10.3 THE STRATEGIST IN YOU: Translating Broad Needs to Requirements

(SHORT NOTES FROM STRATEGY TOOLS:

Quality Strategy at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Critical to Quality (CTQ) Trees, as shown in figure 1, below, are diagram-based tools that help to develop and deliver high quality products and services.  They are use to translate broad customer needs into specific, actionable, measurable performance requirements.  CTQ Trees were originally developed as part of Six Sigma.  They can be used in a variety of situations, including when  developing products and services for your "internal customers."

Figure 1 – A CTQ Tree

 

Steps to use CTC Trees:

·        first identify the critical needs of customers

o   what product or service must deliver for customers to be happy.

·        Then, identify its quality drivers for each need.

o   the factors that customers will use to evaluate the quality of your product.

·        Finally, identify measurable performance requirements that each driver must satisfy

How to Use the Tool

Step 1: Identify Critical Needs

·        Essential question, "What is critical for this product or service?"

·        define these needs in broad terms

Step 2: Identify Quality Drivers

·        identify the specific quality drivers to be in place to meet the needs

·        it's important to identify all of the drivers that are important to customers.

·        speak to people with customer contact

·        ask customers what factors are important to

·        identify product features that will delight customers.

Step 3: Identify Performance Requirements

·        identify the minimum performance requirements to satisfy each quality driver

·        it's important to remember that there are many things that will affect the ability to deliver

Once the CTQ Tree is completed for each critical need, you'll have a list of measurable requirements that must be met to deliver a high quality product.