Quality function deployment is one of the best methods companies can utilize to create better products and services.
Some of the top firms implement quality function deployment to improve their offerings and better serve their customers.
However, the process can be complicated. Turning qualitative customer data into actionable information isn’t exactly straightforward.
So how do companies implement quality function deployment? What are the advantages and disadvantages? What companies should utilize QFD?
Let’s answer these questions, and more, to determine how to implement quality function deployment in your business.
What Companies Should Use QFD?
Quality function deployment is a product-design tool a company can use to turn qualitative customer data into specific technical data to improve product design.
The key is to implement QFD before the design process to give team members a clear idea of which customer needs are most important to meet and a vision for creating a product or service that fulfills them.
QFD gives the design team a systematic way to acquire customer sentiment information and facilitate the design and manufacturing process.
Quality function deployment was developed in Japan during the late 1960s. Before QFD’s development, companies often created products and iterated them based on customer feedback after the fact.
QFD gives companies a tool to implement customer feedback before the manufacturing process. Therefore, the final product is more likely to have demand off the shelf.
In the United States, the automobile industry was the first industry to implement this methodology. It then made its way into the tech sector, telecommunications, sales organizations, and just about every other sector.
Therefore, any company with a customer-centric offering can utilize the quality function deployment method to improve its product design and service offerings.
How to Implement Quality Function Deployment
Putting Together a Team
The first step to implement QFD is to put together a team. The team should consist of all of the most important individuals concerned with the design process.
If possible, the team should also include the customer to provide feedback along the way.
QFD is a fluid methodology, giving teams room to adapt and change throughout the process. Therefore, the team selected at the start of the process doesn’t need to be the one that finishes it.
Product Planning
The product planning phase involves gathering qualitative customer data required to make informed design decisions.
Companies commonly gather this data through VOC (voice of the customer). During the product planning phase, companies need to interview customers and conduct focus groups to ascertain customer sentiment.
Companies can also conduct surveys and go over customer reviews to learn which pain points are most prominent in the market.
Companies can also interview potential customers, especially if the product targets a new or expanded market. The goal is to have customers rate their product requirements from 1-5, giving each a quantitative value.
The result of the product planning phase is the House of Quality. The House of Quality provides a comprehensive overview of customer requirements, the product features to meet those needs, and competitor research.
In the first column, write down each customer requirement and the rating given for that requirement. Next, calculate the percent of customer importance rating by dividing the rating for a requirement by the total number of ratings.
This helps quickly identify the highest priority needs in the market.
Next, list the design requirements to develop the product and weigh them with the customer requirements. This step provides a high-level overview of which design requirements are most important to fulfill each need.
Afterward, determine the correlation between each design requirement. If some design elements are inverted, such as the cost of production and horsepower, this section will help teams decide where resources are best invested.
Finally, add competitor research to see which needs competitors are currently fulfilling. This allows your team to choose how the product will either outshine the competition or fulfill needs that aren’t being met by other products.
Product Strategy and Development
During product strategy and development, the team takes the highest priority product specifications from the House of Quality and starts defining what is required to successfully implement them.
This is when technical characteristics are defined and placed into categories. The idea is to give enough leeway to designers to adapt and evolve the product while making sure customer requirements are met.
Process Planning
During the process planning phase, the company needs to decide the most efficient and effective processes to design and manufacture the product, taking into consideration information from the House of Quality and technical considerations from the product development team.
Process Quality Control
The process quality control phase is necessary to ensure the product stays on track to deliver the benefits outlined in the House of Quality.
This may include regular inspections and quality control tests throughout the design and manufacturing process.
As long as quality control stays high during the design and manufacturing process, the team should produce a high-quality product that is ready to fulfill the market’s most pressing needs.
A Better Bottom Line
Implementing quality function deployment requires commitment and consistency from team members. However, it is also one of the most effective and comprehensive methods to produce quality products with high demand in the marketplace.
By front-loading the customer research and actively assessing quality throughout the design and manufacturing process, companies can save time and money down the line.
Customers end up with better products, and companies end up with an improved bottom line.
