What is quality function deployment?

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Satisfying and retaining customers, as well as optimizing production and service provision, are important goals for any company focused on maintaining its survival in the market. To achieve these goals, there are some tools available, such as the deployment of the quality function.

Especially with the arrival of the pandemic, business management was able to realize that the companies that perform best, even in crisis scenarios , are those capable of responding quickly and intelligently, understanding customer behavior and their needs, without losing focus on continuous improvement.

In this context, quality and process management is essential to sustain the search for differentials, innovations and opportunities to add value to the business.

If consumer experience is increasingly important, having information that allows for preventive and corrective improvements in this regard makes all the difference. The deployment of the quality function generates knowledge to plan and act in this perspective.

In this article, we explain what this technique is, its benefits and its importance. Enjoy reading!

QFD (Quality Function Deployment) is a method capable of gathering useful information about which consumer needs, priorities and perspectives can be translated and bahamas mobile database materialized in the development of processes, products and services.

Basically, the breakdown of the quality function refers to four matrices in which the product and its requirements are planned; it is also known as the “house of quality”.

With the help of surveys, complaints and customer service , data is collected which, after being processed by the project team, becomes real features integrated into the product or service.

The QFD method was created in the 1970s by Japanese engineer Yoji Akao, at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries group. This methodology was applied at Toyota, forming part of the company's high- performance results , whose products combined high quality and wide acceptance in the global market.
In 1983, the famous method that guided Toyota's quality process was further explained by Akao at a conference for hundreds of businesspeople. Later, the tool began to be applied at Xerox, Ford and other Western companies, resulting in an increase in sales and customer satisfaction .

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How is the method represented today?
Since its launch, the methodology created by Akao has been redesigned a few times to adapt to different contexts.

Some of these adaptations are:

Four Emphasis QFD – Akao and Mizuno from JUSE (Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers)
Four Phase QFD – Macabe, Don Clausing and the American Supplier Institute (USA);
QFD – Extended – Don Clausing

Original QFD matrix. Source: www.infoescola.com
In today's world, increasingly guided by agile culture, lean methodology and digitalization, Akao's original model has been updated to meet more project and business needs.

In 2016, ISO 16355, the first ISO standard for QFD, was approved. This standard aims to guide product and process developers who use QFD, including Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma , and Design for Six Sigma professionals.