What is Quality Function Deployment (QFD)?

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a product management tool that helps companies to understand the needs and wants of their customers and to translate those needs into product requirements. It is a structured process that involves cross-functional teams and uses a set of matrices to prioritize customer requirements and design features.

The Origins of QFD

QFD was developed in Japan in the late 1960s by Yoji Akao, a quality engineer at Mitsubishi Electric. Akao was looking for a way to improve the quality of the company's products by focusing on customer needs. He developed a process that involved translating customer requirements into technical specifications and then using those specifications to guide the design and development of new products.

The QFD Process

The QFD process involves several steps:

1. Identify customer needs and wants
2. Translate customer needs into technical requirements
3. Develop a product concept based on the technical requirements
4. Design the product based on the product concept
5. Test and validate the product

Throughout the process, cross-functional teams work together to ensure that customer needs are being met and that the product is being designed to meet those needs.

The QFD Matrix

The QFD matrix is a key tool in the QFD process. It is a grid that helps teams to prioritize customer requirements and design features. The matrix is divided into several sections:

• The customer requirements section, which lists the needs and wants of the customer
• The technical requirements section, which lists the technical specifications that are needed to meet the customer requirements
• The design features section, which lists the specific features that will be included in the product design
• The relationship matrix, which shows the relationship between customer requirements, technical requirements, and design features

By using the QFD matrix, teams can ensure that they are designing products that meet the needs and wants of their customers.

The Benefits of QFD

QFD has several benefits for product management:

• It helps companies to understand the needs and wants of their customers
• It ensures that customer requirements are being met throughout the product development process
• It helps to prioritize design features based on customer needs
• It encourages cross-functional collaboration and communication
• It can lead to improved product quality and customer satisfaction

Overall, QFD is a valuable tool for product management that can help companies to design products that meet the needs and wants of their customers.