Six Sigma Tool Navigator: The Master Guide for Teams

Tool description

The customer needs table helps integrated product development teams (IPDT) translate customer needs and wants into required designs that may meet customer expectations prior to the potential development of new products or service development.

Typical application

• To identify customer needs and wants in a new product or service.

• To translate voice of the customer information into design requirements.

• To reduce the amount of potential engineering change orders (ECO).

Problem-solving phase

Typically used by

before

• Surveying

• Interview Technique

• Focus Group

• Demographic Analysis

• Buzz Group

after

• Customer-First-Questions (CFQ)

• Value analysis

• Factor Analysis

• Conjoint Analysis

• Customer Satisfaction Analysis (CSA)

Notes and key points

• Data collection methods: Customer surveys, interviews, focus groups, benchmarks, similar product data, summarized studies, product demos, and others.

• This is a powerful resource tool, ideally used with quality function deployment (QFD)

Step-by-step procedure

• STEP 1 An integrated product development team (IDPT) selects a methodology of collecting information of a proposed product or service. See example Development of a Portable Coffee Maker.

• STEP 2 Potential customers are randomly selected and questioned on the various listed characteristics and factors shown in the customer needs table.

• STEP 3 All customer response data is organized and placed into the customer needs table as shown in this example.

• STEP 4 The table is reviewed by the team, dated, and presented to a QFD team or given directly to the process owners throughout the organization.

Example of tool application

Development of a Portable Coffeemaker