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Quality.Function.Deployment.(QFD)
Quality function deployment (QFD) (Akao, 1997) is a method proposed in the 1960s
by Yoji Akao in Japan. It was first conceived as a method for the development of
new products under the framework of total quality control. QFD aims at assuring
design quality while the product is still in its design stage. The central instrument
of the methodology is a matrix called ???House of Quality.??? This matrix is composed
of information blocks, and it is filled out in a sequence of steps: first, interviews
are used to model customer needs. Here, requirements are expressed in a vague
or ambiguous way, and must be refined. Then, technical solutions for solving user
needs are proposed. The process iterates until it finds all the solutions. With the
results obtained in the previous steps, the matrix of interrelationships is completed.
After identifying the relationships between technical factors, the roof of the House
of Quality is completed and possible conflicts between technical solutions are detected.
Two tables are completed: customer??™s valuations and the valuations of the
technical solutions. The last two steps involve prioritizing user requirements and
prioritizing technical requirements.
Data.
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