| The understanding of the voice of the customer - | | | | needs, measurable characteristics of the needs, |
| internal as well as external - is key to implementing | | | | relationship in between the needs and the characters |
| business strategies for a Six Sigma company. VOC | | | | measured in high, medium or low, comparison with |
| data is useful to ensure that the data collated is real | | | | competitors, competitive benchmarking and preliminary |
| and factual and relevant to the goals of the business. | | | | targets meeting the customer's requirements. |
| A useful and structured tool that helps to understand | | | | Once these elements are identified, a relationship to |
| the requirements of the customers and translate them | | | | the measurable customer's needs and their strengths |
| into business deliverables is the Quality Function | | | | are determined. Finally, the analysis to establish the |
| Deployment (QFD) tool. | | | | improvements is done. |
| The QFD tool focuses on the positive qualities that | | | | Second House Of Quality - Company's House |
| lead to customer delight. It finds objects that may | | | | The second house is the company's house. The goal |
| delight the customer and improves upon them. QFD is | | | | of this house is to decide on the actions that are to be |
| useful when the business is aware of the customer's | | | | taken to satisfy customer needs. This house is |
| requirements, but is unable to have internal | | | | generally constructed in the measure and analyze |
| measurements comparative to the requirements. | | | | phase. |
| It is useful when a large investment is needed for a | | | | Third House of Quality - Process House |
| new product. When there is no agreement on | | | | This house is the house of the process and |
| delivering customer requirements and there is stiff | | | | constructed in the analyze phase. An analysis is done |
| competition in the market segment, QFD can be of | | | | to find which processes should be implemented to |
| great assistance. | | | | meet the customer's requirements. |
| How Does QFD Work? | | | | A new process may even be developed if the need is |
| The basic idea of QFD is to create a link between the | | | | felt. |
| attributes that the customers voice and design them | | | | Fourth House of Quality - Process Control House |
| based on parameters from which the specific | | | | This is the house of process control and constructed in |
| contributing actions and responsibilities of functions can | | | | the control phase. Its aim is to find the control variables |
| be identified. The structure is organized and is often | | | | used to satisfy customer needs. |
| termed as the House of Quality. It is useful when there | | | | It may not be necessary to construct all four houses |
| is involvement of cross-functional teams. | | | | of QFD. It should be used to meet customer |
| The structure of House of Quality is built in four steps: | | | | requirements from the development stage to the |
| First house of quality - Customer's House | | | | delivery stage and it should agree on the |
| The first house is the customer's house. In this house, | | | | measurement systems and performance |
| the goal is to transform the voice of the customer into | | | | specifications to improve the company's strategic |
| simple, clear language. Companies have to understand | | | | competitiveness. |
| the metrics on which the customer decides whether | | | | By including the steps to improve on both spoken and |
| their requirements are met, and then develop its | | | | unspoken requirements, it helps gain a competitive |
| internal metrics that determine customer requirements. | | | | advantage. |
| The key elements of the first house are customers' | | | | |