SOFTWARE DESIGN FOR SIX SIGMA (DFSS) PROJECT ROAD MAP - Software Design for Six-Sigma: A Roadmap for Excellence - page 303

11.3.1.1 Identify Phase Road Map. DFSS tools used in this phase include
(Figure 11.1):

Market/customer research
QFD: Phase I 4
Kano analysis 5
Growth/innovation strategy

11.3.1.2 SoftwareCompanyGrowthandInnovationStrategy:Multigen-
eration Planning (MGP) 6 . Even within best-in-class companies, there is a need
and opportunity to strengthen and to accelerate progress. The first step is to establish
a set of clear and unambiguous guiding growth principles as a means to characterize
the company position and focus. For example, growth in emerging markets might
be the focus abroad, whereas effectiveness and efficiency of resource usage within
the context of enterprise productivity and sustainability may be the local position.
Growth principles and vision at the high level are adequate to find agreement and
to focus debate within the zone of interest and to exclude or diminish nonrealistic
targets. The second key step is to assess the current knowledge and solutions of the
software portfolio in the context of these growth principles. An inventory is developed
of what the senior leadership team knows they have and how it integrates in the set of
guiding growth principles. Third, a vision is established of the ultimate state for the
company. Finally, a multigeneration plan is developed to focus the research, product
development, and integration efforts in planned steps to move toward that vision. The
multigeneration plan is key because it helps the deploying company stage progress
in realistic developmental stages one DFSS project at a time but always with an eye
on the ultimate vision.
In today's business climate, successful companies must be efficient and market-
sensitive to supersede their competitors. By focusing on new software, companies can
create custom solutions to meet customer needs, enabling customers to keep in step
with new software trends and changes that affect them. As the design team engages
the customers (surveys, interviews, focus groups, etc.) and processes the QFD, they
gather competitive intelligence. This information helps increase the design teams
awareness of competing software products or how they stack up competitively with a
particular key customer. By doing this homework, the team identifies potential gaps
in their development maturity. Several in-house tools to manage the life cycle of
each software product from the cradle to the grave need to be developed to include
the multigeneration plan and a customized version of the ICOV DFSS process. The
multigeneration plan evaluates the market size and trends, software positioning, com-
petition, and technology requirements. This tool provides a means to identify easily

4 See Chapter 12.
5 See Chapter 12.
6 http://216.239.57.104/search?q

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text.doc+product+multi-generation+plan&hl

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= en by Scott H. Hutchins .