Customer needs vs regulations (inglés)

Customer needs vs regulation

In my experience I used to manage “small projects” such as modify a dryer in order to fulfill the customer expectations in other countries.

This was a challenge because you not only have to find the way to satisfy the client´s needs but also you have to check if there was regulatory policies that we must obey to sell the product in that country.

I’m going to use the project of DOE 2015 for electric dryers as an example of how does a TD is the main player of how the product should be cosntructed

“Manufacturers have been required to comply with the Department of Energy's (DOE) energy conservation standards for residential clothes dryers since 1988”  (Energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards)

This regulation was obligatory to every company that builds appliances.

The hard part was to pass the DOE test for the electric units so I needed to talk to the TD to see if the product that we were selling was capable to pass the test without affecting the performance of the unit.

“To determine compliance with DOE standards, manufacturers must follow the test procedures specified at 10 CFR 430.23(d)” (Energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards)

The TD ran many tests and at the end discovers that our product was not capable to accomplish the DOE requirements. This issue moved the entire schedule even though we had already agreements.

At the end if you can nor fulfill the regulatory policies you can not sell.

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/product.aspx/productid/36

http://efficiency.lbl.gov/product/clothes-dryers

Hi Robbi

In this case I think that the hardest work or the pressure is on the TD, because he is the one who has to develop the technical requirements but now with less time.

Well actually it’s a tough question, because the PM has the pressure to finish the project and sell the product, and we all know that if this doesn’t happen this will talk really bad of a PM.

In the case I explained above, the TD asked for help to the technology center and together found a solution for the DOE requirements.

Just to let you know, we develop a new resistance that works with less energy, the PM talked to the customer for approval because the performance went down 3% (taking more time to dry).

Hi Nadia

In my opinion the role of the TD was not defined the correct way. The TD is in charge of making take the idea and make it real (technically speaking), in this case the idea was to create a health forum, and the PM is in charge of developing the schedule for this event. The TD has to take all the project requirements and check if it’s possible.

For example (I´m just guessing), the project requirements was to have a folder for each member, to have a translator, to select a conference room to have the forum, etc. The TD role is to check if the conference room has enough space to gather all the people, if the sound equipment is capable to cover all the room, if the translator is capable to translate quickly enough, etc.

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