Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Tutorial

Tutorial

When to use this tool

After gathering, sorting, and fully developing the Voice of the Customer using other tools, the remaining task is to translate Voice Of The Customer data into internal specifications for products and processes. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a planning tool that was developed to perform this translation exercise. QFD provides a systematic design process and structure that enables an enterprise to go beyond identifying the needs and wants of its customers - and beyond CTQ Characteristics. Using QFD, cross-functional teams are able to build the "Voice of the Customer" into product and service design - effectively capturing customer requirements and translating those needs into product or service characteristics and specifications.

Quality Function Deployment does not need to be used on every Six Sigma project. After clarifying CTQ Characteristics, internal process and product specifications may be pre-established and readily available, or the Measure and Analyze phases of the DMAIC cycle may be sufficient to establish internal parameters. QFD is most useful for process/product design or re-design, and may also be employed in either the Improve or Control phases of the DMAIC cycle.

How to use this tool in EngineRoom

1. Select QFD from the Define (DMAIC) menu.
2. Enter customer requirements - WHAT the customer's need.
3. Enter technical product or process features - HOW the customer need's are met.
4. In the body of the QFD matrix, enter the degree of correlation between each WHAT and HOW pair.
5. In the roof of the QFD, enter the degree of correlation between the HOW's you have entered.
6. Enter the importance of each customer need in the Importance to Customer column.
7. The score for each HOW is shown at the bottom of the matrix, as well as the ordered ranking of each HOW.
8. At the far right of the matrix, you can enter up to 5 competitors and rate each competitor on how well they satisfy each of the customer needs.

An example of the First House of Quality is shown below: