Prediction of future customer requirements and application in product planning

• Main Author: Liu, Guan Cheng.
• Other Authors: Chen Chun-Hsien
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Manufacturing::Production management
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/16196
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The process of product planning involves delineating the design of products and strategizing the product portfolio of the organization. Customer Requirements (CRs) constitute an important class of information for these activities and the overall product development process. As CRs are dynamic in nature, it would constitute a competitive advantage for companies to plan based on forecasted CRs, on both the quantitative and qualitative levels. In this project, prerequisites for the effective forecasting of CRs were established. For quantitative forecasting, 10 different techniques were looked into with respect to their applicability to CR forecasting. These techniques include regression analysis, exponential smoothing and fuzzy logic. A prototype framework is then proposed for an investigation into a more methodical way of modeling and forecasting qualitative CR types, which up till now have been forecasted using tools like market research. This framework incorporates the use of the quantitative techniques as well as non-CR related qualitative techniques like genetic algorithms. The applicability of the framework to different types of product development projects is also looked into, and the project is rounded off with a case study to illustrate how the framework can help enable a more robust forecasting process for CR types.