Product benchmark matrix

Competency Group: Business

Type: Benchmark

Description: Product benchmarking is an important step in the process of designing new products or upgrades to current ones. This process can sometimes involve reverse engineering which is taking apart competitors products to find strengths and weaknesses. It can also involve other forms of product research, such as reviewing product specification sheets.

Citation for Description: Described by authors

Units: Identification and comparison of product attributes

Advantages: Creates an understanding of technical and financial competitiveness in the marketplace.

Limitations: There may be many products which fall into the same category, making the competitive edge hard to identify.

Target Audience: Top management, Marketing, R&D

Relevant to Universal Design: Yes

Stages and Steps: 2.2, 4.3, 4.6, 4.13

Purchase Resource: Knight, W. (1999). Product Benchmarking using DFE analysis tools Electronics and the Environment, 92-97. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/login.jsp?url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fstamp%2Fstamp.jsp%3Ftp%3D%26arnumber%3D765855&authDecision=-203