| QFD provides the essential link between customer | | | | devise innovative solutions or backup plans well in |
| requirements and the available technology required for | | | | advance. This not only helps businesses to satisfy |
| developing optimized products and services that best | | | | customer needs and expectations through optimized |
| suit customer needs and expectations. By using QFD, | | | | products or services, but also helps them to reduce |
| businesses can now easily make use of existing | | | | costs though increased production efficiency. |
| technology - or even use a completely new | | | | When To Use QFD |
| technology - for designing and developing products or | | | | QFD is most effective when it is implemented in the |
| services without worrying about the negative fallout | | | | early stages of the design phase. The early stages of |
| that is commonly associated with undertaking | | | | the design phase is the time when new features are |
| technology development and product development | | | | being incorporated based on customer requirements, |
| initiatives, both at the same time. | | | | making it necessary to implement QFD so as to |
| QFD has made it easier for businesses to make the | | | | resolve any critical issues before they transform into |
| benefits of newer technology available to their | | | | major problems and become a threat to the project |
| customers through improvements made in the existing | | | | itself. Implementing QFD after the design phase may |
| product or service. | | | | not help much, because by then it will be very difficult |
| Importance Of QFD | | | | and costly for the business to revert back to another |
| QFD is important because it offers multiple benefits | | | | product design if it has been found that the existing |
| such as better conceptualization and implementation, | | | | product design does not confirm to customer needs |
| increased production efficiency, and increased | | | | and expectations due to faults in the conceptualization |
| customer satisfaction. At the conceptualization stage, | | | | stage. |
| the main worry of product designers is whether the | | | | To derive maximum benefits from QFD, businesses |
| available technology can be successfully used or not | | | | should make it a point to undertake proper analysis of |
| for satisfying customer needs and expectations. It may | | | | all the related aspects and make the information |
| look good on paper, but problems may start to surface | | | | available to all employees associated with the project. |
| when actual production starts if proper analysis is not | | | | For ensuring the success of QFD initiatives, it is also |
| done at the conceptualization stage regarding the | | | | necessary for businesses to manage the operations |
| compatibility of the available technology with the | | | | through a multidisciplinary team, comprising of |
| suggested manufacturing processes. | | | | members from all functional departments within the |
| QFD helps because it effectively maps the complete | | | | organization. This is necessary because no matter |
| production cycle, indicating exactly when and where to | | | | how good a plan is, there will always be the need for |
| use the available technology to get the desired results. | | | | expert advice and suggestions for solving day-to-day |
| QFD also points out possible problems that may arise | | | | problems that are likely to occur during the course of |
| in the near future, which in turn helps managers to | | | | the project implementation. |