Deck 10: Product Protocol

Question 1

Quality function deployment (QFD) has been called "matrix hell" as a result of its massive data requirements, its complexity, and its tendency to raise conflicts that are difficult, if not impossible, to solve.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A _____ system is one in which all of the players begin working, doing as much as they can at any time as the project rolls along.

A) linear
B) sequential
C) concurrent
D) non repetitive

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What a customer actually buys consists of one or more core benefits, a formal product presentation, and an augmentation of things from presale technical service to a money-back guarantee.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Which of the following is true of the Oobeya Room technique?

A) The Oobeya Room technique is conceptually very different from the idea of the product protocol.
B) The Oobeya Room technique isolates functional areas and compels them to function autonomously.
C) The Oobeya Room technique is ineffective in overcoming challenges and doesn't give team members the choice of working together.
D) The Oobeya Room technique is used to get cooperation across functional areas and to focus the team.

Question 5

_____ is a technique used by Toyota to get cooperation across functional areas, to speed up integration, and to focus the team.

A) Wildcatting
B) The Oobeya Room
C) Preference mapping
D) The Kaizen technique

Question 6

A company's success is assured if a product is developed in response to consumer's demands for specific features.

Question 7

If done right, a product protocol gives requirements in words that can usually be measured and thus permits a development process to be managed.

Question 8

Features are the most desirable form of product attributes for a protocol to use.

Question 9

New product projects that use well-known and well-established technologies for product improvements are said to be "wildcatting."

Question 10

Since product protocols are marketing tools, they should not include production or regulatory requirements.

Question 11

Quality function deployment (QFD) was invented in the Japanese automobile industry years ago as a tool of project control.

Question 12

The leading product innovators follow the relay race model.

Question 13

Which of the following is true of a product protocol?

A) In a product protocol, the negotiating parties are the functions-marketing, technical, operations, and others.
B) A product protocol is a completely informal agreement that is based on negotiations that are adversarial in nature.
C) Only a few members of the multifunctional team involved in a project are responsible for writing the product protocol.
D) A product protocol includes a set of guidelines that deals with tax payments and other formalities.

Question 14

Which of the following statements is true of leading product innovators?

A) They use a system in which all product team members begin work at different times.
B) They use a system in which procurement people wait for the final word from process engineers about when certain components are going to be built.
C) They use a system in which all of the players begin working, doing as much as they can at any time as the project rolls along.
D) They use a system in which process engineers wait for the final prototype to be given to them.

Question 15

In practice, the first step of quality function deployment (QFD) is the house of quality (HOQ).

Question 16

A good product protocol can help cut development time and accelerate the time to market by providing better product definition.

Question 17

The product protocol communicates essentials to all of the players, helps lead them into integrated actions, helps direct outcomes that are consistent with the full screen and financials, and gives all players their targets to shoot for.

Question 18

The protocol process is an aid to management, not a substitute for thinking.

Question 19

In the house of quality (HOQ) approach, customer's needs are converted to the price of a product.

Question 20

The purpose of a protocol remains constant irrespective of the market segment and time.

Question 21

In the context of the product attributes used in protocol specification, which of the following is true of feature attributes?

A) They may originate from technical personnel.
B) They are usually confusing.
C) They are also called performance specs.
D) They are the most desirable form for a protocol to use.

Question 22

Which of the following statements is true of product positioning?

A) It shows the end users what problem a new product attacks without showing what about it makes it better than whatever they are using currently.
B) It announces a product as new and gives the end user a real reason for trying it.
C) It helps manufacturers determine what attributes are growing in importance.
D) It usually does not specify why a product is better for use than other products.

Question 23

Merrill-Dow's advertisement, "The new bulk laxative will dissolve completely in a four-ounce glass of water in 10 seconds," refers to which of the following product attributes?

A) Feature
B) Price
C) Benefit
D) Function

Question 24

Which of the following best defines a product?

A) The target market of the product
B) The positioning of the product
C) The marketing plan of the product
D) The attributes of the product

Question 25

Which of the following is true of a product protocol?

A) It diversifies the actions of all the players involved.
B) It is associated with the finance department of a firm.
C) It gives all the players their target to shoot for.
D) It is more than what will exist when the first prototype appears.

Question 26

Lasol Co., a manufacturer of instant foods, publishes an advertisement in the newspaper that reads, "Just add hot water and have your Lasol Curry Noodles ready in minutes!" Which of the following product attributes is Lasol focusing on in its advertisement?

A) Feature
B) Price
C) Function
D) Benefit

Question 27

The first general purpose of a product protocol is to:

A) identify the target audience and the benefits offered to them.
B) specify whether the offering is a tangible product or an intangible service.
C) ensure that all tax payments with regard to the product are paid on time.
D) specify what each department will deliver to the final product that the customer buys.

Question 28

An advantage of specifying the protocol in terms of _____ is that it places no constraints on the R&D staff: They are given free rein to figure out how best to design the product so that it provides the desired advantage.

A) benefits
B) features
C) price
D) functions

Question 29

Product positioning can be facilitated to a large extent by _____, which provides key information on desirable positioning options for products.

A) the decay curve
B) concept testing activities
C) R&D activities
D) the risk or payoff matrix

Question 30

Performance specs or performance parameters are often used by marketers to define products and relate to the product attribute of _____.

A) feature
B) function
C) benefit
D) tangibility

Question 31

A product concept that originated in the advertising world that essentially says, "Product X is better for your use than other products because . . . ." is known as:

A) product positioning.
B) product innovation.
C) wildcatting.
D) product testing.

Question 32

Which of the following is true of a product protocol?

A) The product protocol is less than what will exist when the first prototype appears.
B) The product protocol is the final step in the evolution of a concept.
C) The product protocol remains consistent from market segment to market segment.
D) The departments of a company do not have to depend on a product protocol to begin their work.

Question 33

Esqua Inc., a manufacturer of soaps and shampoos, claims that its latest brand of soaps, Esqua Plus, is superior to the average soap brand because, unlike other soaps, Esqua Plus combines both antibacterial and moisturizing properties and offers longer-lasting deodorant protection. In this scenario, which of the following concepts is Esqua using to encourage its customers to try its products?

A) Product positioning
B) Product testing
C) Product diversification
D) Product innovation

Question 34

Protocols for services are most likely to be stated in _____.

A) design terms
B) terms of features
C) performance terms
D) terms of functions

Question 35

Marketers may describe functions in a product protocol as _____.

A) performance parameters
B) accrued benefits
C) embedded features
D) product features

Question 36

Identify a situation where features will most likely appear in protocols.

A) Where unqualified customers call for products with specific features
B) Where regulations stipulate a particular feature
C) Where firms benchmark a weak product from a competitor
D) Where suppliers are free to change practices in a customer industry

Question 37

A product protocol:

A) is more than what will exist when the first prototype appears.
B) is the final step in the evolution of a concept.
C) remains consistent from market segment to market segment.
D) permits a development process to be managed.

Question 38

New product projects that bet on a technology that has not yet been shown to work or just bet on a scientist with a good track record for coming up with saleable new products are said to be _____.

A) prospecting
B) probing
C) wildcatting
D) researching

Question 39

_____ are the most desirable form of product attributes for a protocol to use.

A) Features
B) Traits
C) Benefits
D) Functions

Question 40

Consumers and end-users tend to purchase:

A) only product protocols.
B) only core benefits.
C) formal products.
D) fully augmented products.

Question 41

In the House of Quality (HOQ) approach, customers' needs are translated into _____.

A) product functions
B) process operations
C) technical specifications
D) product prices

Question 42

When an automobile manufacturer makes a statement, "The car, using the new German 11-Z4 engine, must accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 8 seconds," he is expressing a product function in terms of a(n) _____.

A) design parameter
B) embedded feature
C) cost benefit
D) tangible feature

Question 43

What are the three types of product attributes?

Question 44

Discuss the general purposes of the product protocol statement.

Question 45

Discuss product positioning.

Question 46

Engineering characteristics and customer attributes are part of the _____.

A) VOC grid
B) HOQ grid
C) PLC grid
D) TQM grid

Question 47

What are the various advantages of using quality function deployment?

Question 48

Protocols created by _____ are most likely to be accepted and successful.

A) marketing specialists
B) multifunctional new products teams
C) the top management
D) technical teams

Question 49

Which of the following types of firms are most likely to question the need of utilizing quality function deployment (QFD)?

A) Consumer-goods firms
B) Industrial product developers
C) Home appliances firms
D) Firms in the packaged food industry

Question 50

The protocol process is difficult because:

A) it is remarkably simple and therefore vague.
B) all the key individuals involved are the same.
C) the management does not exert the pressure necessary for important projects.
D) it is fraught with politics.

Question 51

_____ has been defined as a complete set of customer wants and needs, expressed in the customer's own language, organized the way the customer thinks about, uses, and interacts with the product, and prioritized by the customer in terms of both importance and performance.

A) Target market
B) Voice of the customer
C) Product positioning
D) Product protocol

Question 52

Plants to be built and quality to be achieved is associated with which of the following components of a product protocol?

A) Production
B) Financials
C) Regulatory requirements
D) Corporate strategy requirements

Question 53

What is a product protocol?

Question 54

____ is a tool of project control invented by the Japanese automobile industry that can lead to reduced design time and costs, and more efficient communication between project team members from functional areas.

A) Voice of the customer
B) Critical path method
C) Business Process Modeling
D) Quality function deployment