Question 1: Describe some of the reasons for developing new products?
Answer: There are a few reasons companies may want to develop new products. The first and
main reason is to gain a competitive edge. This is at all the stages of a product’s life cycle and
includes either a different product or an improvement. But in certain stages it is more
accentuated. For example, in the decline or latter stage of maturity, products are tweaked or
changed to retain customer interest. While, in the beginning or growth phases, changes are
constantly made to fit a customer’s needs. Another reason for developing new products, is to
exploit existing capabilities to the fullest extent. For example, Fiat used its expertise and
capabilities in planes to make cars. And the third reason is to block competition.
Question 2: What are some of the categories of new products? Give examples.
Answer: There are a few categories of new products. The first one is derivative products, a.k.a
“evolutionary products.” They are improved or innovative versions of existing products. For
example, options contracts in stocks. Or announced changes in automobile models. The second
category is platform products. A.k.a “new generation products.” They are derived from a
common product platform and have more and major changes than derivative products (require
significantly more resources). For example, Intel’s microprocessors from 286, 386 to Core 2
Duo; and Microsoft Office 1997-2010. The third category is revolutionary products. They can be
called inventions and are the results of breakthroughs in science and technology. Examples
include: CDs and DVDs, penicillin, nylon fabrics, copying machines. The fouth category is core
research products. These are by-products of core research being done for some other purpose.
For example: Post-It notes by 3M. They are unlike revolutionary products in that the result of
applied focused research.
Question 3: What are the various steps involved in design considerations?
Answer: The first step involved in the design process is idea generation. It is a process in which
you generate ideas through either brainstorming, studying competitors, getting feedback from
salespeople, employees, and suppliers, R&D, “benchmarking,” or reverse engineering. The
second step is product screening. It is where you test out the feasibility and marketability of the
new product. The next step is preliminary design and testing. For example, McDonald's testing
out the breakfast menu first in select markets and then pushing it worldwide. And finally, the last
step is final design. In this process, the final product specifications are drawn and put into the
final processing procedures for production, appropriate equipment is selected, jobs are assigned
to the proper personnel, materials are selected, and suppliers are located.
Question 4: What do you understand by quality function deployment (QFD)?
Answer: To my understanding QFD is an approach in which products come out in alignment
with customer expectations. It is done by understanding what customers want and translating that
into the target design. It is an approach in which the relationship between variables involved in
design arise from technical vs customer requirements.
Question 5: What are the various categories of decisions related to product design and
development?
Answer: There are two major categories of decisions related to product design and development.
The first one is “make or buy decisions.” This is the decision where a company decides whether
to develop and make a product on its own or to buy it either through a vendor or outsourcing.
This category includes considerations such as: available capacity, expertise, quality, speed, cost,
and strategic impact. The second category is called “technology decisions,” in which a company
decides what kind and how to use technology in its process design.
Question 6: What do you understand by system reliability?
Answer: System reliablity is combined reliabilty of all the components in a larager system.
Failure of any 1 component can lead to the faliure of the whole system; because each part is
connected to each other. As the number of components increases, the reliabilty decreases. This is
because all parts in the system are either independent reliabile or unreliable. Meaning that they
fail indepent of each other.