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DVD Library 2 Planning and Meeting Customer Needs

Citation X. Cessna Aircraft used a structured approach for designing quality into its newest generation of business jets. The Citation X was introduced to market over a year faster than its predecessors. And because the Cessna team included a wide array of both internal and external customers, they were able to develop this new product with higher quality and greater customer satisfaction. The segment underscores the value of quality planning, training, cross-functional teams, and involving the customer at every step in the design process.

DUX Beds. Have you ever paid $10,000 for a bed mattress? DUX of Sweden has no trouble charging that for their mattresses, because the company has taken steps to design quality features into its products that are so superior to the competition, DUX is able to command premium pricing.

Hair Nets. Hair net makers went out of business by responding to customers' stated needs (customers wanted better hair nets). The makers of hair sprays took over the market by responding to the customers' real needs (they wanted something to keep their hair in place).

Home-Style Flop. Campbell's cooked up a soup that flopped in the marketplace, because they failed to identify all of their customers (the shippers, distributors, and retailers were overlooked).

Konica Cameras. Focus groups were not helping Konica understand customer needs, but when the company sent a team to a photo lab, the needs of the picture-taking public were plain to see. Using Pareto analysis to reveal the most frequent photographic errors (underexposure; poor focus; blank film) Konica developed a revolutionary new camera: the world’s first auto-focus, auto-wind, auto-exposure camera.

Leading Questionnaires. Getting feedback from customers is important, but too often, organizations "lead the witness" by asking questions that are important to the organization – but not important to the customer. A hotel provides the setting for this segment.

Leather Seats. Cadillac spent a fortune to provide customers with the best quality leather upholstery. In spite of this, a survey revealed that its customers' perception of quality leather was very different than Cadillac's.

Luxury Yachts. We visit a boat yard in New York where a multi-million dollar sailing yacht is being built for a well-healed customer. This shipyard has earned a reputation for high quality boat building. Much of their success is because of their insistence in working hand-in-hand with their clients. The result is a boat that is launched in less time, has higher quality and reliability, and cost less than similar boats made by competing boat builders.
MASH Units. A team of US Army soldiers break with long-standing traditions and use quality methodology to dramatically improve the time it takes to set up a new MASH camp.

Opera Workshop. Can industrial methods be used to improve the quality of the performing arts? They were at Xavier University. Xavier used quality planning methodology to understand with precision what qualities would ensure employment for their graduating opera students. Working with the business school, a student team designed questionnaires, interviewed potential employers, created measures, and redesigned the curriculum to improve their chances for employment in the performing arts.

OregonState Division of Motor Vehicles. Vice President Al Gore makes a guest appearance to explain how a motor vehicle department initially misjudged what was most important to its customers. By better understanding customer needs, the department saved big money, improved service quality, and made licensed drivers (including the VP) happier than ever before.

Ping Putters. The best way to discover what’s important to customers is to become a customer yourself. An engineer at GE does exactly that to design a golf club that has become one of the most commercially successful products in the game.

Ryobi Small Engines. Ryobi Outdoor Products used a structured quality planning process and partners with suppliers to develop a revolutionary new garden trimmer that cut down the competition.

The Alligator Hatchery. In this segment, we get up to our hips in alligators to dramatize the difference between quality improvement (getting rid of alligators one by one) and quality planning (shutting down the hatchery once and for all).

The Boeing 777. Thousands of airline executives and frequent flyers from 14 countries joined forces with Boeing designers in the development of its new jet plane. This segment highlights the enlightening results of this non-traditional quality planning project.

The Good Ship Vasa. In 1628, the huge Swedish war ship Vasa sunk moments after its maiden launch – the result of some disastrously poor quality planning. In this segment, we look at the fatal mistakes which led to this sad chapter in history. A good quality planning process would have detected any one of these flaws long before the ship was ready for launch.

The Museum of Failed Products. An unusual museum in Ithaca, New York, provides a showcase for studying quality failures of the past to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. The segment includes humorous examples of several awful products.

The New Mustang. Customers and all 400 members of the design team were teamed up to re-plan the classic Mustang. The car was introduced in 25 percent less time and for 30 percent fewer dollars than any comparable development program in Ford’s history.

The Self-Heating Can. A visit to the Museum of Design Disasters uncovers a product that failed miserably because a preoccupation with technology ignored some basic customer needs.

WhartonSchool. This leading business school worked with an important “customer” (business leaders who will ultimately hire graduating students) to design a curriculum that better meets the needs of these vital customers.