Omron hits a home run with a new mindset

Example of Omron products
(source: Omron youtube channel)

In a business magazine interview, the new Omron president, Mr. Ogino, described not only innovation in their new products displayed at the the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but also advances in the company's core beliefs about customers and product development.

Omron is an international medical device manufacturer that sells home healthcare devices such as blood pressure monitors, body weight and composition meters, and others.

Under Mr. Ogino's directives, Omron product developers now must investigate the validity of product concept from the customer's perspective and identify "true" customer needs. No longer are product features such as 'integrated,' 'compact,' 'easy to read,' and so forth sufficient.

"Tens of thousands people end up with amputations every year because of high blood sugar. We make blood glucose meters to make such incidents zero. We make nebulizers with a conviction to cure asthma during childhood. I make sure in our company that no product planning takes place without first making clear why we should make the product, what is the ultimate goal," says Mr. Ogino.

This new mindset, code-named "Project Zero" (meaning driving down users' adverse health events to zero), will not only help the company differentiate itself from other wearable technology manufacturers, but also it can bring them closer to becoming in compliance with the new ISO 16355 for QFD.  Here is how... Read the full article.

Learn the new tools...

ISO QFD Training in EU

Here are upcoming opportunities for those who live in EU and surrounding regions.

These events can help you learn how to comply with the new ISO 16355 and modern QFD methods.

Stay ahead of your competitors who may be still using an outdated House of Quality and conventional approaches. Most important, enhance your professional skills, business performance, and career with the best QFD training.

• 25–27 May 2016
  QFD Green Belt^® training
  at Laatukeskus Excellence Finland (Keilaranta 16, 02150)
  Espoo, FINLAND
  Please register by 21st May, to assure your seat and training materials.
   
  
• 31 May 2016  (from 10:00 to 15:00)
  Introduction to ISO 16355
  Half-day seminar at the European Organization for Quality Congress
  at Laatukeskus Excellence Finland (Keilaranta 16, 02150)
  Espoo, FINLAND
   
  
• 1 June 2016  (@ 13:30)
  ISO 16355: A Quality Approach to New Product Development
  at the European Organization for Quality Congress
  (Track "Quality Tools and Business Improvement" )
  Helsinki, FINLAND

A Standard for Innovative Customer Experience

Looking forward to seeing you there!

May 17, 2016
ISO 16355: A Standard for Innovative Customer Experience
2016 World Conference on Quality and Improvement
@ 4 pm–5 pm Concurrent Sessions T30
Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA

Click to see the video preview
"ISO 16355: A Standard for Innovative Customer Experience"

Designing environmental sustainability with QFD

Single-serving coffee brewers have become so popular recently. It is everywhere from home kitchens, hotel rooms, airport lounges, to doctors' offices, etc.

You insert a small disposable coffee pod (the photo on the left) into the machine, push a button, and out comes fresh brewed coffee with the flavor, strength, and style described on the package.

People love the convenience, easy care, and fresh coffee aroma with each cup. But have you ever thought of  the environmental impact after their use?

Made of plastic and/or aluminum, some pods can be recycled, while others are not. But how often have you seen a recycle bin provided in hotel rooms or offices where these single brewers are used?  How many people carefully sort out the recyclable pods during the morning rush?

The sad reality is that the majority of these pods currently end up in landfill —  now a 3,000,000,000 per year problem in Germany alone, according to March 1, 2016 National Public Radio blog "The Salt".

In New Product Development, the concern for sustainability is too often treated as an 'either-or' tradeoff, such as "you can have convenience or environmental friendliness, but not both".

But you can resolve this dilemma and do a better job at designing sustainability in your new product by using Comprehensive QFD and deploying Sustainability independently during the design phase.

Those with Modern QFD training can also supplement the Maximum Value table in Blitz QFD^® with an Environmental Value table.

Read more...

ISO Standard for Innovative Customer Experience

ASQ's annual congress will again take place this May in Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA.

Mark your calendar for May 17, 2016 at  4 pm–5 pm as Glenn Mazur, executive director of the QFD Institute, will present "ISO 16355: A Standard for Innovative Customer Experience."  It will be in "T30: Customer Experience Track."

Click to see the video preview
"ISO 16355: A Standard for Innovative Customer Experience"

By the way, companies with international business and those who lead corporate efforts in Design for Six/Lean Sigma (DFSS/DFLS) should also consider attending the March 22–23, 2016 QFD Green Belt^® Course, to develop the skills needed to achieve 21st century levels of innovation and quality in their new products and comply with the new standard.

In addition to the modern QFD software templates and case studies, students of the March 2016 QFD course will receive the ISO 16355-1 Tools Matrix reference eBook ($149 value). This course has no prerequisites. Registration is here.

New ISO 16355-1 for QFD

Since 2009, an international team of QFD experts convened by the QFD Institute has been writing the new ISO standard 16355 for QFD. The Part I is now on sale through various standards organizations listed below.

The purpose of the standard is to guide the global community of QFD practitioners, international businesses, and Quality and Design professionals in complying with the skills they need to achieve 21st century levels of innovation and quality in their new products.

To comply with this standard—more accurately, to be able to use the standard successfully, you must possess important QFD foundations.

Simply copying from the standard will not help achieve the desired success. You must know how to tailor QFD methods discussed in the standard, you must be able to distinguish which QFD tools and which deployments in what sequence are best for your project, not falling into copying something that turns out to be detrimental to your particular project.

To develop the sound QFD foundation to comply with ISO 16355 and develop successful product development skill-set, consider proper training. This will save you from making costly mistakes, wasting resources, and project failure.

The papers and links referenced in the standard and its Tool Matrix have been complied in a 1400+page eBook, which was complimentary to the March 2016 QFD Green Belt^® attendees. After that, this eBook is available from the QFD Institute. It contains case studies using the tools cited in the ISO 16355 as well as other resources. 

Standard organizations selling ISO 16355-1:2015 (Part I):

• ISO (International Standards Organization)
• ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
• ASQ (American Society for Quality)
• BSI (British Standards Institute)
• DIN (German Institute for Standardization)
• JSA (Japan Standards Association)
• NEN (Netherlands NEN)
• EESTI (Estonian Centre for Standardisation)
• SIS (Swedish Standards Institute)
• NO (Standards Norway)
• AFNOR (France)
• Normservis (Czech Republic)
• SCC (Standards Council of Canada)

Original post Feb. 27, 2016.  Updated March 25, 2016.

2016 ISQFD Call For Papers

The QFD Institute is issuing Call For Papers for its 2016 International Symposium on QFD (ISQFD). Interested parties are invited to send a paper proposal by May 01, 2016.

This symposium welcomes participation from all countries and industries. Both completed projects and those still in progress are candidates for presentation.

Speaker benefits include discounts for the symposium and QFD courses in Boise.


More about this International Symposium (ISQFD):

• ISQFD main page
• Venue
• Travel
• Boise, ID
• How to Attend

Modern QFD tools for Gemba study

One of the most frequently asked questions about customer gemba visits is what questions to prepare in advance.

Gemba preparations depend greatly on the type of QFD project. Is it an improvement, a refresh, an upgrade, a new technology, a next generation, or totally new to the world?

The new ISO 16355 for QFD explains the process in Part 2 (ISO/DIS 16355-2). Modern QFD offers specific tools for this, including the customer process model and gemba visit table, and this critical part of QFD is taught in detail in the QFD Green Belt^®.

The most important thing to remember during a Gemba visit is to encourage your customer to speak openly about what frustrates them, not just product complaints. Use the gemba visit to discover what you don't know you don't know. A January 2, 2016 article in The New York Times by Pagan Kennedy "How to Cultivate the Art of Serendipity" calls this wonderfully, "the art of finding what we're not seeking."

illustration of the Persian tale
source: wikipedia {PD-US}

The article explains the history of the word 'Serendipity' to a Persian fairy tale about three princes from the Isle of Serendip who have super powers of observation — a skill, not just dumb luck. Three types of observers are identified by University of Missouri information scientist, Sanda Erdelez:

•  Non-encounterers who stick to a preferred list;   
•  Occasional encounterers who have moments of serendipity;
• Super-encounterers who have happy surprises wherever they look.

Among a super-encounterer, these are some of their attributes:

• Open to ideas that evolve on an unrelated project.
• Transform mistakes into a breakthrough.
• See patterns that others don't see.

Readers familiar with the modern QFD tools may recognize some of these attributes. You can master these tools and techniques and you too can become a "serendipiter."

1. Gemba visits should be conducted by...
2.  ....
3.  ...  Read the full article at www.qfdi.org

Master the art of super Gemba, AHP and ISO 16355

• Desktop brochure 
• Mobile view 
• Registration

Please contact us or see the Calendar if above dates do not work for you.

Taxi of Tomorrow failing on today's needs?

Last year we discussed the "Taxi of Tomorrow," New York City's taxi design contest. We called attention to the peril of new product development without understanding stakeholders and offered some QFD perspectives.

Now that the winning model (Nissan) is being rolled out to replace the aging fleet of NYC cabs, are New Yorkers happy? Not so fast. The debate continues.

Taxi of Tomorrow
Nissan NV200
photo: mr.chopper / wikipedia

The Nissan model (photo right), based on a Japanese family van never tested in a commercial fleet until now, offers features such as a spacious interior, rear seat airbags, driver GPS, and charging ports for electronic devices.

The critics complained that the Nissan model is only a gasoline fueled vehicle (at least for now) and does not offer wheelchair accessibility.

Intriguingly, it caught our eyes that the contest decision makers (politicians, taxi and limousine commissioners, industry leaders) gravitated toward the established, practical product features for the final selection, such as Safety, Comfort, Passenger and Driver Amenities, and Economy.

In the pre-decision survey, the general public additionally voiced these important features: Environmental friendliness and forward-looking design fit for the international center of business, arts, and tourism.

What neither party articulated, during and after the contest, were the true needs of customers, especially the "latent" needs.

That may be why Uber, Lyft, and others are able to make a dent in the market share of traditional taxis. Note here, what types of vehicle it is or what amenities it is equipped with are no longer the differentiating points in this new competition.

This may come as shocking to those who worked hard to bring the winning design onto the streets of Manhattan. But with the entry of this new app-based, on-demand competition, the physical features that the Taxi of Tomorrow has focused have become irrelevant — as if the Taxi of Tomorrow addresses the needs of yesterday!

The city officials are hopeful the new taxi will bring back customers, but it seems they need more than an eye-catching new design to successfully compete in this new market.

How can they turn the Taxi of Tomorrow truly live up to its name?
Read more...