Chapter 1: Organizational issues

Title: Customer Centric PLM - Integrating customers| feedback into product data and lifecycle processes

Author(s): Stefano Schulte

Address: Department of IT in Mechanical Engineering (ITM), Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitatsstr. 150, IB 02/144, 44801 Bochum

Reference: International Conference on Product Lifecycle Management 2007 pp. 31 - 42

Abstract/Summary: To optimize customer satisfaction, an integration of the customers' voice into product development is necessary. For this a methodology was developed, which enables acquiring prospective customer feedback for future (virtual) products and retrospective customer feedback on existing (market launched) products. A web-based feedback assistant was designed and prototypically realised, which allows customers to evaluate product concepts based on customer oriented product test models for extracting feedback. The extracted feedback is mapped on technical product structures using an extended QFD approach and advanced methods for measuring customer satisfaction. The core of the integration concept is the extension of PLM functions, processes and metadata models, whereby technical product data, customer requirements and customer satisfaction indices can be linked context sensitively. The feedback integration approach enables an early product validation before the production/market launch and an analysis of dynamic customer requirements across several product generations.

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