Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a structured method to ensure customer expectations are best satisfied by optimizing designs, materials, and processes based on customer feedback. QFD utilizes matrices to determine customer requirements, design requirements to meet those needs, and how well different options address the requirements to optimize decisions for new products, services, or designs. QFD has benefits like shortest cycle times, best quality, and highest customer satisfaction when implemented effectively through a cross-functional team approach.

1. Edward C. Lai
& Associates
Introduction to
Quality Function Deployment
(QFD)
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 1

2. Edward C. Lai
What is QFD? & Associates
Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a
structured method for listening to the
customers and optimizing designs, materials
and processes to ensure the customers’
expectations are best satisfied. Optimal
Thinking® is the core of all activities.
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 2

3. Edward C. Lai
QFD Benefits & Associates
• Shortest Cycle Time
• Best Quality
• Lowest Cost
• Best Customer Satisfaction
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 3

4. Edward C. Lai
QFD - History & Associates
• 1966 - Yogi Akao proposes concept
• 1969 - First magazine article
• 1972 - Concept of deployment is developed
• 1972 - KOBE Shipyard using Quality Tables
• 1977 - Toyota uses QFD in their design process
• 1984 - Dr. Clausing ( Xerox to Ford ) begins advocating QFD
• 1987 - Bob King’s book “Better Designs in Half the Time”
• 1988 - Clausing & Hauser QFD article published in Harvard
Business Review
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 4

5. Edward C. Lai
QFD Matrix Basics & Associates
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 5

6. Edward C. Lai
QFD Matrix Basics & Associates
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 6

7. Edward C. Lai
Sample Applications & Associates
• Design of new or existing products
• Design of new or existing services
• Development of design requirements
• Selection of decision alternatives
• Selection of points of manufacturing
• Selection of points of service
• Selection of key suppliers
• Trade studies
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 7

8. Edward C. Lai
& Associates
Product or Service Design
QFD Application
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 8

9. Product or Service Design Edward C. Lai
& Associates
House of Quality
INTERACTION
MATRIX
DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
IMPORTANCE RATING
TARGET VALUES
REQUIREMENTS
CUSTOMER
RELATIONSHIP
MATRIX
TARGET VALUES
WEIGHTED SCORES
& KEY REQUIREMENTS
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 9

10. Edward C. Lai
Waterfall Deployment & Associates
REQUIREMENTS MATRIX
Design Requirements
DESIGN MATRIX
Engineering Design PRODUCT
CHARACTERISTICS
Customer MATRIX
Requirements Product
Characteristics
MANUFACTURING
& PURCHASING
Design MATRIX
Requirements Manufacturing /
Purchasing Operations PROCESS &
Engineering PRODUCT CONTROL
Design MATRIX
Production /
Quality Controls
Product
Characteristics
Manufacturing /
Purchasing Operations
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 10

11. Edward C. Lai
& Associates
Point of Manufacturing
QFD Application
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 11

12. Edward C. Lai
Product or Service Design QFD Process & Associates
7.
1. Identify customer requirements (WHATs) using affinity diagrams INTERACTION
MATRIX
2. Determine customer importance rating for each of the requirements
4.
DESIGN
3. Determine best value for each of the customer requirements REQUIREMENTS
4. Identify design requirements (HOWs) using affinity diagrams
1. 2. 6. 3.
5. Determine target value for each of the design requirements
TARGET VALUES
REQUIREMENTS
IMPORTANCE
6. Determine how design requirements satisfy each of the customer
CUSTOMER
RATING
requirements (9 = strong; 3 = medium; 1 = weak; RELATIONSHIP
MATRIX
blank = no relationship)
7. Determine correlation of design requirements to each other
8. Calculate weighted scores and determine optimal requirements
9. Perform sensitivity analysis of importance ratings and relationship 5.
scores TARGET VALUES
8.
WEIGHTED SCORES
& KEY
REQUIREMENTS
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 12

13. Point of Manufacturing Edward C. Lai
& Associates
House of Quality
INTERACTION
MATRIX
POINTS OF MANUFACTURING
ALTERNATIVES
IMPORTANCE RATING
DECISION CRITERIA
TARGET VALUES
RELATIONSHIP
MATRIX
WEIGHTED SCORES
RANKING OF ALTERNATIVES
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 13

14. Point of Manufacturing (POM) Edward C. Lai
& Associates
QFD Process
6.
1. Identify decision criteria (WHATs) using affinity diagrams INTERACTION
MATRIX
2. Determine importance rating for each of the decision criteria
4.
POINT OF MFG
3. Determine best value for each of the decision criteria ALTERNATIVES
4. Identify POM alternatives (HOWs) using affinity diagrams
1. 2. 5. 3.
5. Determine how POM alternatives satisfy each of the decision
DECISION CRITERIA
TARGET VALUES
criteria (9 = strong; 3 = medium; 1 = weak;
IMPORTANCE
RATING
blank = no relationship) RELATIONSHIP
MATRIX
6. Determine interaction of POM alternatives with each other
7. Calculate weighted scores for each of the POM alternatives
8. Calculate weighted scores and determine best POM alternative
9. Perform sensitivity analysis of importance ratings and relationship 7. WEIGHTED
scores SCORES
8. ALTERNATIVE
RANKING
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 14

15. Edward C. Lai
& Associates
Trade Study
QFD Application
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 15

16. Trade Study Edward C. Lai
& Associates
House of Quality
INTERACTION
MATRIX
SOLUTION
ALTERNATIVES
IMPORTANCE RATING
DECISION CRITERIA
TARGET VALUES
RELATIONSHIP
MATRIX
WEIGHTED SCORES
RANKING OF ALTERNATIVES
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 16

17. Edward C. Lai
Trade Study QFD Process & Associates
6.
1. Identify customer requirements (WHAT's) using affinity diagrams INTERACTION
MATRIX
2. Determine customer importance rating for each of the requirements
4.
(Balanced among performance, life cycle cost and supportability) SOLUTION
3. Determine best value for each of the requirements ALTERNATIVES
4. Identify solution alternatives (HOW's) using affinity diagrams 1. 2. 5. 3.
5. Determine how solution alternatives satisfy each of the
customer requirements based on technical data (9 = strong;
TARGET VALUES
REQUIREMENTS
IMPORTANCE
CUSTOMER
3 = medium; 1 = weak; blank = no relationship)
RATING
6. Determine correlations of solution alternatives to each other RELATIONSHIP
MATRIX
7. Calculate absolute and relative scores for each alternative
8. Analyze, rank and select best alternative
9. Perform sensitivity analysis of importance rating and
relationship scores
7.
WEIGHTED SCORES
8. KEY
ALTERNATIVES
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 17

18. Edward C. Lai
QFD Applications & Associates
“ As with any versatile tool, the applications
of QFD are limited only by one’s
imagination.
Lou Cohen - “Quality Function Deployment -
How to Make QFD Work for You”
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 18

19. Edward C. Lai
Summary & Associates
• Structured QFD approach is key to success in meeting
customer requirements
• Team membership must include all stakeholders
• Assures best understanding of customer requirements
or decision criteria
• Flexible, robust and proactive methodology helps in
making optimal balanced decisions
• Sensitivity analysis provides a means to explore
different scenarios
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 19

20. Edward C. Lai
& Associates
For more information on QFD, please contact :
Ed Lai
310-365-0629
elai001@aol.com
© 2009, Edward C. Lai and Associates. OPTIMAL THINKING® is a registered trademark of The World Academy of Personal Development Inc. All Rights Reserved. Page 20