Benchmarking practices of quality function deployment: results from a field study

Purpose – This paper continues the analysis of the data collected in a survey of quality function deployment (QFD) carried out in Brazil, and deepens the study by carrying out interviews at some of the companies which participated in the survey to identify best practices on QFD application.Design/methodology/approach – To analyze the data collected in a survey of QFD and interviews, eight exemplary criteria based on the QFD literature were considered. The paper then presents and discusses best practices in QFD application.Findings – The results of analyzing the interviews showed that there were exemplary aspects in the use of the method and the key points in the QFD implementation that should be considered were related to: support from upper management, carrying out training, creating the team, frequency and length of meetings, and creating a conceptual model, among other aspects.Research limitations/implications – It is important to stress that the importance of some of these exemplary aspects varies wit...

[1]  K. Tan,et al.  Benchmarking in QFD for quality improvement , 2000 .

[2]  Jeffrey K. Liker,et al.  Customer-driven product development through quality function deployment in the u.s. and japan , 2000 .

[3]  Kosuke Ishii,et al.  Project quality function deployment , 2004 .

[4]  Hefin Rowlands,et al.  Methods and techniques to help quality function deployment (QFD) , 2000 .

[5]  Jd Hans van der Bij,et al.  Quality function deployment in healthcare. Methods for meeting customer requirements in redesign and renewal , 2002 .

[6]  Thomas Lager,et al.  The industrial usability of quality function deployment: a literature review and synthesis on a meta‐level , 2005 .

[7]  Jiju Antony,et al.  Integrating quality function deployment and benchmarking to achieve greater profitability , 2006 .

[8]  Cpm Cor Govers,et al.  What and how about quality function deployment (QFD) , 1996 .

[9]  David Stewardson,et al.  The introduction of QFD in a UK original equipment manufacturer , 2002 .

[10]  Keijiro Masui,et al.  Applying Quality Function Deployment to environmentally conscious design , 2003 .

[11]  Paul Barach,et al.  QFD in a managed care organization , 2005 .

[12]  Kwang-Jae Kim,et al.  Complexity reduction of a design problem in QFD using decomposition , 2000, J. Intell. Manuf..

[13]  Matthijs Dekker,et al.  Quality function deployment in the food industry: a review , 2000 .

[14]  Kwai-Sang Chin,et al.  A quality function deployment approach for improving technical library and information services: a case study , 2001 .

[15]  Otto Rentz,et al.  Using quality function deployment for technique selection for optimum environmental performance improvement , 2001 .

[16]  Yoji Akao,et al.  Quality Function Deployment : Integrating Customer Requirements into Product Design , 1990 .

[17]  John L. Sanford.  How Useful Is QFD , 2005 .

[18]  V. Selladurai,et al.  Fuzzy logic approach to prioritise engineering characteristics in quality function deployment (FL‐QFD) , 2004 .

[19]  Fiorenzo Franceschini,et al.  QFD: an interactive algorithm for the prioritization of product’s technical design characteristics , 2002 .

[20]  Mansour Rahimi,et al.  Integrating Design for Environment (DfE) Impact Matrix into Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Process , 2002 .

[21]  Elim Liu,et al.  A structural component-based approach for designing product family , 2005, Comput. Ind..

[22]  Carlo A. Mora-Monge,et al.  QFD strategy house: an innovative tool for linking marketing and manufacturing strategies , 2004 .

[23]  J. J. Mira,et al.  Análisis matricial de la voz del cliente: QFD aplicado a la gestión sanitaria , 2004 .

[24]  Hefin Rowlands,et al.  Quality function deployment: the unused tool , 2000 .

[25]  John D. Politis.  QFD, organisational creativity and productivity , 2005 .

[26]  Cor P.M. Govers,et al.  QFD not just a tool but a way of quality management , 2001 .

[27]  Athakorn Kengpol.  Quality Function Deployment (QFD) in Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Study of Obstacles in Implementing QFD in Thailand , 2004 .

[28]  A. Lowe,et al.  UK user's guide to quality function deployment , 2000 .

[29]  Semiha Kiziltas,et al.  Strategic use of quality function deployment (QFD) in the construction industry , 2005 .

[30]  Sevin Sozer,et al.  Product planning in quality function deployment using a combined analytic network process and goal programming approach , 2003 .

[31]  Yunus Kathawala,et al.  Implementing Quality Function Deployment , 1994 .

[32]  Chao-Ton Su,et al.  Using the QFD concept to resolve customer satisfaction strategy decisions , 2003 .

[33]  Cipriano Forza,et al.  Survey research in operations management: a process‐based perspective , 2002 .

[34]  Manbir S. Sodhi,et al.  A conceptual QFD planning model , 2001 .

[35]  Paulo Augusto Cauchick Miguel,et al.  The state‐of‐the‐art of the Brazilian QFD applications at the top 500 companies , 2003 .

[36]  X. F. Liu.  Software quality function deployment , 2001 .

[37]  Gioconda Quesada,et al.  Building an activity‐based costing hospital model using quality function deployment and benchmarking , 2005 .

[38]  Andrew Sai On Ko,et al.  Building balanced scorecard with SWOT analysis, and implementing “Sun Tzu’s The Art of Business Management Strategies” on QFD methodology , 2000 .

[39]  Shieu-Ming Chou,et al.  Evaluating the service quality of undergraduate nursing education in Taiwan--using quality function deployment. , 2004, Nurse education today.

[40]  E. Aspinwall,et al.  Quality function deployment: An empirical study in the UK , 2001 .

[41]  Liang-Hsuan Chen,et al.  A fuzzy model for exploiting quality function deployment , 2003 .

[42]  Mahmoud M. Yasin,et al.  The theory and practice of benchmarking: then and now , 2002 .

[43]  Jacques Marsot.  QFD: a methodological tool for integration of ergonomics at the design stage. , 2005, Applied ergonomics.

[44]  Duke Okes,et al.  Organize Your Quality Tool Belt , 2002 .

[45]  John D. Politis.  QFD: the role of various leadership styles , 2003 .

[46]  Abdul Rahman Bin Abdul Rahim,et al.  Application of quality function deployment (QFD) method for pultrusion machine design planning , 2003, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[47]  Mohamed Zairi,et al.  Best practice QFD application: an internal/external benchmarking approach based on Ford Motors' experience , 2005 .

[48]  Lin Chih Cheng,et al.  QFD in product development: methodological characteristics and a guide for intervention , 2003 .

[49]  Li Pheng Khoo,et al.  A QFD-enabled product conceptualisation approach via design knowledge hierarchy and RCE neural network , 2005, Knowl. Based Syst..