I will be the first to admit that I still have a few cases of 8-track tapes. For those too young to know what 8-track tapes are, please ask your parents. As a customer who purchased a lot of music, my needs were simple. I wanted clearer sound and something smaller to store. The music industry responded and introduced the cassette. The cassette was indeed smaller.
It did not fade out and then back in with that annoying “click” that my 8-track tapes used to have. I was pleased with my cassette collection. Then suddenly, the music industry introduced something called a CD – a compact disc. The CD offered better clarity, more storage capacity and the ability to jump to specific songs, or shuffle the order of their play. Best of all, one never had to rewind! The point is simple.
A step-by-step, in-depth guide to using the Kano Model to prioritize your backlog. So if you don't have the time right now, get it as a PDF eBook sent to your email. Other examples might be your internet connection speed; laptop battery life. Addition to the Kano methodology, suggested by multiple teams is to include.
As a customer, my needs changed. In the move to CDs, I did not realize my needs had changed but the music industry, through research, keeping up with the competition and advances in technology, delighted me with new product offerings. Even today as my CDs are dust covered because I only utilize my iPod, new advances in music technology are being made to further address music customer needs. The Kano Analysis How does a company analyze customer needs?
How can it easily determine what delights customers or what their basic needs are? One powerful technique to address these questions has been developed by Professor Noriaki Kano of Tokyo Rika University, and his colleagues. This is Kano’s theory: For some customer requirements, customer satisfaction is proportional to the extent to which the product or service is fully functional. The Kano model addresses the three types of requirements:. Satisfying basic needs: Allows a company to get into the market.
Satisfying performance needs: Allows a company to remain in the market. Satisfying excitement needs: Allows a company to excel, to be world class.
Dissatisfiers or Basic Needs – Expected features or characteristics of a product or service (legible forms, correctly spelled name, basic functionality). These needs are typically “unspoken.” If these needs are not fulfilled, the customer will be extremely dissatisfied.
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An example of an “unspoken” need when staying at a hotel is cleanliness. This includes a clean bathroom, clean linens and a pleasant, fresh aroma in the air. When a person books a reservation at a hotel, they do not request a clean room.
They expect it. If this basic need is not met, they will be extremely dissatisfied.
Satisfiers or Performance Needs – Standard characteristics that increase or decrease satisfaction by their degree (cost/price, ease of use, speed). These needs are typically “spoken.” Using the hotel example again, “spoken” needs could be Internet access, a room away from the elevators, a non-smoking room, the corporate rate, etc. Delighters or Excitement Needs – Unexpected features or characteristics that impress customers and earn the company “extra credit.” These needs also are typically “unspoken.” Think of the Doubletree Hotels.
Those who stay there are delighted by a freshly baked, chocolate chip cookie delivered to their room during turn-down service. Figure 1: The Kano Model Illustrated Customer Needs Change The horizontal axis of this figure indicates how fully functional a product/service is. The vertical axis indicates how satisfied the customer is.
The line going through the origin at 45 degrees, represents the situation in which customer satisfaction is directly proportional to how fully functional the product/service is. In other words, it represents the situation in which the customer is more satisfied with a more fully functional product/service and less satisfied with a less functional product/service.
Kano terms such requirements as “one-dimensional” requirements. A 10 percent improvement in functionality results in a 10 percent improvement in customer satisfaction. For example, the faster the response time on a system, or the more miles per gallon for a vehicle, the more the customer likes it. Kano Requirements Type Definitions: A Summary Requirements Type Definition Must Be (Expected Quality) Requirement that can dissatisfy (expected, but cannot increase satisfaction) One-Dimensional (Desired Quality) The more of these requirements that are met, the more a client is satisfied Delighters (Excited Quality) If the requirement is absent, it does not cause dissatisfaction, but it will delight clients if present Indifferent Client is indifferent to whether the feature is present or not Reverse Feature actually causes dissatisfaction. Figure 3: How Requirements Can Be Identified Conclusion: What Delights Today Here is the Kano Analysis in summary:. The Kano Analysis helps to identify unspoken needs before prioritization. It is intended to help prioritize customer needs.
It should be linked to a company’s multi-generational project plan. Generation 1 has to cover the “must be’s.”.
The company must realize that customers’ expectations and/or needs vary over time. Needs change. For example, in the Doubletree Hotel example about the freshly baked, chocolate chip cookie: Many people are becoming more health conscious now.
Perhaps a high-calorie, confectionary item is no longer a top delighter. Also, consider the comment about the need for Internet access in the hotel room being a satisfier.
While wireless Internet access could have been considered a delighter, it is quickly becoming a basic need of convenience. The important points to keep in mind are 1) what delighted customers in the past is now expected and 2) what is expected today will not meet minimum customer expectations in the future. Two points: First – It’s not the case of customer needs that are changing as much as who wouldn’t be delighted if they got more than they asked for. Wouldn’t you be delighted if you got two scoops of ice cream when you paid for one? Its human nature to want more even when I don’t know what I want more of.
Just give me more and i will tell you if I am delighted or disappointed. LOL Second, I would submit that much of the consumer product features that delight consumers were developed or invented through scientific research labs and initially directed towards military or noncommerical applications. Only years later are these made available for consumer product applications. Yes, I would be beyond delighted if I could teleport myself to a vacation destination instead of using a not so delightful airline flight.
But such a delightful feature is unlikely in my lifetime and even when scientists do figure it out, guess who would get first dibs at it? My two cents worth.
Understanding the Six Sigma Black Belt The Black Belt is at the top of the Six Sigma Professionals when it comes to the knowledge base they’ve learned and have been certified in. Black Belts practice daily leadership skills, leading teams and creating ways for employees in a company to work together to implement plans and strategies. A Quick Overview Six Sigma Black Belts are fourth in the chain of personnel that play a key role in six sigma implementation. Six Sigma Black Belts form the critical link between the Master Black Belts who are higher up the chain and the Green Belts, lower in the chain. Six Sigma Black Belts need to devote 100% of their time to the implementation, with their primary focus on execution. Six Sigma Black Belts dealing mainly with day to day activities rather than generalities of the program. The role of Six Sigma Black Belts as frontline executives of the program is critical to the success of the organization.
It is important that someone at the Six Sigma Black Belt certification level have expertise in designing, developing and running team projects, as well as using the DMADV method of designing new products and services. Black Belts and Master Black Belts train the lower level belts, showing them exactly what processes they need to know and making sure they are giving their trainees all the information they need to be successful.
The lower belts that they train and work with are green, yellow and (sometimes) white, although there is much debate to whether or not the white belt is an actual acknowledged certification within the six sigma community. Black Belts take complete responsibility for the smooth execution of the plans and projects they have been assigned. They will work with various teams and train others to be leaders of teams, as well.
It is wise for someone in this position of leadership to be extremely qualified, with experience and expertise in human behavior and psychology as well as having a good grasp of change management. Teams that have good leaders will produce the best results. They will understand the team members in a way that allows them to decide how to best use their skills and talents in the workplace. The skill of good delegation of responsibility is essential to the leadership role. As leaders, Black Belts will need excellent skills with communication. They will know how to teach the Six Sigma methodology well and create teams that finish projects on time, producing excellent results every time.
The green belts are the second level and will work as assistants to the black belts when they are not leading their own teams. Green Belts are in charge of most of the actual number crunching and 6 sigma statistics within an organization. Some projects will require the expertise of a black belt, while others will not be quite as intense and can be trusted to someone with the experience and understanding that a green belt will have. Green belts will analyze and collect data for the higher belts, executives and champions.
Black belts will also be assisted on projects by yellow belts. These team members carry out tasks their supervisors assign to them, reviewing data, spotting errors and making suggestions for possible areas of improvement. Usually it is auxiliary staff who is trained in the Yellow Belt level of 6 Sigma. If an organization chooses to train employees in the White Belt level, they will assist on a local level, arranging meetings and utilizing local resources. They will help out a 6 Sigma professional team, despite their controversy within the Six Sigma Community. What They Should Know Although Six Sigma demands high value personnel, not all of them are equally trained or talented.
While causes for this disparity often causes loss of time and resources, it is important to implement standardization on what they should know as Six Sigma Black Belts, because they are essential for the fulfillment of program objectives. Here are the fundamental things Six Sigma Black Belts are expected to know: Comprehensive Knowledge Of DMAIC Processes: A Six Sigma Black Belt is expected to know the five basic principles of Six Sigma methodology as described by DMAIC. A deeper understanding of these five principles, to the core, is essential as a first step. The acronym DMAIC stands for defining the process, measuring the current process baseline, analyzing causality factors, improving the process by optimization and finally controlling the process flow and transition to production. Thorough Knowledge Of Processes: A thorough understanding of the processes, acquired by having worked on them as a full- time employee, is essential.
The Six Sigma Black Belt should have substantial knowledge with hands on experience as the basis for identifying problem areas. Technical skills and active involvement in day to day activities are also paramount. Familiarity With Tools And Techniques: The implementation of Six Sigma methodologies is made possible through the use of various tools and techniques of measurement that help the decision making process.
Familiarity with technical statistical tools is a must for Six Sigma Black Belts for effective 6 sigma implementation. Although formal training in statistics and analysis is not essential, Six Sigma Black Belts are expected to pick up this subject with relative ease.
Ability To Formulate Projects & Plans: A Six Sigma Black Belt should able to make business plans and execute them in order to make sure that defined goals are achieved. Along the way, Six Sigma Black Belts are responsible for measurement of progress and the ability to articulate them in meaningful terms. Six Sigma Black Belts are expected to control the course of 6 sigma implementation for maximum gains. Knowledge Of Customer Base: A Six Sigma Black Belt should be aware of the roles of each key person and be independently able to devise, test and conduct customer surveys. He/she should also know how to interpret and validate the results, identify differences, and report and incorporate the results of the survey. Role of Six Sigma Black Belts Six Sigma Black Belts play the role of change agent.
Their role is a position of leadership. They must possess the sharpest business acumen, strong communication skills, customer advocacy knowledge, leadership qualities, technical aptitude and most of all, patience. Originally developed by Bill Smith at Motorola in 1986, the Six Sigma Training program was created using some of the most innovative quality improvement methods from the preceding six decades. The term 'Six Sigma' is derived from a field of statistics known as process capability. The term 6 Sigma refers to the ability of manufacturing processes to produce a very high proportion of output within specification.
Processes that operate with 'six sigma quality' over the short term are assumed to produce long-term defect levels below 3.4 defects per million opportunities. Six Sigma's goal is to improve overall processes to that level of quality or better.