Project+3-Planning+Process

=Project 3 - Get a Plan, Stan!!=

You've been learning about the planning process for products and how companies use the process to improve existing products or create new products to meet the wants and needs of their customers. For this project, your team will be assigned a sports ball. Working with your team, you will brainstorm and create a product planning cycle to make improvements to that ball. Use the process posted on the wikispace and post your findings on your Product Artifact team page (found under the Product Planning link). Planning cycles will be due by the end of class on January 21. Upon completion of the project, students will blog about their experience in the project.

Your team page will have 5 headings: 1. Input: Under this hearding you will list the input you will need from customers, sales, engineering, tech support, marketing, and the competition 2. Product Ideas: Under this hearding you will list 2-3 product improvement ideas (be creative!! think outside the box!). 3. Product Approved: Under this heading you will give a detailed report on your proposed improvement. What is the improvement and what does it do? 4. Marketing Requirements: Under this heading you will detail how and where you will market the ball. You will need to include an advertisement. 5. Conclusion: Under this heading you will summarize what you did and how you did it. Teams will be graded using the rubric listed below:


 * CATEGORY || **20 ** || **15 ** || **10 ** || **5 or less ** ||
 * **Content ** || Covers topic in-depth with details and examples. Subject knowledge is excellent. || Includes essential knowledge about the topic. Subject knowledge appears to be good. || Includes essential information about the topic but there are 1-2 factual errors. || Content is minimal OR there are several factual errors. ||
 * **Organization ** || Content is well organized using headings or bulleted lists to group related material. || Uses headings or bulleted lists to organize, but the overall organization of topics appears flawed. || Content is logically organized for the most part. || There was no clear or logical organizational structure, just lots of facts. ||
 * **Attractiveness ** || Makes excellent use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance the presentation. || Makes good use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance to presentation. || Makes use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. but occasionally these detract from the presentation content. || Use of font, color, graphics, effects etc. but these often distract from the presentaion content. ||
 * **Originality ** || Product shows a large amount of original thought. Ideas are creative and inventive. || Product shows some original thought. Work shows new ideas and insights. || Uses other people's ideas (giving them credit), but there is little evidence of original thinking. || Uses other people's ideas, but does not give them credit. ||
 * **Blog Post ** || Blog post covers the 5 areas assigned in the planning process--gives much detail about the assignment || Blog post covers 4 areas assigned in the planning process--gives good detail about the assignment || Blog post covers 2-3 areas assigned in the planning process--gives good detail about the assignment || Blog post covers 2 or less areas assigned in the planning process--or blog post not done ||

TO HELP YOU ORGANIZE!!! Sample Set up for Team Pages:

Customers: What input do you need from customers? How will you get this input? Sales: What input do you need from sales? How can input from sales help in the process? Engineering: What input do you need from engineering? Why does input from engineers matter? Tech Support: What input do you need from tech support? How can input from tech support help in the process? Marketing: What input do you need from marketing? Why is input from marketing important? Competition: Who is your competition? What are your strengths (over that of the competitors)?
 * The Product Planning Process for a Golf Ball**
 * Input:**

Idea A: What is your first innovative idea to improve your sports ball? Idea B: What is your second innovative idea to improve your sports ball?
 * Product Ideas:**

What innovative idea did you decide on? Why? Give a detailed description of your idea and why you chose it. How will your improvement revolutionize the sport?
 * Approved Product:**

How will you market the product to consumers? Include an advertisement here.
 * Marketing:**

Give a detailed description of how your team approached the planning process, how you conducted your research and what you discovered. What did you learn through this process? What kinds of issues arose for your team? Do you think that those same issues arise for companies going through this process? How? What other issues and opportunities might arise for companies seeking to improve existing products or innovate new ones?
 * Conclusion:**