Product Definition

Chapter 4
Product Definition Process
 Where are we in the market now?
 Where do we want to go?
 How big is the potential market?
 What does the customer really want?
 How feasible is technical development?
 How do we get where we want to go?
 What are the chances of success?
Surveying the Customer
 Very important!
 Match customer needs with
product concept
 Quality product meets
customer needs
 Identify segments of a
population with similar needs
 Target marketing to that
group
Defining Company Needs
 Increases scope of consumers
 Takes into account market analysis to take a
broader look at potential customers
 Includes market sizes and trends
 Reviews competitive and regulatory environment

Customer Market
 Company Competencies
 Determine how to get ahead of competitors
 Examine company using same level of
objectivity used when viewing competitors
 Examine core competencies/weaknesses
 Capitalize on strengths

Competition
Customer Market
(Internal look)
 Outside Competencies
 Examine strengths/weaknesses of
competition
 Identify resources of the competition
 Study market shares of industry players

Customer Market Competition Competition

(Internal look) (External look)
 Completing Product Definition
 Consider the marketing mix of products,
distribution networks, pricing structure, and
overall economics
 Examine company issues with potential
product- technologies, company fit, life cycle,
differentiation
Competition Final Company
Customer (External look)
Issues

Competition
Market
(Internal look) Definition Complete!
Quality Function Deployment
 Process in which ‘voice of the customer’ is
heard and deployed
 Orderly, four-phase process:
 Planning Yes, this guy
 Designing again!

 Constructing
 Consistently constructing
 Distinguishes between customer attributes and
technical characteristics
QFD Process
Then itwith…..
Begins links………

The wants of
the customer with Companies

and assists with the planning process

-Matrix format is essential to this process
Voice of the Customer
 Basic input required to begin QFD
 Relative importance of each voice is
measured by importance rating
 Competitive evaluation of products or
services permit company to observe how
its products rate on a numerical scale
 Customer complaints serve as an
indication of dissatisfaction
Technical Information
 Determine how company will respond to
customer voice
 Technical or design requirements placed
on top of the matrix
 Center of matrix records presence and
strength of relationship between customer
wants and technical requirements
 Goals can be established for technical
requirements
In short, QFD
Manufacturing
planning chart
process….
Technical
portion of the
development matrix

Customer
portion of
the matrix Matrix analysis
Proposed design and selection
comparison and
synthesis of the
9 Easy of priority
items
Process
best
Stepsplanning
matrix
development

Determining Part planning

voice of the matrix Customer
customer development Surveys