map

3 R fi th ifi ti ki t d ff h



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High performance suspensions (low monster score) have high manufacturing cost

3 Refine the specifications



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3- Refine the specifications,

marking trade-offs wherenecessaryThe final specifications of the

suspension fork


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Documents

Customer Needs & Product Specifications