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Successful products are ones that meet customer needs, are innovative and
that offer value. Sounds simple! How do you make that happen? DRM
Associates, a leading consulting organization specializing in product
development, can help with the following six-step approach:
- Product strategy must be established that provides a framework
for properly selecting markets and product ideas. Customers and potential
customers are then identified. We would work with the executive team to
assess markets, competition, competitive strengths, and product lines.
We would map company position against competitors in various dimensions
to provide insights and help develop strategy.
- Product screening evaluates product concepts and marketplace
needs against the product strategy objectives. We would help establish
a portfolio management and pipeline management process including
screening and feasibility criteria. For product ideas that meet screening
criteria, we would help organize and conduct preliminary feasibility studies.
- Team & project organization are needed to initiate a project.
We can help with this and provide team-building training as required.
- Customer needs data collection uses a variety of methods to
gather the "voice of the customer". Depending upon the nature
of the product and the markets, these methods include: focus groups, customer
meetings, surveys and market research, and product support feedback systems.
We would help establish these systems and processes. We would help identify
required data and areas of investigation and would develop interview or
discussion guides as required. We would participate in and facilitate meetings
and focus groups as required.
- Quality function deployment (QFD) training would be provided if development personnel
lacked an understanding of this useful methodology. We believe QFD is an
important tool to develop an understanding of customer needs among the
product development team members and deploy the "voice of the customer"
in a structured manner throughout the development process (see Customer Focused Development with QFD). We would conduct
two- or three-day workshop which provides hands-on training using a series
of exercises to develop practical skills in applying QFD.
- QFD facilitation is then
provided to help guide development personnel through the process of product
planning using QFD. Depending on the complexity of the product and the amount
of data that was available, we would facilitate an initial QFD planning
session that is typically several days in length. If data was lacking, we
would assign tasks to obtain the needed information and schedule subsequent
meetings as required. The QFD facilitation would be divided into planning
phases that would occur over the course of the development cycle: 1.) product
and subsystem planning and concept selection; 2.) assembly and part
deployment; 3.) process planning; and 4.) process control and quality control
planning.
We can assist with any one of these six steps to help your organization
bring a customer focus into the product development process, improve customer
value, better integrate the development process, and improve team communication
and understanding. Review our QFD facilitation experience.
For further information, please contact:
Kenneth Crow
DRM Associates
2613 Via Olivera
Palos Verdes , CA 90274-2809, USA
Telephone: (310) 377-5569
Fax: (310) 377-1315
Email: kcrow@aol.com
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