Quality during Design

In this Part 2, we continue to challenge product development ideas by reviewing the final three myths identified by Stefan Thomke and Donald Reinersten in their article, "6 Myths of Product Development". You'll leave with a better understanding of why smaller development 'batches, embracing mistakes, and focusing on the quality of features are what's needed for innovative products.

Discover how quality thinking and systems approaches not only enhances collaboration but also improves user experience from the ground up. By integrating insights from the concept phase, teams can make more informed and strategic decisions throughout the development lifecycle.

Use this episode as an opportunity to change-up your development toolkit with practical guidance and resources.

Visit the podcast blog for extra links and resources.

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Work with Dianna I help product development teams build quality into the front end when it's cheap and easy, not late when it's expensive and painful. 

Book a 20-minute discovery call with Dianna's calendar. Whether you're navigating the "fuzzy front end" of product development and want to explore a workshop or advisory partnership, or you'd like to be a guest on this podcast. You'll leave with a summary, relevant resources, and a clear path for next steps within 24 hours. 

Pierce the Design Fog (piercethedesignfog.com): my book on aligning cross-functional teams, defining clear design inputs, and accelerating product success. NIEA Finalist Award, reviewed by PDMA. "Great for fans of Tony Fadell’s Build, David H. DeWolf and Jessica S. Hall’s The Product Mindset."-BookLife Reviews (Publishers Weekly)

Connect with me: I'm most active on LinkedIn. 

Free Resources for Subscribers Subscribe to the Quality during Design digest — https://newsletter.deeneyenterprises.com — for monthly actionable highlights, plus access to the Strategic Quality Integration Checklist (a free self-assessment download) and my Swipe File Vault.

How do we integrate quality with product development? Using quality tools and techniques early in the design phase can lead to more successful outcomes. But we cannot do it by treating the product development process like a manufacturing process.

Listen to this Part 1 as we unpack Harvard Business Review’s "The Six Myths of Product Development" by Stefan Thomke and Donald Reinersten. We review three of the six myths in the article, revealing the misconceptions around resource allocation, batch processing, and rigid development plans.

Join us as we review why treating a product development process like a manufacturing process is riddled with pitfalls. The reasons why it doesn't work provides us understanding to what we CAN use quality tools and techniques to do to improve product development.

Visit the podcast blog for additional links!

Send us a message

Work with Dianna I help product development teams build quality into the front end when it's cheap and easy, not late when it's expensive and painful. 

Book a 20-minute discovery call with Dianna's calendar. Whether you're navigating the "fuzzy front end" of product development and want to explore a workshop or advisory partnership, or you'd like to be a guest on this podcast. You'll leave with a summary, relevant resources, and a clear path for next steps within 24 hours. 

Pierce the Design Fog (piercethedesignfog.com): my book on aligning cross-functional teams, defining clear design inputs, and accelerating product success. NIEA Finalist Award, reviewed by PDMA. "Great for fans of Tony Fadell’s Build, David H. DeWolf and Jessica S. Hall’s The Product Mindset."-BookLife Reviews (Publishers Weekly)

Connect with me: I'm most active on LinkedIn. 

Free Resources for Subscribers Subscribe to the Quality during Design digest — https://newsletter.deeneyenterprises.com — for monthly actionable highlights, plus access to the Strategic Quality Integration Checklist (a free self-assessment download) and my Swipe File Vault.

Engineering is a field that constantly evolves, and staying ahead requires not only technical skills but also the ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively.

Join Steven Giako and Dianna Deeney in a panel discussion of central themes in the books Brilliant! Shuji Nakamura And the Revolution in Lighting Technology and How to Win Friends and Influence People.

How do these two books relate with one another, and what lessons can be learned by combining and contrasting their messages? How can the story in Brilliant! relate to the advice given in How to Win Friends and Influence People? What are potential lessons learned for engineers today who are leading in the edges of innovation?

Steven and Dianna explore these two books together by combining common themes for discussion points and add their own experiences from their engineering careers.

Discussion Topics

1.  Writing technical papers (9:12)
2.  Presentations - Adding Flair (16:05)
3.  Collaboration (23:31)
4.  Recognition of Others (31:37)
5.  Getting Buy-In on an Idea (39:00)

Steven and Dianna's Overall Rating and Reviews

How to Win Friends and Influence People (45:47)

Brilliant! (50:54)

Participant Comment

Visit the podcast blog for more links and information, and to sign up for the Quality during Design weekly newsletter.

Send us a message

Work with Dianna I help product development teams build quality into the front end when it's cheap and easy, not late when it's expensive and painful. 

Book a 20-minute discovery call with Dianna's calendar. Whether you're navigating the "fuzzy front end" of product development and want to explore a workshop or advisory partnership, or you'd like to be a guest on this podcast. You'll leave with a summary, relevant resources, and a clear path for next steps within 24 hours. 

Pierce the Design Fog (piercethedesignfog.com): my book on aligning cross-functional teams, defining clear design inputs, and accelerating product success. NIEA Finalist Award, reviewed by PDMA. "Great for fans of Tony Fadell’s Build, David H. DeWolf and Jessica S. Hall’s The Product Mindset."-BookLife Reviews (Publishers Weekly)

Connect with me: I'm most active on LinkedIn. 

Free Resources for Subscribers Subscribe to the Quality during Design digest — https://newsletter.deeneyenterprises.com — for monthly actionable highlights, plus access to the Strategic Quality Integration Checklist (a free self-assessment download) and my Swipe File Vault.

Can the way you present technical information drastically impact decision-making? Absolutely. In our latest episode, discover how the assertion evidence model can revolutionize your presentations. Rather than relying on lifeless bullet points, this method encourages you to make clear recommendations at the top of each slide, coupled with compelling graphical evidence. We delve into the six P's—Perspective, Problem, Principle, Proposal, Proof, and Process—that serve as the backbone for structuring your presentation. These elements not only enhance learning but also facilitate more informed and productive discussions within your team.

If the thought of presenting to your team makes you anxious, we've got you covered. We'll share practical advice to boost your confidence and help you deliver your findings more effectively. By focusing on the value of your insights and using the six P's framework, you'll be well-equipped to engage your audience and convey crucial information. As we approach a busy season of deadlines and presentations, challenge yourself to adopt these methods for the benefit of your team. For more learning techniques, don't forget to check out qualityduringdesign.com.

Visit the podcast blog for helpful summaries and graphics.

Send us a message

Work with Dianna I help product development teams build quality into the front end when it's cheap and easy, not late when it's expensive and painful. 

Book a 20-minute discovery call with Dianna's calendar. Whether you're navigating the "fuzzy front end" of product development and want to explore a workshop or advisory partnership, or you'd like to be a guest on this podcast. You'll leave with a summary, relevant resources, and a clear path for next steps within 24 hours. 

Pierce the Design Fog (piercethedesignfog.com): my book on aligning cross-functional teams, defining clear design inputs, and accelerating product success. NIEA Finalist Award, reviewed by PDMA. "Great for fans of Tony Fadell’s Build, David H. DeWolf and Jessica S. Hall’s The Product Mindset."-BookLife Reviews (Publishers Weekly)

Connect with me: I'm most active on LinkedIn. 

Free Resources for Subscribers Subscribe to the Quality during Design digest — https://newsletter.deeneyenterprises.com — for monthly actionable highlights, plus access to the Strategic Quality Integration Checklist (a free self-assessment download) and my Swipe File Vault.

How do you balance customer wants with project constraints? If your customer-facing teammates are saying our customers want this, that and the other thing, which ones do we prioritize over others?

Not all features are equal in the eyes of our customers. And not all features are value-added, either.

In this episode, we delve into how to prioritize customer wants using the powerful Kano Model, a tool that maps customer satisfaction against the implementation of product features.

You'll learn how to differentiate between essential and non-essential features, ensuring that your design truly resonates with your customers. This episode walks through the intricacies of the Kano Model's two-by-two matrix and the different satisfaction levels represented by various lines and curves.

Too complex? We break it down. Prioritize your features based on their impact to the customer using their voice. Then, consider how well you want to implement that in your design using the Kano Model.

Get ready for practical tips and proven strategies to enhance your product’s value while managing cost, time, and design trade-offs. This episode is an introduction to the Kano Model for design.

Visit the podcast blog for a Kano Model and examples to help you put it into practice.

Send us a message

Work with Dianna I help product development teams build quality into the front end when it's cheap and easy, not late when it's expensive and painful. 

Book a 20-minute discovery call with Dianna's calendar. Whether you're navigating the "fuzzy front end" of product development and want to explore a workshop or advisory partnership, or you'd like to be a guest on this podcast. You'll leave with a summary, relevant resources, and a clear path for next steps within 24 hours. 

Pierce the Design Fog (piercethedesignfog.com): my book on aligning cross-functional teams, defining clear design inputs, and accelerating product success. NIEA Finalist Award, reviewed by PDMA. "Great for fans of Tony Fadell’s Build, David H. DeWolf and Jessica S. Hall’s The Product Mindset."-BookLife Reviews (Publishers Weekly)

Connect with me: I'm most active on LinkedIn. 

Free Resources for Subscribers Subscribe to the Quality during Design digest — https://newsletter.deeneyenterprises.com — for monthly actionable highlights, plus access to the Strategic Quality Integration Checklist (a free self-assessment download) and my Swipe File Vault.

Our team is saying "No" to our co-work session.

We want to have a working meeting with them to get important information and make decisions. Since they declined, now we are missing an important viewpoint and source of design inputs! Plus, it could prove disastrous, later, when we have a pass/go decision on our concept designs.

In this week's episode we talk about ways to overcome this challenge, beyond typical schedule availability. Tune in as we uncover practical strategies that make co-working sessions truly valuable, which will help us in maximizing meeting value and participation.

Visit the podcast blog.

Send us a message

Work with Dianna I help product development teams build quality into the front end when it's cheap and easy, not late when it's expensive and painful. 

Book a 20-minute discovery call with Dianna's calendar. Whether you're navigating the "fuzzy front end" of product development and want to explore a workshop or advisory partnership, or you'd like to be a guest on this podcast. You'll leave with a summary, relevant resources, and a clear path for next steps within 24 hours. 

Pierce the Design Fog (piercethedesignfog.com): my book on aligning cross-functional teams, defining clear design inputs, and accelerating product success. NIEA Finalist Award, reviewed by PDMA. "Great for fans of Tony Fadell’s Build, David H. DeWolf and Jessica S. Hall’s The Product Mindset."-BookLife Reviews (Publishers Weekly)

Connect with me: I'm most active on LinkedIn. 

Free Resources for Subscribers Subscribe to the Quality during Design digest — https://newsletter.deeneyenterprises.com — for monthly actionable highlights, plus access to the Strategic Quality Integration Checklist (a free self-assessment download) and my Swipe File Vault.

Can visualizing your data be the game-changer you've been missing?

Discover why plotting isn't just a step in data analysis, but a crucial practice that can reveal uniformity, natural variations, and even potential flaws in your test methods. Learn about the importance of recognizing multiple failure modes and how to avoid common pitfalls such as mishandling outliers and making incorrect assumptions. This episode is packed with actionable advice to enhance your decision-making process.

Visit the podcast blog for extra links.

Send us a message

Work with Dianna I help product development teams build quality into the front end when it's cheap and easy, not late when it's expensive and painful. 

Book a 20-minute discovery call with Dianna's calendar. Whether you're navigating the "fuzzy front end" of product development and want to explore a workshop or advisory partnership, or you'd like to be a guest on this podcast. You'll leave with a summary, relevant resources, and a clear path for next steps within 24 hours. 

Pierce the Design Fog (piercethedesignfog.com): my book on aligning cross-functional teams, defining clear design inputs, and accelerating product success. NIEA Finalist Award, reviewed by PDMA. "Great for fans of Tony Fadell’s Build, David H. DeWolf and Jessica S. Hall’s The Product Mindset."-BookLife Reviews (Publishers Weekly)

Connect with me: I'm most active on LinkedIn. 

Free Resources for Subscribers Subscribe to the Quality during Design digest — https://newsletter.deeneyenterprises.com — for monthly actionable highlights, plus access to the Strategic Quality Integration Checklist (a free self-assessment download) and my Swipe File Vault.

Ready to transform your team meetings from chaotic to cohesive? Discover a method used by Six Sigma practitioners, continuous improvement teams, and design sprints to make your meetings more effective and efficient.

We’ll guide you through the phases of discovery, examination, and prioritization to streamline idea generation and ensure that every team member’s input is valued. You’ll learn techniques for individual brainstorming, anonymous idea sharing, and collective refinement, making your meetings not just productive but a crucial part of your design process.

But that's not all. We dive into the utilization of quality tools for superior team decision-making during design Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). Explore how to categorize and evaluate potential failures, assign severity ratings, and use tools like tree diagrams and fishbone diagrams to organize complex discussions. By focusing on collaboration and consensus, you’ll be setting your team up for effective failure analysis. Join us to elevate your team meetings and turn them into a powerhouse of creativity and efficiency.

Visit the podcast blog for this episode.

Other episodes you might like:
Brainstorming within Design Sprints

Ways to Gather Ideas with a Team

Product Design with Brainstorming, with Emily Haidemenos (A Chat with Cross Functional Experts)

Send us a message

Work with Dianna I help product development teams build quality into the front end when it's cheap and easy, not late when it's expensive and painful. 

Book a 20-minute discovery call with Dianna's calendar. Whether you're navigating the "fuzzy front end" of product development and want to explore a workshop or advisory partnership, or you'd like to be a guest on this podcast. You'll leave with a summary, relevant resources, and a clear path for next steps within 24 hours. 

Pierce the Design Fog (piercethedesignfog.com): my book on aligning cross-functional teams, defining clear design inputs, and accelerating product success. NIEA Finalist Award, reviewed by PDMA. "Great for fans of Tony Fadell’s Build, David H. DeWolf and Jessica S. Hall’s The Product Mindset."-BookLife Reviews (Publishers Weekly)

Connect with me: I'm most active on LinkedIn. 

Free Resources for Subscribers Subscribe to the Quality during Design digest — https://newsletter.deeneyenterprises.com — for monthly actionable highlights, plus access to the Strategic Quality Integration Checklist (a free self-assessment download) and my Swipe File Vault.

Quality control, quality assurance, quality assistance, and Quality 4.0. We unravel these quality concepts and their impact on design.

Listen in to be guided through the historical context and evolution of these terms, offering insights into how they shape design decisions and team communications. You'll learn the roles of quality assurance and quality control, discover the origins and meaning of "quality assistance", and grasp the implications of Quality 4.0.

We’ll dig into official definitions and explore how these quality methodologies have transformed over time. Through practical examples, we’ll show you how to integrate these quality methods into your design processes, fostering collaboration within cross-functional teams.

Tune in to enhance your understanding of quality thinking and quality during design.

Visit the podcast blog for resources we reference.

Send us a message

Work with Dianna I help product development teams build quality into the front end when it's cheap and easy, not late when it's expensive and painful. 

Book a 20-minute discovery call with Dianna's calendar. Whether you're navigating the "fuzzy front end" of product development and want to explore a workshop or advisory partnership, or you'd like to be a guest on this podcast. You'll leave with a summary, relevant resources, and a clear path for next steps within 24 hours. 

Pierce the Design Fog (piercethedesignfog.com): my book on aligning cross-functional teams, defining clear design inputs, and accelerating product success. NIEA Finalist Award, reviewed by PDMA. "Great for fans of Tony Fadell’s Build, David H. DeWolf and Jessica S. Hall’s The Product Mindset."-BookLife Reviews (Publishers Weekly)

Connect with me: I'm most active on LinkedIn. 

Free Resources for Subscribers Subscribe to the Quality during Design digest — https://newsletter.deeneyenterprises.com — for monthly actionable highlights, plus access to the Strategic Quality Integration Checklist (a free self-assessment download) and my Swipe File Vault.

Ever find yourself stuck trying to gauge the likelihood of an event?

What if you could transform your approach to probability assignments with just one simple trick?

On this episode of Quality During Design, we talk about simplifying probabilities for better decision making. We uncover a method to assign probabilities and occurrence ratings during preliminary assessments.

We share a technique that involves breaking down an event into smaller, more manageable parts, helping you understand and analyze it better. This method makes it easier to assign likelihoods because it provides better understanding of the event, clearer context, and consideration of what may drive things to happen.

Then, we relate these parts to conditional probabilities. We offer example explanations and practical applications to help you grasp conditional probabilities.

Plus, for those looking for additional resources, we have a cheat sheet that can further simplify these concepts for you. Not a subscriber yet? Visit qualityduringdesign.com to sign up and start receiving valuable insights directly in your inbox.

Join us to learn how these techniques can simplify probabilities, improve your assessments, and boost your team's decision-making.

Visit the podcast blog for more.

Send us a message

Work with Dianna I help product development teams build quality into the front end when it's cheap and easy, not late when it's expensive and painful. 

Book a 20-minute discovery call with Dianna's calendar. Whether you're navigating the "fuzzy front end" of product development and want to explore a workshop or advisory partnership, or you'd like to be a guest on this podcast. You'll leave with a summary, relevant resources, and a clear path for next steps within 24 hours. 

Pierce the Design Fog (piercethedesignfog.com): my book on aligning cross-functional teams, defining clear design inputs, and accelerating product success. NIEA Finalist Award, reviewed by PDMA. "Great for fans of Tony Fadell’s Build, David H. DeWolf and Jessica S. Hall’s The Product Mindset."-BookLife Reviews (Publishers Weekly)

Connect with me: I'm most active on LinkedIn. 

Free Resources for Subscribers Subscribe to the Quality during Design digest — https://newsletter.deeneyenterprises.com — for monthly actionable highlights, plus access to the Strategic Quality Integration Checklist (a free self-assessment download) and my Swipe File Vault.