Quality function deployment (QFD) is a method used to translate customer needs and requirements into engineering specifications. It was developed in Japan in the 1960s and introduced to U.S. automakers in the 1980s. QFD is a four-phase process involving product planning, development, process planning, and production. The first phase is building a House of Quality matrix to prioritize customer requirements and technical characteristics. QFD helps improve customer satisfaction, promotes teamwork, and provides documentation to support future improvements.

1. QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYEMENT

2. QFD
 Quality function deployment (QFD) is a method to help transform the
voice of the customer into engineering characteristics for a product.
▪ QFD was first developed in Japan byYoji Akao in the late 1960s while
working for Mitsubishi’s shipyard. It was later adopted by other
companies includingTOYOTA and its supply chain.
▪ In the early 1980s, QFD was introduced in the United States automotive
companies and a few electronics manufacturers.
▪ Also called: matrix product planning, decision matrices, customer-driven
engineering.

4. Voice of the customer
▪ Voice of the customer (VOC) is the component of customer experience
that focuses on customer needs, wants, expectations and preferences. In
most businesses, the quality of customer experience is a key
differentiating factor against competitors.

5. Phases of QFD
 QFD is a four-phase process that takes yourVoice of the Customer
and translates that to customer requirements, then to specific part or
component requirements, then to specific process requirements, and
finally to quality control requirements.
 The comprehensive process of QFD is divided into 4 major phases:
Product Planning, Product Development, Process Planning, and
Production Planning.

7.  Product Planning Matrix:
The first phase starts with your collection of theVOC and
translates your customer wants and needs into specific product and
service requirements and specification.This first House is referred to as
the House of Quality and is the foundation of yourQFD process.
 Part Deployment Matrix:
During this phase, the assemblies, systems, sub-systems,
and components that have the most impact on meeting your product and
service design requirements are identified.
The critical product and service characteristics cascade
down and are translated into critical parts and assembly characteristics or
specifications as well as steps of a service process

8.  Process Planning Matrix:
During this phase, the manufacturing and assembly processes
are designed based on your product and component specifications.
 Process and Quality Control Matrix:
Before a full product launch, you may want to run a pilot.
Now that you have identified the product and process characteristics,
you’ll want to be sure you have developed and implemented adequate
process and product quality controls.
These can be confirmed during your pilot. Full production
should not begin until the process is shown to be in control

9. House of Quality
▪ House of Quality is the first phase of takingVOC and translating it to
customer requirements and is the foundation of QFD process.

10. Example

11. Steps for Building a House of Quality
▪ Step 1: Customer Requirements – “Voice of the Customer”The first step in a
HOQ is to determine the market segments and identify prospective customers.
The team collects customer requirements and rates them on a scale of 1 to 5,
with 5 being the most important and 1 being the least.Then they calculate the
relative importance.
▪ Step 2:Technical measuresProduct requirements or technical characteristics
are aligned with the voice of the customer.This step can be quite difficult as it
involves people working in groups to skim out the variables that may affect the
customer requirement factors the most. Parameters should be meaningful,
measurable, and global.

12. Step 3: Roof / Correlation MatrixThe triangular “roof” matrix of the House of
Quality is to identify how the design requirements interact with each other
Step 4: Relationship MatrixDevelop a correlation between customer requirements
(or the voice of customer) and the design characteristics or technical
requirements.

13. Step 5 :Prioritizing Customer Requirements.The Importance Rating is the result of
calculating the total sum of each column when multiplied by the customer
importance factor. It helps to determine where to assign the most resources.Then,
calculate the percentage of importance.
Step 6:Competitive Evaluation helps to understand competitor products that fulfill
customer requirements. It is a good idea to ask customers how the product or service
rates are in relation to the competition.

14. Complete QFD Process

15. Area of Application
 QFD is applied in a wide variety of applications viz product design,[7]
manufacturing, production, engineering, research and development (R&D),
information technology (IT), support, testing, regulatory, and other phases in
hardware, software, service,[8] and system organizations.
 QFD is also deployed in quality improvement, quality management, military
needs and consumer products.
 Customer services Applications for Education improvement and services in
hotels etc.

16. Benefits
 Improves Customer Satisfaction.
 PromotesTeamwork.
 Provides Documentation of database for future design or process
improvements is created.
 Shorter development period and low cost.
 Helps to avoid focusing on non value added and thus reduce cost and
time.

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