Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Explained

QFD, the acronym for Quality Function Deployment, is turning ‘qualitative user demands’ into quantitative ones. In Japanese, deployment means to evolve. It has historically been part of Total Quality Management, grounded in industrial product development. Today, QFD is characteristically implemented to ensure customer satisfaction across software engineering, construction, manufacturing, shipping, healthcare, and more. 

Customer-oriented businesses that develop products or improve on them take customer feedback. Using information via Voice of the Customer (VoC), the requirements are then translated into engineering/technical language. This is formally called Quality Function Deployment. 

What is Quality Function Deployment?

Quality Function Deployment is a planning technique that translates customer requirements into actions to be followed by engineering, product development, and operations teams. It involves thoroughly understanding customer pain points or expectations, which are first defined as technical requirements and then assigned to relevant cross-functional teams. 

The primary purpose of QFD is to incorporate customer requirements into every relevant product development process to satisfy them. 

History of QFD

Dr Yoji Akao introduced QFD in Japan in 1966 as a means to identify the control points during the quality assurance stage of TQM. A year later, quality expert Katsuyoshi Ishihara used it in value engineering while doing functional analysis. 

It was formally introduced at the Kobe Shipyard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 1972. By 1977, Toyota Motor Corporation implemented it when customers complained about rust. Toyota engineers deployed rust prevention techniques, and the company saw a 61% cost reduction by 1982. 

Product, Process, and Organisational Aspects of QFD

According to Norman E. Morrell, there are two aspects of QFD. 

1. Product Quality Deployment

This aspect involves converting customer requirements into quality characteristics or features. It's the process of translating what the customer wants into specific features or attributes that the product must possess. That’s how the final product meets customer expectations and needs.

Product quality deployment typically starts with gathering information about customer preferences, needs, and desires. This is the first step when performing Quality Function Deployment. 

This could involve surveys, interviews, market research, or other methods of collecting customer feedback.

Once the customer requirements are identified, they are translated into specific quality characteristics or features that the product should possess. These features could relate to performance, durability, aesthetics, usability, or any other aspect of the product that is important to the customer.

Product quality deployment establishes the foundation for product design and development, guiding the creation of specifications and design requirements that will drive the subsequent stages of product realisation.

2. Deployment of Quality Function

This part focuses on ensuring the required quality is achieved in the product or process. It involves assigning specific responsibilities to departments or functions within the organisational structure to ensure that quality requirements are met throughout the process.

First, the quality characteristics or features have to be established. Then, tasks and responsibilities are assigned to various departments or teams within the organisation.

Depending on the nature of the product or process being developed, this could include roles such as engineering, manufacturing, quality assurance, etc.

This aspect of QFD aims to ensure that each department or function understands its role in achieving the desired quality standards. Coordination and collaboration must occur among different parts of the organisation to achieve those standards.

With these aspects, organisations can ensure that quality considerations are integrated into every product development and production stage. 

Overall, that leads to improved customer satisfaction and reduced quality issues.

Quality Function Deployment Process: 4 Phases

The QFD process is a structured method for translating customer requirements into technical specifications for products or services. 

Product Planning

The first phase focuses on defining and prioritising customer needs, doing competitive analysis, and finding market opportunities. 

The point is to plan a product to respond to those needs and establish critical performance targets and metrics. 

Tools including House of Quality Matrix helps. It provides a structured way to capture and document the Voice of the Customer by listing all the customer requirements or demands for the product or service. 

The main body of the matrix translates the customer requirements into measurable technical characteristics or specifications for the product. 

The roof of the matrix analyses the relationships and potential tradeoffs between the various technical characteristics. 

See an example screenshot below. 

 

Source: The Harnischfeger Institute

Assembly/Part Deployment

This phase involves identifying critical parts or assemblies. Here one has to define critical product characteristics, and translating them into specific component characteristics and targets. 

Process Planning

The third phase, Process Planning, determines the critical process flow, identifies process control characteristics, and establishes critical process parameters.

Process/Quality Control 

Finally, this phase determines the critical quality characteristics, establishes inspection and quality control processes, and sets targets and parameters to ensure those characteristics are met. 

This systematic approach aims to ensure the final product or service meets or exceeds customer expectations while optimising production processes throughout the development cycle.

Benefits of Quality Function Deployment

There are several advantages of quality function deployment (QFD). 

Customer Focus 

It puts the customer at the centre of the product or service development process. By systematically capturing and prioritising customer requirements, QFD ensures that the final offering meets or exceeds customer expectations, leading to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Cross-functional Collaboration

QFD promotes cross-functional collaboration and communication among different departments and teams involved in the development process. 

This interdisciplinary teamwork fosters a shared understanding of customer needs and helps align efforts across the organization.

Quality Improvement 

By translating customer requirements into specific technical characteristics and optimizing processes, QFD helps organiaations design and deliver products or services that consistently meet quality standards, reducing defects and rework.

Competitive Advantage 

QFD's emphasis on understanding and exceeding customer needs can differentiate an organisation's offerings from competitors, providing a competitive edge in the market.