Six Sigma DMAIC Process - Define Phase - KANO Analysis

KANO Analysis is about prioritizing customer requirements once they are established. Requirements are prioritized as:

• Basic Requirements
• Performance Requirements
• Delighter Requirements
• Indifferent Requirements
• Reverse Requirements

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Six Sigma - KANO Analysis

Let’s look at each of these Requirements in detail:

Basic Requirements:
Basic Requirements are “must-be’s”. They are the most important needs of customers. They are required and expected to be there. These are the needs the customer assumes will be met. When these requirements are unfulfilled, the customer is greatly dissatisfied and when fulfilled, the customer is neutral (i.e., they do not produce additional satisfaction).

Performance Requirements:
For performance requirements, better fulfillment generally brings greater customer satisfaction. Identify the relevant requirements and assess how well the product or service meets them; the schematic relationship is not a measured correlation coefficient.

Indifferent Requirements:
Indifferent elements are needs that result in neither satisfaction nor dissatisfaction whether they are present / met or not.

Reverse Requirements:
Reverse elements are needs that result in: 1) Dissatisfaction when they are fulfilled and Satisfaction even when they are not fulfilled. They may indicate that the perception of that question in the marketplace is the opposite of the perception of the survey's creator.

Delighter Requirements:
Delighter requirements are “attractors.” Their unexpected presence can fulfill latent customer needs and create satisfaction. Their absence need not cause dissatisfaction. Check the actual customer context; expectations can change over time.


Below is an example of a KANO Analysis for a Software Application.

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Six Sigma - KANO Analysis Example for a Software Application