How to Use Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to Drive Customer Focus in NPD

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a rigorous technique that allows the whole of the NPD process to be driven by the customer requirements. By using matrices to understand which design features affect which customer requirements, and to what degree, QFD can help you assess where to put development effort for maximum customer benefit.

Questions

• What is QFD?
• How does QFD work?
• What are the benefits of using QFD?
• How can I implement QFD in my organization?

Answers

• QFD is a rigorous technique that allows the whole of the NPD process to be driven by the customer requirements.
• QFD works by using matrices to understand which design features affect which customer requirements, and to what degree.
• The benefits of using QFD include:
  • Increased customer focus
  • Improved product quality
  • Reduced development time and costs
• To implement QFD in your organization, you will need to:
  • Identify your customer requirements
  • Develop design features that meet those requirements
  • Measure the impact of those design features on customer satisfaction