Articles tagged Customer and market analysis

The evaluation of customer expectations concerning reliability performance. Plus the evaluation of reliability performance of other solutions available in the market. Customer and market analysis provides customer expectation information related to reliability performance.

by Robert Allen Leave a Comment

Design Optimization Using Value Equations

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is an excellent tool to ensure linkage of customer needs to product requirements. This article will provide a high-level overview on creating a ‘first-level’ QFD and how it can be used to guide design optimization.

(There are many additional features of QFD , however, and readers of this article are encouraged to research the methodology further.)

As stated above, we use the QFD matrix (similar to a cause-effect matrix) to ensure linkage of customer needs to product requirements using the critical thinking / questions as follows: [Read more…]

by Robert Allen Leave a Comment

When the system is the customer – system integration

In recent articles I framed the structure of a market analysis to ensure we understand customer needs and value, product requirements are “the what” the design provides (to ensure customer needs are met); the design is “the how” the product requirements will be met.

Product requirements are determined by answering the following question: “What shall the (product) design provide (output) @ input conditions? (Input conditions are functional inputs provided by the user, or environmental conditions.)

A complex product may have several outputs that interface with a system, however, and/or several inputs may be needed in order to enable the product to perform it’s intended function. System integration is therefore required.

Let’s assume your product is a subsystem. The questions become:

“What shall the subsystem design provide (output) in order to ensure optimum system performance?
“What does the subsystem need (inputs) from the system in order to ensure optimum system performance?”

How do we establish optimum system performance? We would expect the customer (system designer) would model system performance and provide functional inputs, outputs and specification limits (for your subsystem) in order to achieve optimum system performance.

In the case of a subsystem, value is in the context of the system optimization and system integration

Accordingly, subsystem integrators should understand system performance well-enough to help system designers with overall system design optimization…at the very least, understand gaps in requirements and associated system/subsystem development risks. The subsystem requirements document therefore is a key deliverable, reviewed in detail and approved by the customer.

An integrated approach to ensuring customer needs and value should be embedded in the product life cycle process, and can save your company (and your customers) millions of dollars in product development costs.

by Robert Allen Leave a Comment

Why Market Requirements Don’t Really Exist

Wouldn’t it be great if we could require the stock market to provide us 15% increases in our portfolio every year…or if we could simply require a sunny day for a picnic?

You might be familiar with the term ‘market requirements’ or a ‘market requirements document’ as a deliverable in the definition phase of a product life cycle process. To understand why market requirements don’t really exist, we must first provide the definition of a requirement. [Read more…]

by Robert Allen 2 Comments

Enabling Customer Value in Product Design

Use an Integrated Approach in the Product Life Cycle Process to Enable Customer Value

Given our primary goal of developing a profitable product, our objective in the design process is to maximize customer value and minimize cost. From a financial analysis standpoint: we pursue products with the highest possible margins (ie. charge the customer “as much” as possible, and make the product for “as little” as possible). Of course we also want to sell “as many” as possible. [Read more…]

by Fred Schenkelberg 2 Comments

The Connection of Reliability and Customer Expectations

Customers Experience Product Reliability in Real Time

In a customer’s mind, the product works or it doesn’t. If it doesn’t work as expected it has failed. This may or may not be a reliability problem.

A customer or someone using your product brings a set of expectations to the experience. The range of expectations may range from very little to very high functioning, value production, and durability.

Failures are defined by customers.

In part, this is the functional capability, the operating within specifications, and the durability. The customer’s definition of reliability may or may not follow the design specifications.

It is the comparison of what should happen to what does happen. [Read more…]

by Fred Schenkelberg 2 Comments

Overview of Benchmarking

Benchmarking is the systematic process of observation and analysis.

The evaluation of a project, method or process best practices as performed by recognized industry leader may reveal improvement opportunities for your organization.

Benchmarking may focus on diverse business processes and with both internal and external subjects.

The intent is to understand what makes the subject’s process work well.

Understanding a system that operates well may reveal the elements in your process that may benefit with a change.

Keep in mind that not all best practice processes may apply to your specific situation. (Lapide, 2005) [Read more…]

by Fred Schenkelberg Leave a Comment

Customer Reliability Expectations Change

Image that. Customers say one thing and expect something else.

A customer may provide a detailed and complete reliability specification, then, 6 months into using the product complain it is not reliable enough. [Read more…]

by Fred Schenkelberg Leave a Comment

Approaches to Assess Customer Reliability Needs

Just asking a customer how reliable they want your product often provokes an honest answer. The customer, and you most likely, do not want any failures.

Failures are troublesome or in some cases dangerous.

You and your customers realize that not every unit produced will operate over a long and useful life. There is some chance that something will fail. The definition of ‘some’ is often vague. [Read more…]

by Fred Schenkelberg 1 Comment

3 Elements of Reliability Goal Setting

Embarking on a product development project contains many aspirations, including that the product should work as expected.

The device functions and does so over time. Enough time for the customer to deem the device reliable.

That is one way to approach setting a reliability goal for a project. Estimate what will delight the customer. Set a target for how long without failure your new design function.

The goal provides a focus for the team. [Read more…]

by Fred Schenkelberg Leave a Comment

Reliability Goal

The reliability goal is a key element across the entire product lifecycle. From product definition to determining warranty to judging performance, knowing the goal in clear terms sets the stage for a successful product.

Reliability in engineering terms is the probability of satisfactory product performance within a defined environment over a stated duration. [Read more…]