The Oregon chapter of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) invites you to its first 2010 Learning and Networking Event; "Proven Techniques Turning Customer Requirements into Successful Products! Using 'Voice of the Customer' processes to develop products that meet REAL market needs."

A major component of business success is developing products that meet customer needs and provide superior value. Meeting customer needs requires that those needs be understood. The "voice of the customer" (VOC) is the term to describe the stated and unstated customer needs or requirements. The voice of the customer can be captured in a variety of ways: direct discussion or interviews, surveys, focus groups, customer specifications, observation, warranty data, field reports, etc.

This program will explore the practical side of collecting and using the VOC. Frank Binnendyk, and expert in VOC and a founder partner of Customer Alignment Consulting will explain the basics of this market research methodology. Then, three representatives from companies that have used the VOC research will provide a users' perspective. They will explain why and how they did it; how they used the information gathered; if it worked well or didn't meet their expectations and what were their VOC lessons learned. Ed de la Fuente VP of Marketing from Aperion Audio, John Williams Product Marketing Manager from FEI and Robert Buxton a High Tech B2B Professional will present company examples. The contrast between these types of companies will provide insights into how a VOC program can be scaled and adapted to meet the needs and resources of any company.

After presentations by the panelists, members of the audience can express opinions and ask questions of the panel during the Q&A session.

Event Details Thursday, January 21, 2010 5:30 - 6:00 pm Registration and Networking 6:00 - 7:30 pm Presentations and Q&A

Portland State Business Accelerator Building 2828 Southwest Corbett Avenue Portland, OR 97201 (503) 725-2312

$20 on-line registration prior to the event. $25 at the door

Register now at www.pdma.org/oregon

For more detailed information, contact: John Huber VP of Programs, PDMA Oregon Chapter (503) 706-8350 [email protected]

Press announcement released by Steve Gerts, VP Communications, PDMA Oregon Chapter

Build Winning Products with Rapid Customer Insigh The Build Winning Products with Rapid Customer Insight workshop gives you the tools necessary to deliver successful products through more effective ways to access customers, listen for their needs, and integrate this learning into real products. This program is ideal for Agile and Lean development teams working with fast-paced development schedules.

Exclusive offer! OTBC has partnered with Planning Innovations to pilot this program to 12 participants at a special “at cost” rate of $57. By participating, you agree to join us for a 90-minute facilitated discussion to provide Planning Innovations feedback on the program. After this pilot offer, the program will normally be offered at $895/participant.

The best way to learn is by doing. This program is highly interactive with role-playing, real customer interviews, and participating in real world requirements tradeoff discussions using the tools we discuss in the program.

We'll focus on key questions and challenges, such as:

• How do I determine the right customers for insight?
• How can I build a customer panel for fast access?
• What are the best ways to really “listen” for customer needs?
• How can I understand the tradeoffs customer make every day?
• How do I manage and communicate fuzzy customer input?