Arizona Instrument, Inc.
Phoenix, Arizona
Overview
Designs and manufactures scientific measuring instruments for use in industry.
Opportunity / Threat
At the request of one of its largest customers, the company developed a new test instrument. The company had developed an alpha model of the new instrument and were about to test it in the field.
Action / Result
Though somewhat skeptical about using outside consultants, the company scheduled a Strategic Risk Analysis session to identify possible stumbling blocks to successful design and marketing of the product.
In the course of the session, three key issues emerged:
- the importance of esthetics to the sales and marketing effort;
- the importance of correlating performance to existing industry methods and standards;
- the need for ensuring quick access to fix routine malfunctions with minimal downtime for users of the units.
The team decided to delay market entry, completely re-designing the instrument to fill major voids. Now in production, the product has been well-received by customers and is exceeding management's expectations. R & D Magazine awarded the instrument its 1997 R & D 100 Award.
Client Comments
"The process made me realize we were moving ahead too fast. Without going through it, we might have overlooked or rationalized the importance of the issues we identified. Everyone has a lot of emotional capital invested in something like this. You need someone to keep you focused, keep you moving."
"It takes a degree of commitment to honest dialogue. It's very easy to skate around difficult issues; you have to force people to face them. This was a tough decision, but I think we will be more successful, make fewer mistakes, and the product will be more profitable in the long run."
"Strategic Risk Analysis is a very effective technique for evaluating and implementing new product strategies, and we plan to use it in our future product development efforts."
-- Wally Raisanen, Chairman
