Mapping the customer centric weather index insurance service design using quality function deployment

PurposeThe present paper aims to propose a framework on weather index insurance (WII) service design by using quality function deployment (QFD).Design/methodology/approachThis study utilizes QFD technique to propose a customer oriented framework on WII service design. In initial phase, customer and design requirements were gathered to derive the relationship between customers' and managers' voice for construct the house of quality (HOQ). Later on, prioritized customer and design requirements as QFD outcome were utilized to develop the action plan matrix in order to suggest the future action plans.FindingsThis study proposed a customer centric framework on WII service design to address the customer requirements. Findings show that adequate claim payments, hassle free prompt claim payment and transparency in losses computation are prioritized customer requirements with highest importance rating, whereas, accurate claim estimation, claim management system and advancement of technology are prioritized service design necessities with highest importance rating.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed WII service design can enhance the quality of WII service by attain the higher standards of WII service in order to completely satisfy the customers.Practical implicationsThe proposed WII service design can provide a solution to the problems faced by WII industry by improve the customer's service experience and satisfaction.Originality/valueBased on best of author's knowledge, this paper first proposed a framework on WII service design by integrating customer and design requirements by using QFD.

APPLICATION OF HOUSE OF QUALITY IN THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF BATIK WAX EXTRUDER AND PRINTER

Malaysian batik production is dominated by two techniques known as hand-drawn batik, or batik tjanting, and stamp batik, or batik block. In comparison to batik block, the more popular batik tjanting takes a longer time to produce. A Standardized Nordic Questionnaire (SNQ) for musculoskeletal symptom examination involving batik artisans in Kelantan and Terengganu identified high rates of musculoskeletal disorders in respondents due to their working posture during the batik tjanting process. It was also observed that the number of workers and artisans willing to participate in the traditional batik industry is on the decline. These problems have led to a systematic Quality Functional Deployment approach to facilitate the decision-making process for the conceptual design of an automatic batik printer. In this study, house of quality (HOQ) was applied to identify the critical features for a batik printer based on the voice of the customer (VOC). A survey done to rate the importance of VOC using an 8-point Likert scale revealed that the batik practitioners topmost priority for the batik printer feature is the 'ability to adjust and maintain the temperature of wax' (17.54%) while the non-batik practitioners chose 'ability to deliver a variety of complex designs' (15.94%). The least required feature for the batik printer was related to the size of the batik printer. The mapping between customer requirements (VOC) and technical requirements identified that the extruder design (21.3%), the heating element (18%), and nozzle diameter (17.8%) were the most critical components for the batik printer. Several conceptual designs of the extrusion unit, cartesian-based batik printer, and 2D image conversion using open-sourced software were proposed at the end of this work. ABSTRAK: Pengeluaran batik Malaysia telah didominasi oleh dua teknik yang dikenali sebagai batik lukisan-tangan (batik canting) dan batik cap (batik blok). Sebagai perbandingan, batik canting yang popular mengambil masa lebih lama bagi dihasilkan. Soal Selidik Nordic Standad (SNQ) bagi meneliti gejala muskuloskeletal melibatkan tukang batik di Kelantan dan Terengganu telah menunjukkan persamaan kadar muskuloskeletal yang tinggi pada postur badan semasa bekerja canting batik. Bilangan pekerja yang terlibat dalam industri tradisional batik ini turut terjejas. Masalah-masalah ini telah mengarah kepada kaedah Pengerahan Fungsi Kualiti bagi membantu proses membuat keputusan dalam rekaan konsep pencetak batik automatik. Kajian ini telah mengadaptasi Kualiti Rumah (HOQ) bagi mengesan ciri-ciri kritikal pada pencetak batik berdasarkan suara pelanggan (VOC). Kaji selidik telah dilakukan bagi menilai kepentingan VOC menggunakan skala Likert 8-poin. Didapati keutamaan yang diperlukan oleh 17.54% ahli batik adalah; ciri pencetak batik ini perlu mempunyai ‘keupayaan dalam menyelaras dan menetapkan suhu lilin’, manakala sebanyak 15.94% bukan ahli batik memilih ‘keupayaan pencetak ini harus berjaya menghasilkan pelbagai rekaan yang kompleks’. Ciri yang kurang diberi tumpuan adalah berkaitan saiz pencetak batik. Persamaan antara kehendak pelanggan (VOC) dan kehendak teknikal dalam mengenal pasti komponen-komponen penting bagi pencetak batik adalah rekaan penyemperit (21.3%), elemen pemanas (18%), dan diameter nozel (17.8%). Pelbagai rekaan konsep bagi unit penyemperit, pencetak batik canting, dan imej konversi 2D menggunakan perisian sumber terbuka telah dicadangkan di bahagian akhir kajian ini.

Disciplined or Agile?

Software requirements changes become necessary due to changes in customer requirements and changes in business rules and operating environments; hence, requirements development, which includes requirements changes, is a part of a software process. Previous studies have shown that failing to manage software requirements changes well is a main contributor to project failure. Given the importance of the subject, there is a plethora of efforts in academia and industry that discuss the management of requirements change in various directions, ways, and means. This chapter provided information about the current state-of-the-art approaches (i.e., Disciplined or Agile) for RCM and the research gaps in existing work. Benefits, risks, and difficulties associated with RCM are also made available to software practitioners who will be in a position of making better decisions on activities related to RCM. Better decisions can lead to better planning, which will increase the chance of project success.

Design of an environmental management information system for the Universidad Distrital

This article presents the design, development and implementation of a software tool, serving as an alternative to the problems involving management, control and reporting of processes within the institutional plan for environmental management (known as plan institucional de gestión ambiental (PIGA) by its Spanish acronym) for the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas. The software is focused on carrying out such processes to the automation setting, based on the extreme programming (XP) Agile methodology that mainly centers on the continuous development of the customer requirements to offer a more assertive tool, in line with the plan institucional de gestión ambiental in Spanish (PIGA) processes. The result is a complete satisfaction of users and a highly usable, adaptable and efficient software, inherently optimizing and automating the environmental management processes of the PIGA program. This work delivers an applet that meets the design and implementation requirements of environmental management policies. The proposed tool manages to reduce process-related times by 97%, therefore, allowing to aim efforts in other missional functions and increase the overall value offer of the organization.

Optimization of Aluminum Sand Casting process parameters on RSM and ANN methods

Sand casting is one of the best processes to produce a product to satisfy the customer requirements. The prime advantages of choosing the sand casting technique are perfect dimensional geometry, development of pattern is easy, production rate is high, and solidification time is low when compared to other casting techniques. The main purpose of sand casting is to produce a product with better quality in low cost. The properties of the green sand are based on the sand composition and the most important parameters in the preparation of moulding sand are green strength, moisture content and clay content. In this work, the silica oxide is blended in green sand with various compositions for cope box. The various compositions of sand parameters are experimentally investigated by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The results of sand parameters are compared with Artificial Neural Network (ANN) analysis. The blending of 9.2% SiO2 with green sand is very suitable for this casting process. The blending of 9.2% SiO2 with green sand is very suitable for this casting process. The effect of SiO2 blending with green sand, the initial raw material is reduced up to 25% of volume without casting defects. The hardness value increased up to 22% and the surface roughness decreased up to 12% by varying the percentage of SiO2 in green sand.

Benefits of Quality Management Standards in Organizations

The main motives for implementing standards are external and internal. External motives are related with aims to enter new markets, export new goods, meet customer requirements, achieve better corporate image, gain market share, or increase customer satisfaction. Internal motives occur when the organization itself wants to improve the internal system and when processes and benefits depend on the internal motives of the organization. In order to disclose the benefits of quality standards, an empirical study was conducted with quality representatives from organizations in different fields of business activity in Lithuania. The research aimed to investigate what quality management systems prevail in organizations and to reveal the motives and benefits of implementation. The empirical study found that after the implementation of quality management standards (QMS), the quality level improved; the number of incidents and defects (complaints) decreased; employee involvement and perception of quality increased; company profits increased; customer satisfaction increased; and company management was improved.

Automation and Fuzzy Control of a Manufacturing System

The automation of manufacturing systems is a major obligation to the developments because of exponential industrial equipment, and programming tools, so that growth needs and customer requirements. This automation is achieved in our work through the application programming tools from Siemens, which are PCS 7 (Process Control System) for industrial process control and FuzzyControl++ for fuzzy control. An industrial application is designed, developed and implemented in the cement factory in Ain-Touta (S.CIM.AT) located in the province of Batna, East of Algeria. Especially in the cement mill which gives the final product that is the cement.