DMADV - Validate

The Verify/Validate phase is all about transferring the fully functioning service, product or process based on the design to the process owner and diffusing the innovation to all relevant stakeholders of the design throughout the organization's interdependent system of stakeholders. It is the final phase of the DMADV model.

Steps of the Verify/Validate phase

The Verify/Validate Phase of the DMADV model has 11 steps, as follows: 1 Build a prototype of the detailed design. 1 Pilot test the prototype of the detailed design. 1 Conduct design reviews using design scorecards. 1 Decide whether or not to scale-up the design to the full-scale process. 1 Build and operate full-scale process. 1 Decide if the full-scale process is meeting business objectives. 1 Build and operate full-scale process. 1 Decide if the full-scale process is meeting business objectives. 1 Conduct Verify/Validate tollgate review (check sheet). 1 Close the DMADV project. 1 Transfer the lessons learned from the project.

Inputs to the Verify/Validate phase, from the design phase

• Detailed CTPs including all relevant design scorecards.
• Control and verification plan for the detailed design.
• Transition plan to smoothly transfer the design to other internal stakeholders (e.g., Marketing, Operations, and Sales Departments).
• Master record of the detailed design into the organizational document control system.

Build a prototype of the detailed design

Eight of the more commonly used rapid prototyping methods for services are described, they are: $ scenarios: $ videography: $ role play: $ tagging the whales: $ behavioral mapping: $ consumer journals: $ storytelling:
$ intellectual SWOT teams:

three general rules when prototyping designs. $ simplicity: create simple mock-ups of the service design. Frills should be ignored at this stage to prevent hang-ups and delays. $ speed: create simple mock-ups quickly, again to prevent hang-ups and delays. $ inclusion: create mock-ups whenever they can for products, services, or processes.

These three rules promote an environment of "can do" in creating prototypes for designs.

Scenarios

create alternative applications for the design that demonstrate its use under a variety of conditions (scenarios).(Git06, p254)

Scenarios are also useful in the beginning of a design effort when considering a new design concept.

Scenarios are useful at the Analyze Phase and at the more detailed Design Phase. Perhaps scenarios should be studied throughout the whole process.

Videography

Videography is an alternative to Scenarios. Create short movies depicting the consumer's experience with a product, service, or process.

In the dormitory example, team members shot a video depicting two students living in the same room under the conditions described in the preceding scenario example.

Additionally, videography can help set up design goals at the Analyze Phase.

Role Play

ask different types of customers (market segments) to role play their use of the design.

Tagging the Whales

select a particular user (with permission) and observe his or her habits in using a product, service, or process

This method frequently uncovers behaviors that the students themselves don't know they exhibit.

Behavioral Mapping

photograph or video a user's experience with a product, service, or process. Behavioral mapping is a combination of videography and tagging the whales.

Consumer Journal

ask selected users of the design to record their experiences with the design in a journal.

keep a journal of their positive and negative experiences with their dormitory room.

Storytelling

ask users of the design to tell personal stories of their experiences with the design.

Storytelling is an alternative to the consumer journal that places less strain on the respondent.

Intellectual SWOT Teams

assemble a team of people with extremely diverse theoretical views of life, and consequently, of the design.

• In the dormitory example, a SWOT team might include a business person, an architect, a sociologist, a student, a historian, an artist, and a physician. This team would brainstorm for possible problems and solutions to the new dormitory design.

Pilot test the prototype of the detailed design

pilot test is used to test a design concept under actual conditions of use, perhaps on a small scale or for a limited time period. Pilot tests confirm that the design CTQs and CTPs surpass the design input requirements.

You need to remember to calibrate and control all appropriate verification and validation activities.

ensure that

• all design functions are transferred, tested, labeled, displayed;
• outputs are generated and reviewed;
• and the results are documented by each production or service delivery location.
• compare instructions with each manufacturer's and regulator's requirements and the operator manual.
• perform all verification and validation functions in strict accordance with approved and updated written protocols including the conditions for conducting pilot tests

Objectives for Pilot test

There are five objectives for a pilot test: $ transferring the design: ensuring that the design is deployed throughout the stakeholders of the design with minimum unit-to-unit variation in output such that all producers of products and deliverers of services surpass design specifications (as in the Taguchi Loss Function).

• collecting data
• creating buy-in
• eliminating risks *decreasing capital investment.

Transferring design

The design transfer process ensures that a verified and complete set of specifications for all detailed CTPs, high-level CTPs and CTQs:

• Meet design requirements for customer satisfaction.
• Are documented for the training of production, installation, and service personnel.
• Include a quality control plan.
• Include training for appropriate production, installation, and service employees.

Specifications are transferred via electronic and/or paper documentation using a DMR.

The elements of a specification that are necessary for the appropriate transfer to product production or service delivery locations are: 1 Name of the product or service. 1 Verbal descriptions and intended use(s) for each CTQ including a list of any contradictions between CTQs and any relevant human interface issues, operating condition issues (for example, operating temperature, vibration range, humidity range, acceptable shelf life), and safety issues (for example, personnel training and safeguard devices). 1 Classification of CTQs (for example, regulatory or functional). 1 Specifications and nominal value(s) for CTQs; for example, cycle time (to process a bank loan), weight (of a 4.0 ounce ice cream cone), or color (of hair dye). 1 Quality control process review chart for the design. A quality control process review chart has four columns: * Column 1: An integrated flowchart of the production or service delivery process with the stakeholders in the columns and the steps in the rows (see Figure 8.2). * Column 2: A list of the key objectives for each step in the process (row in Column 1; see Figure 8.2). * Column 3: A list of the key indicators for each key objective in the process (row in Column 1; see Figure 8.2). * Column 4: A list of the contingency plans in the event of a failure mode for one of the key indicators for each step in the process (row in Column 1; see Figure 8.2).

| Integrated flowchart of the Process ||| Key Objective | Key Indicator | Contingency Plan | | Order taking | Delivery | After sale service | | | | | | | | | | |

collecting data

relates to information (data) on the performance of a design. The most frequently used tools to accomplish data collection are control charts [see Reference 2] and design scorecards (see Chapter 6, "Analyze Phase," and Chapter 7, "Design Phase").

Remember, you can conduct pilot testing at more than one location.

Critical that collected data to determine if each pilot test location is correctly utilizing the design specifications and generating products or services that are predictably produced or delivered with low unit-to-unit variation within specifications.

creating buy-in

Concerns promoting acceptance from process owners such as the Operations, Maintenance, and Sales departments.

Two important parts of creating buy-in for a design are $ Trialability: is the degree to which a design may be experimented with by the appropriate departments. $ Observability: is the extent to which a design is visible to the relevant departments.

involved in all phases of the tollgate review process, thereby creating his buy-in to the dormitory design.

eliminating risk

concerns identifying and reducing the risks associated with failure modes and error modes. FMEA, risk analysis, and related tools are often used for this purpose (see Chapter 4, "Define Phase"). Contingency planning is part of FMEA and risk analysis. Pilot tests provide the opportunity to determine the effect of contingency plans on a design. In the dormitory example, the Dean of the School of Business Administration participated in, and accepted, all FMEAs with their contingency plans developed by PD team members.

decreasing capital investment

concerns reducing the financial requirements of testing the worthiness of a design in a realistic setting. A pilot test creates the opportunity to study a design for a limited time frame and a given budget. This use of a pilot study was not possible in the dormitory example due to the impracticality of building a dormitory solely for a pilot test. Simulation may be a practical alternative when the cost to pilot is too high. A simulation can discover hidden costs such as the ease of access of fire or other emergency services to the dormitory. It may reveal that access for these emergency services is not optimal, so to avoid costs (e.g., fires, litigation for unsafe conditions, etc.), the dormitory needs to have better accessibility. Also, the intangible costs of inconveniences to dormitory residents due to lack of ease of egress and accessibility to other locations can be considered.

Develop Plan for Pilot testing the Prototype

1 need to understand the effects of the detailed CTPs on each other, and on the CTQs. 1 need to get approval for the pilot test from all relevant managers.

Hold Pilot Release Readiness Review

conduct a readiness review of the impending pilot test procedure to ensure that there are no surprises, or at least as few surprises as is humanly possible.

A readiness review may require team members to "go back to the drawing board" to revise the procedures for the pilot test.

Conduct Pilot Test of the Prototype of the Detailed Design

1 Involve users of pilot test instructions in the creation of the pilot test instructions so that no crucial steps are omitted from the instructions and the instructions reflect what must actually be accomplished. 1 Create user friendly instructions for conducting a pilot test. Instructions must be: * legible * brief as possible (but with all necessary detail) * accessible * specify the desired output * not contain any unnecessary steps * appropriate for the educational level of the users * in the user's language (English, Spanish, etc.). 1 Develop and utilize a standardized method for updating pilot test procedures. 1 Involve suppliers early in the Define Phase of the DMADV model. * Of course, if a team is at the Verify Phase and suppliers were not involved in the Design Phase, there is a problem! 1 Make sure that all departments and appropriate stakeholders communicate freely concerning the design.

Conduct design reviews using desing scorecards

A design review is a type of management review that is a well-documented, comprehensive, and systematic examination of a design with the following purposes:

• Evaluate the adequacy of the design with respect to each detailed CTPs, high-level CTPs and CTQs stability, distributional shape, variability, and mean. consider the following types of design requirements:
  • overall performance
  • component performance (components, accessories, software, labeling and packaging, installation, and service),
  • safety
  • compatibility with other systems
  • ergonomics
  • environmental compatibility
  • documentation
  • resources required for production
  • service that should all be represented in the design scorecards.
• Evaluate the capability of the design to meet these requirements with respect to
  • specification limits
  • nominal values
  • DPMOs
  • Process Sigmas for the detailed CTPs, high-level CTPs, and CTQs.
• Decide if the design is "ready" (perhaps at risk) for full-scale implementation by:
  • Analyzing the gaps between required performance (target, USL, LSL, DPU, DPMO, Process Sigma). Significant gaps lead to potential redesigns.
  • Predicting performance from simulations ( , standard deviation, DPMO, Process Sigma).
  • Pilot testing performance using simulations ( , standard deviation, DPMO, Process Sigma).
  • Identifying design problems.
• Assign action responsibilities.

Design reviews are formal meetings that include individuals who know about the technical aspects of the design; for example, R&D, System Designers, Technical Support Services, Delivery, Installation and Service, Quality, Marketing, Purchasing and Contractors, and representatives knowledgeable about the demands of Regulatory Agencies.

Minutes of design review meetings should be taken and distributed to all relevant individuals to clarify the "to do" items for the next meeting and who is responsible for each "to do" item. The design review meeting minutes should include:

• List of attendees (and absences).
• Meeting date and location.
• Agenda items including issues to identify and solve, as well as "to do" items from the last meeting.
• Decisions and/or conclusions reached, including "to do" items for the next meeting; for example, notes and/or drawings. Such documents show that plans were followed and the history of the design.

Design review meetings should consider the following issues:

• Has proper installation been provided for all equipment needed to provide the product or deliver the service? This requires design review team members to consider the following issues:
  • design of equipment features;
  • conditions for a particular installation of the design;
  • calibration of the installation within the context of the installation conditions;
  • and preventive maintenance policies and procedures, which include
    • cleaning requirements,
    • human factors,
    • safety features,
    • documentation,
    • spare parts inventory policies,
    • environmental conditions for installation.
• Have all CTQs, high-level CTPs, and detailed CTPs surpassed their specifications for the production of product or the delivery of services? This requires design team members to consider the following issues:
  • designing experiments to optimize the capability of the process;
  • implementing appropriate operating, process control;
  • preventive maintenance procedures including cleaning and calibration,
  • training requirements.
• Does the product or service perform as required by customers? This requires design team members to consider the following issues:
  • operability of the actual product or service process parameters and procedures;
  • stability and repeatability of the product or delivery of service process;
  • acceptability of the product or service to customers;
  • worst-case testing of the product or service under a wide range of conditions.

A checklist of the issues that must consider in a design review includes the following:

• Identification of the process to be validated.
• Identification of products or services to be generated using this process.
• Criteria for a successful design review including the length and duration of the study.
• Identification of the operating conditions of the process; for example, personnel (qualifications, schedules, etc.), shifts, equipment, and necessary utilities.
• Development of a detailed flowchart of the process, including specifications for the products or services and their component parts, specifications for input materials, and environmental factors (internal and external).
• Identifying the objective and subjective process and product/service parameters to be controlled and monitored, and the statistical methods for controlling and monitoring them, including maintenance and repair parameters.
• Defining nonconformance for both objective and subjective process and product/ service parameters.

Decide whether or not to scale-up design

make a

• GO (scale-up the design to fullscale production of products or delivery of services) decision
• NO GO (go back to the appropriate phase of the DMADV model) decision.

Build and operate full-scale process

make a GO (scale-up the design to fullscale production of products or delivery of services) decision or a NO GO (go back to the appropriate phase of the DMADV model) decision.

Build and operate full-scale process

Decide if the full-scale process is meeting business objectives

One of the final tasks of the PD team is to study the dashboard associated with the new design.

Are key objectives, as measured by their key indicators, being met in full-scale production of the product or delivery of the service?

$ Financial objectives and indicators: $ Process objectives and indicators: $ Customer objectives and indicators: $ Employee objectives and indicators:

Document the full-scale process

documenting what you do and doing what you document. It is a critical first step to managing a process(Git06, ch8.9, p265).

1 Who is involved at each step of the new process? 1 What should they be doing with respect to standard operating procedures? 1 Why should they follow the standard operating procedures? 1 Where should they be doing the standard operating procedures? 1 When should they be doing the standard operating procedures? 1 How should they be doing the standard operating procedures? 1 How much will it cost to do the standard operating procedures? 1 Is additional training needed to perform the standard operating procedures? 1 How often should the standard operating procedures be monitored? 1 Who will monitor the standard operating procedures? 1 Who will make decisions on the future outputs of the standard operating procedures?

Transition full-scale process to owners with a control plan

• Has the design been successfully pilot tested by PD team members?
• Is the full-scale process up and running?
• Does the full-scale process have a functioning control plan?
• Has the full-scale system been documented?
• Has all training been conducted for process stakeholders?
• Does the full-scale process result in the desired business objectives?
• Will the outputs of the full-scale process satisfy (delight) stakeholders?
• Have process owners bought into the next generation of the Multi-Generational Product Plan?

Conduct Verify/validate phase tollgate review

Close the DMADV Project

• First, the design has been completely turned over to the appropriate process owner with a control plan.
• Second, the PD team makes a final review of the relevant phase of the MGPP that has been completed and makes appropriate recommendations to the process owner.
• Third, the process owner continuously turns the PDSA cycle to act on improvements discovered by PD team members as an evolution in future phases of the MGPP, but not yet implemented in the design.
• Fourth, the DMADV project team is disbanded and the team members, the process owner, champion, and team leader (black belt or green belt) celebrate their success.
• Fifth, the process owner collects data, via the control plan, on whether the design is achieving its business objectives and generates appropriate accounting documentation on the project's benefits/costs.

Transfer the Lessons Learned from the project

You might be inclined to assume that all concerned parties would accept constructive innovations, but nothing is further from the truth. For example, in the early days of long sea voyages, scurvy was the leading cause of death among sailors. 100 of the 160 men sailing with Vasco de Gamma in 1497 died of scurvy. In 1601, the English sea captain James Lancaster discovered that consuming citrus eradicated scurvy. However, not until 1795 did the British Navy routinely stock citrus on all sailing ships, 194 years later. Further, not until 1865 did the British Board of Trade stock citrus in the merchant marine, 264 years later. Why? Who would object? What is the down side to keeping citrus on sailing ships? The point is that innovations do not spread only as a natural consequence of their value. The same rules that apply for diffusing citrus in the British Navy and merchant marine apply to diffusing innovations between and within organizations, and to end users.

$ Diffusion: is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system. $ An innovation: is an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an individual or other unit of adoption

• Most potential adopters do not evaluate an innovation on the basis of scientific studies of its consequences; rather, they depend on a subjective evaluation from other individuals like themselves who have previously adopted the innovation.
• The heart of the diffusion process consists of the modeling and imitation by potential adopters of their network partners who have previously adopted the innovation.

Perceived Attributes of Innovations

Rogers defines five perceived attributes of innovations: $ Relative advantage: is the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being better than the idea it supersedes. The dimensions of relative advantage include * economic profitability * initial cost * comfort * social prestige * time and effort * immediacy of the reward. * -The concept of a Pugh Matrix to compare current versus innovated designs is worth noting here. The Pugh Matrix makes it more obvious if an innovation is better than the current standard. $ Compatibility: is the degree to which an innovation is perceived as consistent with the * existing values * past experiences * needs of potential adopters. * - The name given to an innovation often affects its perceived compatibility, and therefore its adoption rate. The name of an innovation should be meaningful to the target audience. The positioning of an innovation rests on accurately measuring its compatibility with previous ideas. $ Complexity: is the degree to which an innovation is perceived as relatively difficult to understand and to use by the potential adopter. $ Trialability: is the degree to which a potential adopter can experiment with an innovation on a limited basis. $ Observability: is the degree to which the results of an innovation are visible to potential adopters.

|Adopter Category| % of a System in Each Category| |Innovator| 2.5| |Early adopter (Opinion leader)| 13.5| |Early majority| 34.0| |Late majority| 34.0| |Laggard| 16.0|

$ Innovators: are venturesome, cosmopolitan, and friendly with a clique of innovators outside of their system. * They possess substantial financial resources and understand complex technical knowledge. However, they may not be respected by the members of their system. * They are considered to be unreliable by their near peers due to their attraction to new things. * Innovators are frequently the gatekeepers of new ideas into their system. $ Early adopters: are well respected by their peers, have a local network of contacts, are opinion leaders, and are role models for other members of their system. * They are the embodiment of successful, discrete use of ideas. * Early adopters are the key to diffusing innovations within a system. $ Early majority: deliberate for some time before adopting new ideas and interact frequently with their peers. They are not opinion leaders. $ Late majority: require peer pressure to adopt an innovation. They have limited economic resources that require the removal of uncertainty surrounding an innovation. $ Laggards: are near isolates in their system. They are suspicious of innovation and their reference point is in the past. $ Opinion leaders: (early adopters) are the key to the diffusion process. Those seeking to diffuse an innovation within a system need to obtain the commitment of the opinion leaders within the system in which diffusion is to take place. * Only opinion leaders command the respect and admiration of their peers necessary to diffuse an innovation. * However, opinion leadership is a characteristic that can be used up by overzealous diffusers of innovations. If the early majority, late majority, and laggards in a system see an opinion leader as frequently aligning himself or herself with new ideas, the opinion leader begins to look less and less like the embodiment of the successful, discrete use of ideas, and more and more like an innovator.

Innovation-Decision Process

The innovation-decision process consists of five stages. $ knowledge stage: occurs when a decision-making unit (individual or group) is exposed to an innovation's existence and gains some understanding of how it functions. * Mass media is a particularly effective channel of communication in the knowledge stage. $ persuasion stage: occurs when a decision-making unit forms a favorable or unfavorable attitude (feeling) toward the innovation. * Interpersonal communication is the key to an individual passing through the persuasion stage with positive feelings toward the innovation. $ decision stage: occurs when an individual or some other decision-making unit engages in the activities that lead to a choice to adopt or reject (or re-invent) the innovation. * The implementation stage occurs when a decision-making unit actually uses the innovation. $ confirmation stage: occurs when a decision-making unit seeks reinforcement of an innovation-decision already made, or reverses a previous decision to adopt or reject the innovation if exposed to conflicting messages about the innovation.

Rate of Adoption

rate of adoption is frequently measured by the cumulative percentage of the members of a system that implement the innovation.

Demand and Supply Factors

The methods for successfully diffusing an innovation between systems may not be successful for diffusing an innovation within a system. The between system diffusion strategy is based mostly on the demand-based factors of diffusion. The within system diffusion strategy is based on both demand-based and supply-based factors of diffusion.

$ demand-based: diffusion strategy relies upon identifying and approaching influential early adopters (opinion leaders), and then enhancing their ability to influence others to adopt an innovation. * This is clearly a demand-based diffusion strategy because it increases the demand for the innovation. $ supply-based: diffusion strategy involves managing the process and conditions under which innovations are made available to potential adopters. The conditions are that all potential adopters have access to a conveniently priced and adequately developed innovation. * This is clearly a supply-based strategy because it increases the supply of an innovation.

A demand-based diffusion strategy makes sense as long as the following supply-based factors are in place.

• the innovation remains the same over the diffusion process.
  • This assumption becomes increasingly untenable as the length of the diffusion process increases.
• the organizational environment is equivalent for all potential adopting units.
• the price of the innovation is equal for all potential adopters.

The second and third assumptions are frequently untrue. The point here is that a demand-based strategy contains some potential difficulties when dealing with an innovation that takes a long time to diffuse in an environment in which potential adopters do not have equal access to the innovation.

Organizational Factors

The most likely causes of diffusion problems within an organization are [see Reference 4]: $ Lack of absorptive capacity of the adopter: is a potential adopter's inability to exploit external sources of knowledge. One strategy to reduce lack of absorptive capacity is to develop the learning capacity of potential adopters of an innovation. $ Ambiguity: is a potential adopter's inability to comprehend the factors leading to the success and/or failure of an innovation. * A strategy to reduce ambiguity is to systematically improve management's understanding of the factors that affect the success and/or failure of the innovation and to improve their ability to communicate these factors to potential adopters. $ An arduous relationship between the diffuser and the adopter: An arduous relationship exists when a potential adopter's relationship with a diffuser of an innovation is laborious, distant, and lacks any sense of intimacy. * A strategy to improve arduous relationships is to foster intimacy between potential adopters and the diffusers of an innovation.

You can contrast the preceding organizational factors with the conventional wisdom that attributes diffusion problems almost exclusively to motivational factors. (Git06, p272) Motivational factors include:

• jealousy
• lack of incentives
• lack of confidence
• low priority
• lack of buy-in
• inclination to reinvent the wheel or to plow the same fields twice
• adopter's refusal to do exactly what she/he is told
• resistance to change
• lack of commitment
• turf protection
• and, of course, the NIH (not invented here) syndrome.

The organizational factors lead to the conclusion that using only motivational factors to improve diffusion of an innovation is not an effective strategy. Rather, diffusers of the innovation should devote their scarce resources and managerial attention to:

1 Developing the learning capacity of potential adopters of an innovation. 1 Systematically improving management's understanding of the factors that affect the success and or failure of the innovation and improving their ability to communicate these factors to potential adopters. 1 Increasing intimacy between potential adopters and the diffusers of an innovation.

an alternative definition for the rate of adoption for gradual diffusion is; the number of decision-making units within a system actually adopting an innovation divided by the total number of decision-making units within the system that could potentially adopt the innovation.

A Demand-Based Diffusion Strategy

A demand-based strategy makes sense when the supply-based factors are approximately equal for all potential adopters.

The demand-based strategy diffusion model consists of three parts:

• Preparing the infrastructure for a diffusion plan. 1 Establish diffusion as part of strategic plan and assign an executive responsibility for the diffusion. 1 Form diffusion team. 1 Define experimental and target systems (segment the market). $ experimental system: sometimes called a pilot test, is a component of a larger system (in time or place) in which it is possible to modify and test a diffusion concept to meet the needs and wants of a particular market segment; for example, one hospital in a hospital chain. $ target system: is a larger system that is considering adopting the diffusion. 1 Develop indicator for adoption rate. 1 Prepare schedule for diffusion plan. 1 Implement support structure. * for example, telephone, e-mail, and facsimile machines. * Additionally, the executive should make sure that the support services do not overwhelm the diffusion team members.
  * The preceding infrastructure is required for successfully diffusing an innovation in an organization.
• Developing a diffusion plan. 1 Develop video and brochure. a. presents the leader of the organization naming the innovation. * The appropriate highestranking executive explains the theory underlying the innovation. * The team leader describes the characteristics of the innovation, consisting of the * relative advantage of the innovation over ideas that compete with it * compatibility of the innovation with the organization's prevailing culture * complexity of the innovation in comparison with competing ideas * trialability, or the ease with which a potential adopter can conduct trial experiments with the innovation * observability, or how easy it is for a potential adopter to see the innovation in action. a. Shows team members using the innovation in their local setting. a. presents testimonials of other users of the change (if available). a. shows team members briefly answering commonly asked questions about the innovation. * The questions commonly asked by potential adopters at each stage of the innovationdecision process are as follows: a.shows a process improvement specialist explaining how to use the innovation in each adopting area. * The brochure contains all the same information as the videotape, except it is tailored for a particular market segment and contains more detailed information on the commonly asked questions. * Tailoring a brochure for a market segment can be accomplished by using the language of the market segment or examples specific to the market segment. $ Key element 1: is much like scenario staging that can be done as design concepts are "vetted" for congruency of those who will be living with the design. 1 Identify opinion leaders. $ Key Element 2: Team members identify opinion leaders in the target systems. 1 Prepare motivational plan. $ Key Element 3: Team members prepare a motivational plan to induce opinion leaders to try the innovation. * The motivational plan must have the commitment of the top management of the organization. * The motivation plan should consider a balance of extrinsic and intrinsic motivators. * It should employ extrinsic motivators such as * no loss of income guarantees * CEU credits * confidential training for sensitive egos etc. * stimulate intrinsic motivation by creating fertile ground for relevant personnel to experience joy in work.
• Executing a diffusion plan. 1 Call a meeting. * with the express purpose of introducing and demonstrating the innovation. The agenda for the meeting should include:
  * a description of innovation by team members * the benefits and costs of the innovation by team members * a preview of video of team members using the innovation * a brochure with commonly asked questions about the innovation * an actual demonstration of the innovation by team members * a discussion of the incentives to try the innovation by the CEO * questions and answers by both the CEO and team members *a sign-up sheet for opinion leaders to try the innovation with the guidance of the diffusion team. 1 Monitor the schedule. * prepares and monitors a schedule of interactive demonstrations for each opinion leader led by team members. * Notes are kept on cancellations and reschedules. * weekly status report, by team members to executive. * executive takes action on any delays or problems. * executive creates an environment conducive to the release of intrinsic motivation on the part of opinion leaders with respect to the innovation 1 Execute motivational plan. * Where deemed appropriate, the executive oversees the awarding of extrinsic motivators to opinion leaders for using the innovation in his or her area. 1 Follow-up on the diffusion plan. * checks in with each opinion leader every week and reviews overall progress toward diffusion of the innovation on a monthly basis.

Developing a Demand-Based Diffusion Plan - The questions

• The knowledge stage questions are: 1 Describe the innovation? 1 How does it work? 1 Why does it work?

• The persuasion stage questions are: 1 Explain the advantages of the innovation? 1 What are the disadvantages of the innovation?

• The characteristics of an innovation (relative advantage, etc.) are important in the persuasion stage.

• The decision stage questions are: 1 When can I see a demonstration of the innovation? 1 Can I use the innovation on a trial basis?

• The implementation stage questions are: 1 Where do I obtain the innovation? 1 How do I use it? 1 What problems will I encounter when I use the innovation? 1 How can I solve the above problem(s)?

• The confirmation stage questions are: 1 Did I make the correct decision in adopting/rejecting the innovation? 1 What are the consequences of adopting/rejecting the innovation?

• Identifying Opinion Leadership | Measurement Method | Description | Question Asked | Advantages | Limitations | | Sociometric method (most popular method)| Ask system members whom they go to for advice and information about a new idea.| Who is your opinion leader? | Easy to administer, adaptable to different settings, highest validity.| Complex and requires a large number of respondents to find an opinion leader. Works best on population, not on sample.| |Informant ratings | Subjectively selected key informants designate opinion leaders. | Who are the opinion leaders in this system? | Low cost and time expenditure compared to sociometric method. | Each informant must be thoroughly familiar with the system. | | Self-designating method| Ask each respondent to designate himself or herself as an opinion leader. | Are you an opinion leader in this system? | Measures individual's perceptions of his/her opinion leadership, which influences his/her behavior. | Accuracy dependent on respondent's self image.| | Observation | Identify and record communication network links as they occur. | None. | High validity. | Obtrusive, works best in a small system, requires much patience. |

e.g. informant rating method 1 select a judgment sample of internal experts who propose names of potential opinion leaders within their organization with respect to the innovation. 1 the internal experts ask themselves: "Who are the opinion leaders in my organization with respect to the innovation?" 1 team members create a list of opinion leaders.

A Demand- and Supply-Based Diffusion Strategy

• First 1 identify all potential adopters 1 list all CTPs for product or service 1 rate each potential adopter's learning capacity for each CTP on a scale from (1) to (5) where (1) is very high learning capacity and (5) is very low learning capacity. 1 focus attention on improving the learning capacity of each potential adopter with respect to the CTPs for which they have high scores (or low learning capacity).

| Potential Adopters | CTPs ||| | | Adopter Rating for CTP 1 | Adopter Rating for CTP 2 | Adopter Rating for CTP i | | Mr. A | 5 | 2 | 4 | | Ms. B. | 2 | 2 | 5 | |-. | - |||

• Second org factor 1 identify all managers involved in diffusing the innovation within their organization 1 List all of the CTPs for the innovation. 1 rank each managers' ability to understand, explain, and communicate information about each CTP on a scale of one (1) to five (5), where 1 is very good ability and 5 is very poor ability. 1 allocate resources to improve the communication skills of managers for the CTPs for which they have high scores (or very poor ability).
• Third factor 1 List diffusion team members. 1 List potential adopters. 1 Create potential adopter-innovation team member pairings.
  • Each potential adopter should be assigned to at least one diffusion team member. This process could be accomplished subjectively for a simple innovation.

| Diffusion Team Members | Potential Adopters ||| | | Adopter 1 | Adopter 2 | Adopter i | | Member A | X | X | | | Member B | | | X |

Consider the Diffusion of a Design Throughout the Entire DMADV Model

It can be argued that a design concept, at least from a high level, should be "vetted" from very early in the design process at the Define Phase. Moreover, if a new product, service, or process is developed and delivered before users are ready to use it, then it may be considered a

• Effectiveness of the Design = (Quality of the Design) � (Acceptability of the Design).