Quality function deployment or "QFD" is a flexible technique used in brand marketing and product management to help a company decide what product(s) to add to its product portfolio and what characteristics to include in a new product. It matches customer requirements with product or service engineering characteristics, and in so doing, crafts a product design and/or concept from customer expectations. It has been applied in a wide variety of industries from services to consumer products, all the way to military/high tech products. QFD is considered a key practice of Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) and a method which is implicated in the new ISO 9000:2000 standard which focuses more highly on customer satisfaction. This article is about the concept in marketing. ... Product Management is one of the four areas of marketing. ... In marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a market that might satisfy a want or need. ... Finance Main article portfolio (finance) In finance, a portfolio is a collection of investments held by an institution or a private individual. ... Licensure and Qualifications for the Practice of Engineering The Engineers Ring The origin of then Engineers Ring Engineering Disasters and Learning from Failure American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) ASEE engineering profile (2003) PDF EngineersEdge GlobalSpec Categories: Architecture and engineering occupations | Engineering ... Design for six sigma (DFSS) is a process used in the development of new products or services to ensure that they can be manufactured, or can operate, at Six Sigma levels. ...

Acquiring market needs by listening to the Voice of Customer and prioritizing them are the early tasks in QFD. Traditionally, going to the GEMBA (the "real place" where value is created for the customer) is where these customer needs are evidenced and compiled. Past concerns over QFD "taking too long" have been addressed as QFD has evolved. Today's approach, using new automated tools have streamlined the process. Tools include online survey software which is first used to gather qualitative customer feedback and then quantitatively, to prioritize the needs for QFD much faster than in the past. These tools supplement and support older, more traditional methods. Subsequently, those needs may be "flowed" into QFD Charts, and studied through a myriad of supporting templates or "deployments" (e.g. concept selection, cost analysis, manufacturing and process control design).

This helps standardize the method and make the practice easier, faster and more accurate.

QFD concepts of deploying the high impact controllable factors have even been applied in Strategic planning and Strategic management (also known as Hoshin Planning or Policy Deployment). Strategic planning is a way to identify and move toward desired future states. ... Strategic management is the process of specifying an organizations objectives, developing policies and plans to achieve these objectives, and allocating resources so as to implement the plans. ...

It was originally developed by Yoji Akao in 1966.

See also

• product management
• product portfolio
• New Product Development

Product Management is one of the four areas of marketing. ... Finance Main article portfolio (finance) In finance, a portfolio is a collection of investments held by an institution or a private individual. ... New Product Development is a business and engineering term which describes the complete process of bringing a new product to market. ...

References

• Sullivan, L. (1986) Quality Function Deployment, Quality Progress, June 1986, pp 39-50.