People-focused knowledge management

Next Step: Form a taskforce consisting of an executive team
and the vice presidents of Planning and Marketing.
Issue 4. Features and innovations needed to be created and 
tested in close collaboration with customers and with better
ergonomics.
Immediate Action 4-1: Engage customer managements and
operating personnel to review and test recent or forthcoming
product features. Consider potential redesign and new prior-
ities for features. Report back within one month. (Coordinate
with Immediate Action 3-1.)
Rationale: Some recent features had problems, and it was
quite possible that new features would also have problems
unless vetted by customers.
Expected Result: More reliable and acceptable features.
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Next Step: Create a temporary taskforce with a total of four
representatives from R&D, Marketing (Customer Service),
Engineering, and Manufacturing.
Longer-Term Action 4-1: Create strategic relationships with
suppliers and both large and small customers to propose, eval-
uate, review, and test new truck features. Consider obtaining
ergonomics capabilities by hiring, consulting, or developing
university relationships.
Rationale: People who manage and use trucks and truck
fleets often have ideas about valuable changes and new 
features. Suppliers have new solutions. New truck features
need to be considered desirable, valuable, and practical.
Expected Result: Advanced, practical, reliable, desirable, and
highly competitive product and service features introduced
in a timely fashion.
Next Step: R&D and Marketing vice presidents set up per-
manent taskforce to create and manage strategic product
relationships.