On the use of quality function deployment (QFD) for the identification of risks associated to warranty programs

Stating the increasing interest in warranty management issues, due to growing customer expectations both on product and service, the paper deals with the identification of risks associated to warranty programs. The use of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) methodology is suggested as it allows to deeply analyze customer needs. By prioritizing warranty activities according to a customer perspective, the QFD analysis identifies the most risky aspects which, once identified, need to be deeply analyzed by qualitative and/or quantitative risk analysis. Applicability of the method is tested through a case study on an agricultural and gardening equipment.