Diffusion of Technology within the Carrier Industry A QFD approach to examine TMS offerings for carriers

Abstract

The transportation industry, where the entire procedure of moving goods is encom- passed, is a vital component of the business world that affects multiple sectors. The primary system used by carriers that execute the assignment is a TMS, which assists in the process of managing shipper transportation needs for order delivery. Conversely, carriers have elevated expenses and delays due to the lack of focus on innovative IT solutions. By recognizing the customer’s requirements for services, benefits in both effectiveness and efficiency can arise for carriers. Therefore, it is important to identify these requirements and also examine how TMS providers can effectively address the needs of carriers. This thesis aims to investigate the interaction between carrier requirements and TMS providers in order to understand how TMS providers can address the needs of carriers. The scope of the thesis is medium to large-sized carriers in Scandinavia. Further, this is a field study in collaboration with a TMS provider, hereinafter referred to as the case company. A QFD approach was made to facilitate the trans- lation of customer requirements into actionable steps for implementation within an organization. Here, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and ana- lyzed throughout the 6 steps according to the HoQ matrix. Based on the steps taken, 16 customer requirements were elicited through a the- matic analysis of data from semi-structured interviews and an online questionnaire. The requirements were prioritized by the customers using an online questionnaire. Moreover, 14 technical descriptors were discovered through the use of thematic anal- ysis of data from semi-structured interviews with the case company. Subsequently, the strength of the relationship between requirements and technical descriptors was analyzed by an appointed QFD team. Lastly, the correlation between technical de- scriptors and their development target was determined by interviews with the case company. In conclusion, it was evident that Invoice Management, Order Manage- ment, and Data and Analytics Management holds more influence on the selection and adoption of a TMS than other requirements. Dispatch System was the techni- cal descriptor that address the most requirements. Nevertheless, the remainder of customer requirements and technical descriptors should not be disregarded.