Quality Function Deployment – Pros & Cons

Through a study (a MBA thesis about QFD Implementation at a famous FMCG company, Binh Duong province, VN), some pros and cons of QFD have been identified as below:

PROs:

· Improve product quality by focusing on satisfying customers’ requirements throughout the product development process.

· Improve the communication channels between customers, marketing, research & development, quality and production departments which support better decision making process of each function.

· Reduce new product development project time and cost

· Be able to predict and have quicker reacts to market changes, evolutions.

CONs:

· The relationship matrix (mainly HOQ) will be too complicated with many process inputs and/or many customer requirements.

· It is very difficult and costly to implement with a large relationship matrix.

· The quantitative method for relationships assessment is not clear and not in a systematic way, mainly bases on objective quantitative assessments of the QFD team.

 

Quality Function Deployment – A survey at HCMC and its neighbors

A survey had been conducted in the year 2007 that aims to collect information about understanding of the tool and its implementation round the HCM city with many companies, in different industries. Some comments from the survey are summarized as below:

• There is no relationship between customer satisfaction and advanced technology. It means that owning advanced technologies may or may not lead to customer satisfaction
• There are some product / service development activities. Some methodologies are being applied for these activities but quite limited.
• Some companies know QFD but less of them master the tool in theory and application

Besides, discussions with two experts in this area, Dr. Prof. Bùi Nguyên Hùng and Dr. Đoàn Hùng Dũng contributed to the reseacher’s understandings about implementation of QFD in HCMC and nearby provinces which will be combined with information from the survey for the conclusion below.

With all above information, the researcher found that less company and its product development core teams know about the tool / process. Moreover, even less than that are using QFD tool / process for their product development. Thus, study on QFD and apply it on own product development activities will help most of company in HCMC and nearby provinces improve their competitive advantages.

Currently, in Vietnam, fewer firms can provide ful QFD trainings. In universities, QFD concept is just introduced in a short period of time (1-2 hours), included in the introduction of the TQM. Some popular quality and productivity training centers such as STAMEQ, Quatest 3, VPC, etc have regular trainings on this topic but we can see the limit of information and training on this is nearly no reference book or text book (in Vietnamese) specialized in this.

Besides, actual application of QFD in HCMC or even in Vietnam is very few. Just few cases in HCMC have been recorded throuth QFD theses (ATVN, Thai Tuan Textile) and successful cases such as Number One (THP Group). For its application in other industries, construction industry is an example with the report of Ministry Of Construction (Construction News – 9/2006).

 

Quality Function Deployment – The Process

The QFD process is an orderly sequence of activities for evaluating customer requirements and developing a product. QFD uses a series of matrixes to organize, analyze, and compare information about a product. QFD integrates these matrixes and charts into a system (a matrix of matrixes) to realize customer requirements, functions, quality requirements, parts definitions, breakthrough methods and manufacturing requirements.

Paradigm shift - QFD vs. traditional US business methodologies

The number of matrixes in a QFD study can range from four to thirty, although the quality matrix or “House of Quality” is often the only one used. Most manufacturers break the process into four phases.

The QFD phases are a guide through the product development cycle from design to production. At each stage, the items which are most important, require new technology, or are of high risk to the organization are carried to the next phase.

Four phases can be described as:

1) Design. The customer helps define product or service requirements. A QFD matrix is used to translate customer requirements into design requirements. Design requirements are ways in which the design team is able to satisfy the customer requirements. After evaluation, the most important design requirements are carried into the next phase.

The design phase, on the product design and development viewpoint can be divided into four substeps (ReVelle and others, 1998):

a) Identify the market

b) Select a product concept

c) Design product

d) Design manufacturing (which is general description of below phases)

2) Details. The details and process requirements to produce the product or service are determined. Details most critical to fulfilling product requirements specified by the customer are carried into the third phase.

3) Process. The processes needed to produce the parts and components are developed. The processes most critical to fulfilling customer product requirements are carried into the fourth and final phase.

4) Production. Production requirements for producing the product are developed. The production methods will enable the company to produce a high-quality product that meets customer’s requirements.