Integrated multiphase sustainable product design with a hybrid quality function deployment – multi-attribute decision-making (QFD-MADM) framework

Abstract With quality function deployment (QFD) as its basis, the product design team is instrumental in promoting sustainability by incorporating relevant requirements in the early stages of the design process. The domain literature, however, contains significant gaps, especially for food products. First, the current literature fails to consider the requirements of all relevant stakeholders, which are crucial to sustainability. Second, while some offer various models of fuzzy QFD – multiple-attribute decision-making (QFD-MADM), they fail to comprehensively address the underlying interdependencies of decision parameters in the QFD. Furthermore, the majority of the works on QFD-MADM limit themselves to product planning while losing control over other subsequent phases of product development. Thus, this work attempts to advance these gaps by proposing an integrated multiphase fuzzy QFD-MADM framework that combines QFD, analytic hierarchy process (AHP), decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), and analytic network process (ANP) along with fuzzy set theory. A case study in a Philippine meat processing industry was implemented to demonstrate the proposed approach. The results of the case study show the crucial decision parameters for all phases, which would serve as inputs to design teams. Unlike previous models, the proposed framework preserves the transition of the priorities flow along with all four phases of product development. Thus, the stakeholder requirements are integrated into all product development stages, which is a strong indication that these requirements are addressed in each phase. Also, the proposed framework ensures that the uncertainty and the underlying complexities of interdependencies among decision parameters of the four phases of product design and development are addressed. The proposed framework contributes to sustainable product design literature in a manner that is comprehensive and analytical.