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Getting Started on Product and Service Design

Course ID: CESYS501
Learn how to create sustainable competitive advantage for your business by improving your knowledge and usage of system design principles; understand how to build better products and services.

Description

Businesses thrive on the strength of their products and services, and behind every great product or service is the right design process. System design is a formal approach to the process that maximizes the chances of discovering the right concept, selling it to internal stakeholders, identifying uses for it in the marketplace, and gathering requirements before starting the next stage of planning.

Every business is looking for the next killer product or service in its industry. But breakthroughs don’t occur by chance; the road to building a popular, innovative product or service is often circuitous and offers challenges that are best overcome by applying the right product and service design process.

This course will provide you with the skills you need to identify the right idea, prepare it for internal buy-in, and get it to market. Unique it its behavioral emphasis, the course will address the concept of customer-focused design and the importance of thinking through what it will be like to use the product or service being developed. Along the way, you will learn how to brainstorm and select a concept, write a mission statement, identify the internal stakeholders, gain a comprehensive understanding of the customer experience, and define functional requirements for your product or service.

Anyone whose job involves developing, marketing, or managing products or services should take this course, authored by Professor Peter Jackson of Cornell University’s Systems Engineering Program. Engineers and other technical specialists will learn how to best apply their talents—for example, by learning to identify which concepts are worth the effort of development and which are dead-ends. Marketers and managers will gain a deep understanding of the origins and impact of customer behavior, as well as important perspectives on product and service usage.

Who Should Take This Course?

This course is indispensable for individuals involved with the design, development, and production of products, and service implementations. This includes engineers, project managers, marketing and product line managers, design managers and others who come into contact with system design processes. It is also appropriate for hands-on executives whose companies rely on maintaining a competitive advantage with their products and/or services.

Enrollment

To register, contact an Enrollment Counselor at info@ecornell.com or 1-866-326-7635 (+1-607-330-3200 from outside the United States).

Certificate programs are eligible for eCornell Payment Plans. Discounts are available for military personnel, veterans, and Cornell University Alumni. eCornell programs are not eligible for financial aid or federal Pell Grants. Contact an enrollment counselor for more information.

Next 3 Course available dates are:

April 7, 2010
May 19, 2010
June 30, 2010

Click 'Add to Cart' to see available dates beyond June 30, 2010.

Course Format

eCornell takes a problem-based approach to learning, and our courses are built around realistic case studies and scenarios. All courses are self-paced, and are facilitated by an eCornell instructor, who leads the online discussions and is available to answer any questions about the course content.

This course contains the following modules:

Developing the Concept

Select and Sketch the Concept
Identify and Communicate to Stakeholders
Define the Context

Defining the Functional Requirements

Collect and Prioritize Use Cases
Derive Requirements from Use Case Behaviors
Summarize and Finalize Requirements

Benefits to the Learner

Learners who complete this course will be able to:

Discuss the benefits of using the Getting Design Right Process
Recommend when and how your organization can use this process
Use this process to define a design problem

Authoring Faculty

Peter L. Jackson Ph.D., Professor, Director

Sponsoring School

Cornell University’s College of Engineering

Total Learning Time

6 hours over a period of two weeks.

Certificate Information

This course can be applied toward the following certificate:

A Systems Approach to Product and Service Design

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Project Management Institute Professional Development Units

This course qualifies for 6.00 Professional Development Units (PDUs) from the Project Management Institute (PMI) for Professional Project Managers (PMPs) seeking ongoing education and professional development for continuing certification. eCornell is a Global Registered Education Provider of PMI. PDUs are designated as Category 3.

Technical Requirements

With all eCornell courses, access is easy. Participants only need a computer and an Internet connection. To view specific technology requirements, visit our Technology Requirements page.