ENGR1025 - Lecture 9

Overview of Product Planning
  • Types of Product Development Projects:
    • New product platforms
    • Derivatives of existing product platforms
    • Incremental improvements to existing products
    • Fundamentally new products
Product Planning Process
  • A systematic approach to product development focusing on various aspects, including customer needs and specifications.
  • Projects must be identified across different types of developments, utilizing tools and charts to visualize project timelines.
Identifying Customer Needs

  • Goals in Identifying Customer Needs:

    • Align product design closely with customer needs.
    • Capture both explicit and latent needs.
    • Maintain a fact-based justification for specifications.
    • Keep a comprehensive record of needs throughout development.
    • Foster a common understanding among the development team.

  • Five Steps of Identifying Customer Needs:

    1. Gather raw data via interviews, focus groups, or surveys.
    2. Interpret the data relative to customer needs.
    3. Organize needs into a hierarchy (primary, secondary, tertiary).
    4. Establish relative importance among identified needs.
    5. Reflect on the outcomes for future processes.
Collecting Data

  • Methods to Gather Raw Data:

    • Interviews: Direct discussions yield qualitative insights.
    • Focus Groups: Structured discussions with a moderate group of customers to filter and refine needs.
    • Observations: Understanding customer behavior through contextual inquiry.
    • Surveys: Quantitative data collection to cover a broader audience.

  • Efficiency in Data Collection:

    • Optimal size and selection of participants are key, targeting lead users enhances efficiency.
Data Interpretation

  • Converting Customer Statements into Need Statements

    • Focus on specificity; avoid ambiguous terms.
    • Positive phrasing is more effective for interpretations.
    • Attribute needs directly to product functionality.

  • Organizing Needs:

    • Develop a hierarchical structure prioritizing critical and latent needs.
Establishing Specifications

  • What Are Specifications?

    • A precise description of requirements including metrics and values to drive product development.

  • Establishing Target Specifications:

    • Create a list of metrics correlated to customer needs.
    • Gather competitive benchmarks and set ideal target values.

  • Performing Economic Analysis and Benchmarking:

    • Continuous comparison against competitors and internal goals.
Final Specifications Development
  • Refining Specifications:
    • Five key steps for this refinement include developing technical and cost models, and reflecting on results.
  • Trade-Offs and Decisions:
    • Teams face necessary trade-offs relating to cost, features, and market expectations while engaging in development.
Summary and Reflection Points
  • Reflect on the entire process of specification generation.
  • Assess whether the identified metrics meet customer satisfaction goals, and evaluate competitive viability.
  • Understanding success metrics and customer satisfaction are central to the product development destination.
Conclusion
  • Continuous evaluation and adaptation based on customer feedback and competitive landscape is essential for successful product development. Thus, the meticulous approach towards understanding customer needs, establishing specifications, and considering economic factors renders a strategic advantage in the marketplace.