Quality Function Deployment (QFD) training

Background of the QFD tool

The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) process is a structured approach to defining customer requirements and needs, and then translating them into specific plans and specifications to produce products to meet the customer needs. The customer requirements and needs are sometimes referred to as the "voice of the customer". This is the term used to describe the stated and unstated customer requirements and needs.

The QFD tool

The QFD process is oriented toward involving a team of qualified and experienced individuals representing the various functional departments of a company that are involved in product development. This should include and not be limited to:

• Marketing
• Project Management
• Design Engineering
• Quality Assurance
• Manufacturing
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Test Engineering
• Finance
• Product Support

The QFD tools works by analysing the stated customer needs against the product concept in a matrix known as the "House of Quality". It is in this matrix that the associations are made between the stated customer needs and the product's ability to fulfill those needs. In this way the product specification can be adapted and modified to best meet the needs of the customer.

The House of Quality comprises rooms or steps to the QFD process. These are:

Step 1 - The Customer Requirements Room Step 2 - The Customer Importance Ratings Room Step 3 - The Customer Competitive Assessment Room Step 4 - The Functional Requirements Room - "Voice of the Engineer" Step 5 - The Direction of Improvement Room Step 6 - The Relationships Matrix Room Step 7 - The Organisational Difficulty Room Step 8 - The Technical Competitive Assessment Room Step 9 - The Target Values for Technical Descriptors Room Step 10 - The Correlation Matrix Room Step 11 - The Absolute Importance and Relative Importance Rooms

Applications of the QFD tool

The QFD tool can be used where any goods, services or processes are being developed and is used extensively in the Automotive environment. Essentially the QFD process should be applied in the development of any products where, meeting the needs of the customer very well, is important. This could be in new product concepts or if the market is very competitive and a product advantage is needed.

The QFD training course

This on-line QFD training course starts with an overview of the QFD tool and the QFD process. The training course then guides the trainee through a step by step process of how to conduct the QFD process throughout the product development cycle. Worked examples are given of an QFD applied to product development. This training course is given in English and is designed to impart the capability to conduct the QFD process. This QFD training course comes complete with a free download of an QFD template and the necessary charts. No prior knowledge is required or assumed and no special tools are needed.

This on-line QFD training workshop is for anyone undertaking product development activities where meeting the customer needs is important. A QFD excel template is provided.

Taking the QFD training course

Access to this great on-line QFD training course is time limited and not usage limited. Once payment has been received we will issue a user name and a keycode that gives unlimited user access to the training course. This user name and keycode can be used as many times as needed and by as many individuals as needed.

(Immediate payment is required for on-line purchases)