"E" Flashcards
Early Adopters
For new products, these are customers who, relying on their own intuition and vision, buy into new product concepts very early in the life cycle. For new processes, these are organizational entities that were willing to try out new processes rather than just maintaining the old.
Economic Value Added (EVA)
The value added to or subtracted from shareholder value during the life of a project.
Empathic Design
A 5-step method for uncovering customer needs and sparking ideas for new concepts. The method involves going to a customer’s work site, watching as he or she performs functions associated with the customer needs your firm wants to solve, and then debriefing the customer about what they did, why they did those things, the problems they encountered as they were trying to perform the function, and what worked well. By spending time with customers, the team develops empathy for the problems customers encounter trying to perform their daily tasks. See also Customer Site Visits
Engineering Design
A function in the product creation process where a good or service is configured and specific form is decided.
Engineering Model
The combination of hardware and software intended to demonstrate the simulated functioning of the intended product as currently designed.
Enhanced New Product
A form of derivative product. Enhanced products include additional features not previously found on the base platform, which provide increased value to consumers.
Entrance Requirement
The document(s) and reviews required before any phase of a stages and gates development process can be started. (See Chapter 7 of The PDMA ToolBook 1.)
Entrepreneur
A person who initiates, organizes, operates, assumes the risk and reaps the potential reward for a new business venture.
Ethnography
A descriptive, qualitative market research methodology for studying the customer in relation to his or her environment. Researchers spend time in the field observing customers and their environment to acquire a deep understanding of the lifestyles or cultures as a basis for better understanding their needs and problems. (See Customer Site Visits and Chapter 15 in The PDMA HandBook 2nd Edition.)
Event
Marks the point in time when a task is completed
Event Map
A chart showing important events in the future that is used to map out potential responses to probable or certain future events.
Excursion
An idea generation technique to force discontinuities into the idea set. Excursions consist of three generic steps: 1. Step away from the task; 2. Generate disconnected or irrelevant material; 3. Force a connection back to the task.
Exit Requirement
The document(s) and reviews required to complete a stage of a stages and gates development process. (See Chapter 7 of The PDMA ToolBook 1 and Chapter 21 of The PDMA HandBook 2nd Edition.)
Exit Strategy
A pre-planned process for deleting a product or product line from the firm’s portfolio. At a minimum it includes plans for clearing inventory out of the supply chain pipeline at a minimum of losses, continuing to provide for after-sales parts supply and maintenance support, and converting customers of the deleted product line to a different one. (See Chapter 34 of The PDMA HandBook 2nd Edition.)
Explicit Customer Requirement
What the customer asks for in a product.
