Product Specifications

Concept Development Process

Mission Development
Statement Identify Establish Generate Select Test Set Plan Plan
Customer Target Product Product Product Final Downstream
Needs Specifications Concepts Concept(s) Concept(s) Specifications Development

Perform Economic Analysis

Benchmark Competitive Products

Build and Test Models and Prototypes

Target Specs Final Specs

Based on customer needs Based on selected concept,
and benchmarking feasibility, models, testing,
and trade-offs
Product Specifications Example:
Mountain Bike Suspension Fork
 Challenges
‘Specialized Bicycle Components’ after assembling a
list of customer needs faced the following challenges:
• How could the relatively subjective customer needs be
translated into precise targets for the remaining
development effort?
• How could the team & its senior management agree on
what would constitute success or failure of the resulting
product design?
• How could the team develop confidence that its intended
product would garner a substantial share of the
suspension fork market?
• How could the team resolve the inevitable trade-offs
among product characteristics like cost & weight?
Start with the Customer Needs
 The Product Specs Process

• Prepare the list of metrics

• Collect competitive benchmarking information

• Set ideal & marginally acceptable target values

• Reflect on the Results and the Process

Establish Metrics and Units
Link Metrics to Needs
Guidelines for forming the metrics

• Metrics should be complete

• Metrics should be dependent variables

• Metrics should be practical

• Some needs are not quantifiable

• The metrics should include popular criteria for

comparison in the marketplace
Benchmark on Customer Needs
Benchmark on Metrics
Assign Marginal and Ideal Values
 Concept Development Process
Mission Development
Statement Identify Establish Generate Select Test Set Plan Plan
Customer Target Product Product Product Final Downstream
Needs Specifications Concepts Concept(s) Concept(s) Specifications Development

Perform Economic Analysis

Benchmark Competitive Products

Build and Test Models and Prototypes

Target Specs Final Specs

Based on customer needs Based on selected concept,
and benchmarking feasibility, models, testing,
and trade-offs
 Setting the Final Spec.
The Process:
1. Develop technical models of the product

2. Develop a cost model of the product

3. Refine the spec., making trade-offs where

necessary

4. Flow down the spec. as appropriate

5. Reflect on results & the process

 Component Qty/ High Low High Total Low Total
Fork ($ pu) ($ pu) ($/fork) ($/fork)
Steer Tube 1 2.5 2 2.5 2
Crown 1 4 3 4 3
Boot 2 1 0.75 2 1.5
Lower Tube 2 3 2 6 4
Lower Tube top cover 2 2 1.5 4 3
Main lip seal 2 1.5 1.4 3 2.8
Slide bushing 4 0.2 0.18 0.8 0.72
Slide bushing spacer 2 0.5 0.4 1 0.8
Lower tube plug 2 0.5 0.35 1 0.7
Upper tube 2 5.5 4 11 8
Upper tube top cap 2 3 2.5 6 5
Upper tube adjustment knob 2 2 1.75 4 3.5
Adjustment shaft 2 4 3 8 6
Spring 2 3 2.5 6 5
Upper tube orifice cap 1 3 2.25 3 2.25
Orifice springs 4 0.5 0.4 2 1.6
Brake studs 2 0.4 0.35 0.8 0.7
Brake brace bolt 2 0.25 0.2 0.5 0.4
Brake brace 1 5 3.5 5 3.5
Oil (l) 0.1 2.5 2 0.25 0.2
Misc. snap rings, o-rings 10 0.15 0.1 1.5 1
Decals 4 0.25 0.15 1 0.6
Assembly at $20/hr. 30 min 20 min 10 6.67

Overhead at 25% of direct cost 20.84 15.74

Total 104.19 78.68
Set Final Specifications
Reflect on the Results & Process
1. Is the product a winner?

2. How much uncertainty is there in the

technical & cost models?

3. Is the concept chosen best suited to the

target market or could it be best applied
in another market?

4. Should the firm initiate a formal effort to

develop better technical models of some
aspect of the product’s performance for
future use?