Developing product requirements through the voice of the customer and their link to product development : a Mustang study

Abstract

The move toward Customer-Driven Product Development is changing the way companies operate their business and is re-defining future products. For example, phrases such as: Connecting with Customers, Customer First, Customer Focused Strategy and Customer Focused are all strategies being adopted by Ford Motor Company to help their products meet the needs of customers. The focus on customers has become a top priority within the organization through top down and bottom up implementation. Product requirements developed from the voice of the customer can provide valuable insight into the critical customer needs for a product. The ability to obtain, understand, analyze and incorporate those customer requirements into the product development system is critical to the success of a product. The challenge is developing a framework for gaining customer-voice data, analyzing that data, developing product requirements and linking those requirements to the product development system while meeting the objectives set forth for the product. The process requires an understanding of the product, engineering knowledge to develop and analyze product requirements and a familiarization of the product development process within a company. The product requirements developed from this study provided insight into the critical areas of the Mustang with customers. The effect of product requirements from the voice of the customer is moving organizations toward customer-driven product development and is changing the way business is done. This thesis provides a method to gain the voice of the customer, utilizes a framework for development and analysis of product requirements and links those requirements to the product development process.