Challenge+Problem+1

Challenge Problem 1
Due dates:
 * Initial presentation in class February 1
 * First draft report due February 6, at start of class
 * Meetings scheduled with Prof. Monroe on Tuesday -- contact Maha Kanso (mahak@qatar.cmu.edu) to set up a 15-20 minute meeting on Tuesday
 * Final report due at start of class on Wednesday, February 8

Overview:
For the first challenge problem you will apply three analyses that we have covered in class to help real companies with which you are familiar identify promising product opportunity gaps. These analyses are:
 * Jobs To Be Done Analysis
 * Outcome Expectations Analysis
 * Value Quotient Analysis

This challenge problem is worth 100 points.

You will need to complete the following tasks and produce the following deliverables for each of the three analyses:

Jobs To Be Done Analysis:

 * List of 10 potential JTBD’s for the target market, each expressed as a Job Statement
 * Identify the most promising Job Statement (JTBD) and justify that selection. You will use this JTBD for the next two analyses

Outcome Expectations Analysis:

 * Create an outcome expectations grid for the Job To Be Done selected
 * Use this grid to produce eight to ten relevant and important outcome statements.
 * Prioritize these statements from most important to least important.

Value Quotient Analysis:

 * Use the Job Statement from the JTBD analysis, and the prioritized outcome expectations to produce a Value Analysis Plot.
 * Plot the ‘perfect solution’ on the grid.
 * Identify three current, common products or services that serve the JTBD identified on your Value Analysis Plot.
 * Use this analysis to identify at least three high-value opportunity gaps. That is, places where there is an opportunity for a solution that is closer to ‘perfect’ than the currently available solutions.

After you have completed these three analyses, select the most promising opportunity and create a brief, concise statement describing it (your Product Opportunity Gap) and explaining why your team recommends that the company explore this area for creating new products or services to meet unmet customer needs, wants, and desires. Note that you are //not// recommending a specific product or service idea at this point. You are identifying a gap between what your customers seem to need or want, and what is currently available on the market. Only once you have identified the Product Opportunity Gap do you move on to exploring specific solutions to the problem.

You will need to produce a concise and persuasive report showing your three analyses and the recommendation that you are making to the company. Your report should be as short as you can make it while still including the requested analyses and making a compelling case for why the opportunity that you have identified is worthy of further investigation and investment by the company.

Companies and general areas for exploration:

 * Qatar National Bank, financial services for low-income expatriates in Qatar
 * Sony, video gaming targeted to adult women [Team 2: Firas, Marwa, and Ayah]
 * Toyota motors company, personal transportation for individuals [Amal, MMDauleh, Hejji]
 * Carnegie Mellon University, continuing professional education for working adults in Computer Science, Information Systems, and Business Administration [Fatema, Hamsa, Nahan]
 * Magellan (GPS device and mapping software maker), logistics management

Teams:
You will be assigned to a team to complete this project. Your team should make a single presentation and submit a single written report with the names of all team members listed. All team members on a submission will receive the same grade.

Deliverables:

 * Presentation in class on Wednesday, February 1 for feedback. This will be graded pass/fail. All that you need to do to pass is have your group present work to date and receive feedback from the class on that work
 * A concise and persuasive written report that contains all of the requested information and addresses all of the required questions needs to be submitted in hardcopy at the start of class on February 6.
 * You will have an opportunity to meet with the professor on Tuesday to get detailed feedback, and you can then submit a revised version at the start of class on Wednesday, February 8.