2007: The 19th Symposium on QFD & 13th International Symposium on QFD  (ISBN 1-889477-19-2)

TUTORIAL:  Replacing Pugh Concept Selection with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) by Richard Z ultner, QFD Red Belt® and Six Sigma Master Black Belt, QFD Institute / Zultner & Company.  AHP contains two phases: prioritization of criteria, and prioritization of alternatives using those criteria (the "ratings method"). This second phase is less discussed in QFD circles, but can be used to enhance Stuart Pugh's matrices into an even more powerful approach to technology concept selection. This tutorial will introduce the basics of both AHP and Pugh Concept Selection, and present the four fundamental types of selection criteria (bigger is better, smaller is better, absolute judgment, and relative judgment), as well as hands-on practice with the cross-tabulation techniques used for enhanced "super Pugh" concept selection. An MS Excel template will be provided, so bring your laptop.

TUTORIAL: General Theory of Innovation to Design a Superior Corporate Strategy by Greg Yezersky, President, Institute of Professional Innovators.  Why is business success so random? Why can't more companies realize the power of strategy and come up with a successful one? Why can't former leaders employ a new strategy and repeat success more often? What is the connection between strategy and innovation? Is there a robust process to engineer powerful strategies on demand? How can we come up with the right strategies? If we can identify the formula for the science of innovation, we will be able to control the process and create better strategies on demand. The General Theory of Innovation (GTI) is just such a theory that can be used for gaining control over the process of innovation. GTI evolved from the Russian-born inventive problem-solving technique called TRIZ and since 1988 has gone through rigorous tests in real-world conditions with consistently successful results.

KEYNOTE: The Quality Revolution by Glenn Mazur, Executive Director, QFD Institute and International Council for QFD.  The 2007 Symposium in Williamsburg, Virginia serves a special reminder for what we can learn from history to build a better future. This year marks the 400th anniversary of nearby Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America which began as a business venture to improve the lives of its citizens through new trade routes, new sources of raw materials, and new opportunities for economic advancement. The descendents of these early settlers would grow wealthy in the next 150 years and begin demanding political and economic rights equal to those of their fellow citizens still in England. Now thirteen colonies spread over a continent and a Babel of different ethnicities, economies, and religions, they were able to come together in common cause to resist and eventually revolt against British control. This keynote discusses how technological advancements led to improved product quality and choice, and how this new found choice of goods inevitably led to a demand for freedom of choice in all aspects of life, the revolutionary path from industrial revolution to to consumer, lifestyle, and political revolutions. QFD is about the Voice of the Customer. Once unleashed, this voice continues to demand more and more from the marketplace and beyond. Those who supply goods, services, and ideas will see that when the customer wins, we all win.

KEYNOTE: QFD and Knowledge Management: QFD Application on the Development of a Finger Vein Authentication Device by Akao Yoji, Ph.D., Yamagata University, Japan.  Founder of QFD methodology, Dr. Yoji Akao will present a case study on the development of a new finger vein authentication device using the state-of-art near-infrared light transmission technology by Hitachi Omron Terminal Solutions, Ltd. QFD and Knowledge Management were applied to understand the customer needs of a medical application. And then, this knowledge was used to develop a brand new product for the financial and security industries, enabling the company to enter the new markets successfully. The presentation will show the entire flow of the QFD project, how knowledge management fits into the process, as well as new technology deployment. The product was released into the Japanese market just last year with great success.

KEYNOTE: The Analytic Hierarchy Process: How to Measure Intangibles in a Meaningful Way Side by Side with Tangibles by Thomas L. Saaty, Ph.D., 2007 Akao Prize Recipient, University of Pittsburgh, USA.  One of the best decision-making methods available today, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a mathematically rigorous and yet relatively easy to use multi-criteria prioritization method that has become an integral part of Modern QFD. Dr. Thomas Saaty, Ph.D., renowned architect of AHP, discusses in this keynote the fundamentals of AHP through colorful application examples ranging from estimating the cereal industry market share and dominance of various drinks in the U.S. to predicting the outcome of a world chess championship match (Karpov-Korchnoi match) and U.S. presidential elections (1980: Carter-Reagan; 1992 Perot-Bush-Clinton).

The Many Faces of AHP - How to use AHP with Different Audiences for Maximum Results by Carey Hepler, QFD Black Belt®, Innovation Director, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, USA

Keywords: Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP); healthcare insurance planning; insurance / financial product development; Modern QFD

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) is the oldest and most respected health insurance organization in the State of Florida. This paper will discuss thee company's use of Analytic Hierarchy Processing (AHP) in terms of audience and technology delivery, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each of the technologies when working with our constituent groups.

AEROSPACE

Development of Highly Reliable Valves for H-IIA Rocket  by K. Kojima, M. Matsuda, and K. Yoshikawa of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; H. Nanri, K. Okita, and M. Fukuoka of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; Yoji Akao, Ph.D., Asahi University, Japan.  

Keywords: QFD; reliability; valve design; aerospace rocket

H-IIA rocket is Japanese main launch vehicle to put about four tons payloads into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit at an altitude of some 36,000 kilometers. The rocket consists of many components including tanks, engines, valves and electric equipments. In these components the valves are very important flow-control equipment that controls rocket flight operation, including startup and shutdown of the engine, keeping the tank pressure at a desired level, feeding propellants to the engine, and controlling vehicle attitude in flight. Reliability of the valve is utmost critical to the space mission, launch schedule, and operational costs. This paper reports a joint project by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency where QFD methods were used to improve reliability of the H-IIA rocket valve design which led to the development of a new model. The presentation will show the QFD approaches, development process for this high reliability valve, and the project accomplishments.

BUSINESS PROCESS

QFD for Effective Business Design by Hideaki Haraga, Business Development Center, Konica Minolta Technology Center, Inc., Japan

Keywords:  business function; expectations; business function deployment; relational diagram; business management tool

This paper introduces an example of business function deployment in which expectations and business functions are extracted from the project targets and goals by using a relational diagram. An application method is proposed as a business management tool in which progress is recorded in a matrix of business functions and expectations.

Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) / Government Projects

Context Sensitive Solutions: The Application of QFD for Developing Public Transportation Projects in the U.S. by Theodore Hopwood II, P.E., Kentucky Transportation Center, University of Kentucky, USA; Glenn H. Mazur, QFD Red Belt®, The QFD Institute, USA.

Keywords: Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) and QFD; community Voice of the Customers (VoC); sustainable development; QFD for transportation and civil engineering projects; QFD for public projects; Modern QFD

For many years, the selection of transportation routes, design of roadway features, etc. were based mostly on engineering considerations. QFD has developed since the 1960s a powerful tool set for new product development that enables engineers to listen to the Voice of the Customer and translate the most important needs into design requirements and then assure their quality in the resulting goods and services. This paper will show how QFD tools can be adapted for Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) and Design in road building and other large projects.

EDUCATION

Application of QFD to Curriculum Planning of Vocational Education by Catherine Y. P. Chan, QFD Green Belt®; Gail Taylor; and W. C. Ip of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong

Keywords: QFD; vocational education; course development; curriculum design; Modern QFD techniques; AHP

Winner of 2007 Akao Scholarship for QFD. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for applying QFD to curriculum planning for vocational education. A study on the content planning of an in-house staff development program illustrates the application method, which can be  useful to vocational education institutions in Hong Kong and elsewhere.

Application of QFD in Engineering Education: Assurance of Learning Outcomes Fulfillment by Zbigniew Prusak, Ph. D., Central Connecticut State University, USA

Keywords: engineering education; learning outcomes; Bloom’s Taxonomy; engineering design

Principles of QFD used in assessment of engineering students’ activities during classroom and laboratory instruction. Twenty two types of student activities were analyzed for their contribution toward fulfillment of thirty learning outcomes. Each type of student activity was also assessed in terms of its level according to Bloom’s taxonomy in senior level courses in engineering design and manufacturing processes. Design projects, concept generation, individual formal presentations and forensic studies proved to be the most universal activities, developing a wide range of professional skills.

Design of a Methodology to Elaborate Curriculo CIM of the Industrial Engineer in Spain, Based on QFD by Isabel Melina Balderrama Durán, Institut Quimic de Sarria, Spain / Bolivia

Keywords: Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM); Delphi method; QFD; industrial engineering curriculum design

Developing a methodology that will allow construction of industrial engineering curriculum that teaches Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) technology requires the support of methods like QFD and other tools such as Delphi, Diagrams of Affinity, Analysis of Systematization of the hierarchy, etc. This research uses QFD and Delphi methods to design a CIM curriculum, translating industry requirements into design characteristics of an online course.

INNOVATION

Using QFD to Involve All Employees in the Corporate Innovation Process by Kathy Hines, QFD Black Belt®, Innovation Leader, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, USA

Keywords: QFD application; innovation process; employee Voice of the Customer (VoC), QFD for diversity; healthcare insurance industry; Modern QFD

With competition at an all time high, more and more companies are seeking ways to capture that next "big" idea, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) which currently has over 9,000 employees, each with an idea on how the company can increase membership, reduce costs, differentiate products and services from our competitors and expand our distribution channel. Random idea creations, however, can become a drag on resources and lead to disappointment among those whose ideas are not utilized. When the Voice of the Customer is used to drive idea creation and selection process, then the diversity of our internal resources can be fully harnessed.

KANO MODEL & QFD

QFD Kano Model for Designing College Women's Dormitory by Yoji Akao, Ph.D., Japan

Keywords: QFD and Kano Model; exciting quality; facility design

This paper reports using the Kano Model to find out how various functions and features of a dorm facility are being perceived differently by the student residents and their parents and how this finding can be used in the planning stage of a QFD project. Dr. Yoji Akao, Ph.D., founder of QFD, in presenting this research by his students, discusses how you can integrate QFD and the Kano Model to create customer delights in your product and service.
 

LIFECYCLE

Fusion of QFD and PLM by Tadao Nakamura, Dassault Systemes K.K., Japan

Keywords: Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

This paper introduces the fusion of QFD and PLM to aim the smooth and quick digital simulation in the concept stage of the product development. At first, PDM to manage the criteria and standard of various areas made by QFD, then, 3D-CAD simulates various matters with using the specified and quantitative information from PDM seamlessly.

Applying Quality Function Deployment to the Product Life Cycle of an Aluminum Wheel Project by Javaid M. Cheema, VP-QA, Molex Interconnect Inc. and Muhammad I. Hussain, Sr. Mfg. Engineer, General Motors, USA.

Keywords: VOC, Product Life Cycle (PLC), Kako Tora, Pyramid of Human Needs, Kano’s Model of Customer Satisfaction, Design Review Based on Failure Modes (DRBFM), TQM, BPR, Transactional Six Sigma (TSS), Balanced Scorecard, Customer Needs Prioritization Matrix, Kiken Yochi, Nemawashi

This study was based on an actual project for the design, development, production, and aftermarket service management of a cast aluminum wheel program for a Japanese OEM customer. Use of QFD as a product quality management is no more new to western companies but the unique fact about this project was the uniform application of QFD methodology to all stages of a product life cycle. This paper provides a step by step explanation of every stage of project with critical analyses of how QFD methodology can help in making sound decisions.

LOGISTICS

Requirements for Structuring of Logistic Demands in the Run-up to QFD by A. Crostack, Ph.D., Robert Refflinghaus, Ph.D., Nadine Schlueter, and Katharina Noll of University of Dortmund, Germany

Keywords: requirements; logistics; structure; QFD

In order to develop a customer-oriented logistic facility, the marketing research and developer have to work together. They must take into consideration such requirements as the whole life-cycle identified through market research, in order to achieve optimum in both facility and service. This paper reports a study, conducted by the University of Dortmund Chair of Quality, that aimed to develop a procedure for structuring, analyzing, and displaying unsystematic requirements into a QFD structure in the development of such logistic facility.

METHODS INTEGRATION

Design of the Product Development Process in Cooperation with QFD, TRIZ and Taguchi Method (II) by Hiroyuki Okamoto, RICOH Engineering Process Innovation Center, Japan; Yoshiharu Isaka, IDEA Inc., Japan; Yukio Miyamura, SANYO Electric Evolution PJ Management Gr., Japan; Masaaki Todoroki, Q-teck consulting Co., Ltd., Japan.

Keywords: integration of QFD, TRIZ, and Taguchi

This paper reports the second phase of a joint research which was first reported at 2006 International Symposium in Tokyo. This paper describes an integration flow illustrating the authors' concept for fusing QFD, TRIZ, and Taguchi method by the "function" of a product, a common thread identified among the three techniques, and a hypothetical case study using this technique.

A Framework of e7-QFD as the 3rd Generation QFD in Japan by Kazushi Nagai and Tadashi Ohfuji of Tamagawa University, Japan; Kei Inayoshi, Asahi University, Japan

Keywords: QFD; quality assurance; Taguchi method; TRIZ; Blue Ocean strategy; sustainable growth; QFD research

At the 11th and 12th International Symposium on QFD, the authors proposed a new framework called e7-QFD (evolution 7-QFD) which unites QFD with new quality control tools such as statistical method, strategy plan, and Taguchi method. Seven techniques had been independently treated in the proposed e7-QFD method so far. This paper will report this continuing research and explains the causal relationships of the techniques as well as systematization of e7-QFD.

QA-QFD — The making method in the Quality Table which can be Utilized by Masaaki Todoroki, Consultant, Q-tech Consulting, Co. Ltd., Japan

Keywords: QFD; QA; product development

In QFD, the Quality Table is an important tool. However, misuse and misconstruction of this table are not unusual, often due to inadequate understanding of the required quality and customers. This paper and presentation will explain how to correctly make the Japanese Quality Table and better utilize it in product development.

PROCESS INDUSTRY

Multiple Progression QFD: A Case Study of Cooking Product Functionality at Arla Foods by Thomas Lager, B&L Innovation AB (blinab), Sweden; Åsa Kjell, Project Manager Innovation, Arla Foods, Sweden.

Keywords: Quality Function Deployment (QFD); multiple progression QFD; process industry; Arla Foods; product development

This paper reports a project at Arla Foods, the largest dairy company in Europe. The objective was to advance knowledge of how the production process and ingredients could influence the cooking functionality of a certain dairy product and how to measure such product properties, so that this knowledge could be used in subsequent product developments/improvements. QFD methodology was used to guide and structure the information-gathering processes and to link individual sub-project information. A new lean QFD project management approach which the authors developed for process industry and tested will be discussed.

SOFTWARE / IT

An Application of 'System’s Near Decomposition' to Software Structure Analysis by 'T2T' Tool for QFD by A. Amemiya; T. Kuroda; M. Yoshikawa; Y. Watanabe, Ph.D.; H. Shindo, Ph.D. of University of Yamanashi, Japan; Y. Anang, Sync-Information System Co., Japan

Keywords: system's near decomposition; QFD tool; software structure analysis; QFD research

Using "Object-Oriented Design" concept, a software tool for QFD can be described as a table made of "function" and "component" viewpoints in the integrated software development environment "Delphi". Authors applied the processes of nearly decomposing a system to the QFD's Quality Table by using "QM3 (Quantification Method III)" in order to decrease the complexity. As the result, the structure of the software tool became more understandable and some design problems have been identified, leading to a re-design of the software tool structure and better design.

IT Service Deployment by Wolfram Pietsch, Ph.D., Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Germany

Keywords: Service Management; IT Service Level Agreement (SLA); Service QFD

 If IT is reduced to a fundamental technical commodity like a power supply, its business value will degrade ('IT doesn't matter'). In order to survive the outsourcing battle, full potential IT service must shift their focus to the business requirements and needs of their customers. This paper shows how a QFD framework can be utilized in the IT business in order to develop customer-focused products and services encompassing customer requirements, performance criteria, and functions to process improvements.

QFD-based Method to Choose a Suitable CAQ-system by Robert Refflinghaus, Ph.D., University of Dortmund, Germany

Keywords: Computer-aided Quality (CAQ) system; vendor selection

Choosing a suitable Computer Aided Quality (CAQ) system is an important decision for an enterprise. It requires high investments in costs, time and manpower, and therefore, a sound and rational decision process is very important. To support this, we have developed a QFD-based instrument for selecting a CAQ-system. The aim of this instrument is to reduce the choice of CAQ-suppliers from about 100 to three to five.

QFD in the Development of a WIKI: A QFD-WIKI by Georg Herzwurm, Ph.D. and Sixten Schockert of Universität Stuttgart, Germany.

Keywords: WIKI; QFD Application; QFD Knowledge Distribution; QFD Community Building

A wiki is a web based software which allows all visitors of a website to change its content by editing the site online in a web browser. With this key capability a wiki is an easy to use platform for collaborative working on hypertexts. This paper is about the development of a wiki on QFD and all its aspects as the content of the website. The so called QFD-Wiki is not only on QFD, it is also developed using QFD as the product planning method.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Route of the Quality Model: Translating the Voice of the Customer in Process Improvement by Edmundo Eutrópio Coelho de Souza, Telemar Norte Leste S/A, Brazil; Rosangela Maria Pereira Catunda, Pontificia Universidade Catolica, Brazil; Claudia Massena Barbara, Pontificia Universidade Catolica, Brazil

Keywords: Quality; Route of the Quality; Process Improvement; Voice of the Customer (VoC); Telecom Industry

This paper presents the Telemar Norte Leste – TNL Route of the Quality model, describing the methodology, step by step application process, and the main results achieved. The Route of the Quality is a QFD-based methodology developed to implement actions for improving customer-perceived quality. It is followed by surveys to measure the customer satisfaction and link the important indicators to the customer focus, strategic objectives of the company,  regulatory frameworks, and establishment of goals that portray the reality of the company.

The Improvement of Telecom Service Quality Based on QFD by Wei Xiong and Jun Xia, ZheJiang University School of Management, China

Keywords: customer satisfaction (CS); Quality Function Deployment (QFD); telecom service; quality improvement

This paper proposes application of QFD-based Telecom Service Quality Improvement Model (TSQIM) to Chinese telecommunication service. TSQIM analyzes service requirements of telecom customers and translates these requirements into telecom quality characteristics through use of HOQ (House of Quality); a series of HOQs can be used to design an optimization program for the network quality, to improve telecom service and increase customer satisfaction. The model has been applied to the PHS network business of Lishui Telecom Company.

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2006: The 18th Symposium on QFD (ISBN 1-889477-18-4)

Using a Spec Document, the Customer Voice Table, and a QFD Matrix to Generate a CTQ (Critical to Quality) List by Bruce White, Staff Statistician, QFD Black Belt®, Imation, USA

When all you have to work with is a large specification document and you need to identify what specs are truly important to the customer, the techniques outlined in this paper will help you. Imation, a leading memory device manufacturer, will report how they were able to identify from the specs a  Critical to Quality List (CTQ), the most important, measurable characteristics of the finished product that are strongly linked to customer requirements. The technique involves using the Modern QFD and a matrix to structure customer need statements, weigh and access the importance and relationships between the customer need statements and the specs. It can be very useful for any OEM supplier as well as internal customers. The paper discusses the Modern QFD tools used for this technique, the process, and how successful the outcomes were.

Finding Customer Delights Using QFD by Carey Hepler, QFD Black Belt®, Integrated Market Intelligence, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, USA; and Glenn Mazur, QFD Red Belt®, President, Japan Business Consultants / Executive Dir, QFD Institute, USA

Changes in market demographics and the regulatory environment are creating many new opportunities for health-care and related organizations. As the oldest and most respected health insurance organization in the State of Florida, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) strives to stay ahead of the competition by quickly responding to these changes with new and improved insurance and health maintenance products. Recently, we have begun to use QFD to discover the unspoken customer needs for an underserved portion of our population. QFD has allowed us to convert their needs into new products, services, and features to delight and attract new customers as well as retain current customers. This paper describes some of the new opportunities we are facing, and shows step by step how we are addressing them by understanding the Voice of the Customer and innovating and implementing exciting solutions.

Pair-wise House of Quality (HoQ) Matrices: Turning poor perception to customer satisfaction by Rituparna Maji, Six Sigma Black Belt, Sr. Quality Consultant, Wipro Technologies, INDIA

During a review of a project for database production support in a financial services company, the customer expressed unhappiness in terms of ‘processes being loose, not being hands-free’ and a host of others. Lacking clear direction from the customer, it became difficult for the team to arrive at any tangible actions. A pair of House of Quality (HoQ) matrices was innovatively used in this scenario to convert Hazy customer perception to Concrete pain areas to Focused improvements to Customer satisfaction. This application is an attempt at gap analysis by comparing a pair of HoQs, one representing the current level of performance of processes and the other reflecting its corresponding desired level as perceived by the customer. The paper reports the beauty of this method that it can be used to perform a gap assessment of "expected vs. actual' in any kind of an environment where the pain area spreads across multiple aspects of service delivery and/or there is a dearth/absence of data.

Challenges in Rapid Deployment of New Services in Healthcare by Michael Scutero, Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Quest Diagnostics Inc., USA; Sonja Draganic, Six Sigma Black Belt, Quest Diagnostics Inc., USA; and Angela Rylsky, Six Sigma Black Belt of Quest Diagnostics Inc., USA

Through careful application of QFD in the early phases of a DFSS activity, we show solutions to customer queuing problems.  The problem occurs in patient outreach, or service centers (PSC) that are responsible for patient blood draws and specimen collection.  Patient flow through PSC sites, when disrupted, often results in delays and dissatisfaction.  Patients are essentially  “pushed” through the sites.  The new and improved services generated include personnel redeployments, customer routing, customer flow regulators, supply chain efforts and improved transportation.  In addition, we uncover needs & solutions for implementation of these new services to over 40 geographically separated PSC sites in a relatively short time. This paper reports Project Management activity (PM), new product introduction (NPI), Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), QFD deliverables, QFD application, and case study success.

QFD-based Curriculum Planning for Vocational Education by Catherine Y. P. Chan, QFD Green Belt®, Institute of Textiles & Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.

Originally set up by the government in the “Golden Age” of manufacturing, the vocational education institutions in Hong Kong are struggling to adapt to the profound changes brought by today's global market. It will show how QFD enables a paradigm shift in vocational education to face a changing world and how Modern QFD tools and methods can be applied to college curriculum design. The paper reports the concept, system, tools and the mechanism of incorporating Modern QFD into curriculum planning, as well as a pilot study using Blitz QFD® to identify important industry-specific knowledge. A Customer Voice Table for identifying the job needs of the clothing industry, Affinity Diagram, Customer Needs Hierarchy table, and Maximum Value Table are also included.

An Analysis of Methods for Prioritizing Design Characteristics in Quality Function Deployment by Marcus J. McLeese, Maintenance Supervisor, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Alsip Operations, USA; and Bruce DeRuntz, Ph.D., Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA.

Practitioners of traditional QFD often choose between three popular methods for ranking design characteristics in the House of Quality: Simple Additive Weighting; Modified Simple Additive Weighting; and Technique of Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution. In this research, these three methods were simulated and statistically tested to identify whether a significant difference existed between the outcomes and the pros and cons associated with each. Practitioners of Traditional QFD will find this research helpful in knowing what options are available, which method works best, and what they should be aware of when using each method. It is also of historical interest to those who practice Modern QFD and Six Sigma in understanding the strength and weakness of the traditional QFD math models and how they are different from the methods taught today.

Controlling Innovation as a Basis for Continuous Success - An Executive Overview of Systemology by Greg Yezersky, USA

The Russian born Theory of Solving Inventive Problems (TRIZ) has provided a systematic roadmap for tapping into existing yet hidden solutions and solving physical contradictions to invent innovative engineering solutions. Now, this underlying principles of TRIZ have been evolved into a General Theory of Innovation (GTI) for non-manufacturing organizations and general business management. When we design a product or service, we must follow the laws of physical science. Similarly, if we expect business to be successful, we must follow the laws of system evolution. This practice, often done intuitively by business executives, can help businesses achieve continuous innovation if it is better articulated and strategically applied. This paper introduces the General Theory of Innovation (GTI), an evolutionary development of TRIZ for non-manufacturing organizations and general business management, and how to control the innovation process and outcomes by applying GTI to business processes, just as TRIZ has done to manufacturing and engineering problems.

Kano Model: The Latest Developments by Glenn Mazur, QFD Red Belt®, Executive Director, QFD Institute, Executive Director, International Council for QFD, USA; and Richard Zultner, QFD Red Belt®, Director, QFD Institute, USA

The Kano model is often cited by experts in quality, design, and marketing. And yet, it is one of the topics that are often misunderstood. What is the historical background of this concept? Are there methods that product developers and marketers can apply beyond the visually-interesting diagram? What is the relationship between QFD and Kano's model, and how it can be integrated into QFD? What should QFD practitioners know about applying this in their project? This paper examines the Kano Model, including the latest developments as presented in the October 2006 Kano master class taught by the master himself, and introduces new application methods and models that are currently being developed by the QFD Institute through its on-going international research.

Appendix I: Bonus Case Studies

QFD Applications in Health Care and Quality of Work Life by Glenn H. Mazur, Japan Business Consultants, Ltd., USA.; Jeff Gibson, Baptist Health System, Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Bruce Harries, TELUS Corporation, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Quality Function Deployment for a Medical Device by Glenn Mazur, Japan Business Consultants, Ltd.

Making The Neon Fun To Drive by J. E. Fernandez; J. L. Chamberlin; E. G. Kramer; J. H. Broomall; H. A. Rori; R. L Begley, Small Car Platform Engineering, Chrysler Corporation

The Application of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) To Design a Course in Total Quality Management (TQM) at The University of Michigan College of Engineering by Glenn H. Mazur, Adjunct Lecturer, The University of Michigan College of Engineering, Executive Director, QFD Institute, U.S.A.

Appendix II: Abstracts of Papers from Symposia on QFD 1989-2006

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2005: The 17th Symposium on QFD (ISBN 1-889477-17-6)

Education / Clothing Industry / BPO

The Applicability of QFD for Designing Vocational Courses for Clothing Industry in Hong Kong.  Yin Ping (Catherine) Chan, Dr. K. Chan, and Dr. S. F. Chan, Institute of Textiles & Clothing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.

For decades, the Hong Kong clothing industry has been a leading supplier of clothing within the developed world as the receiving end of the global outsourcing practice. Now their position is being threatened by emerging countries that offer even cheaper labor and business costs.

The socio-economic changes in the last two decades, coupled with the structural transformation of the clothing industry since the late 1980s, had put an end to the “Era of Quantity.” Declining local exports, together with the recent government policy to reduce the financial support, have accelerated the industry's need for change.

As the “Era of Quality” begins, the Hong Kong Vocational Education and Training (VETC) institutions can no longer remain just production centers. They must become commercial enterprises. The usefulness of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) for improving various aspects of education has been demonstrated by numerous studies.

This presentation will report how one Hong Kong VETC institution is trying to embark on a new strategic direction through application of QFD to develop new courses that would best serve their customers in this changing global market and to prepare graduates who would carry on the future of the Hong Kong clothing industry.

Lifestyle QFD / Kansei Engineering / Emotional Design

Lifestyle QFD: Incorporating Emotional Appeal in Product Development.  Glenn H. Mazur, The QFD Institute, Japan Business Consultants, Ltd., USA.

Outsourcing and the search for the lowest cost producer has lead to increasing commoditization of products. Companies in developed nations are searching for the next "edge" that will help them produced highly profitable, differentiated products and services.

This paper will explore an emerging area in applying QFD to lifestyle, image, and psychological needs. The basics approach, easily available software tools, and case studies will be presented, including a review of Boeing's application of these methods to their brand new B787 Dreamliner commercial aircraft, which is priced higher than competitor Airbus and yet is "set to jet past " them, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal.

Six Sigma / DFSS

Driving Cultural Acceptance in a Six Sigma Implementation.  Mike Scutero and Doug Conklin, Quest Diagnostics, Inc., USA.

When business leaders desire an expansion of continuous improvement techniques, they must increase their awareness regarding cultural acceptance.

To transition a business that has successfully employed classical Six Sigma DMAIC defect-reduction methods into a business that fully embraces the Lean and Kaizen method-variation reduction techniques requires a re-visitation of the cultural enablers, behaviors and anchors.

Often this is easier said than done. This presentation will discuss an interesting application of QFD for identifying the right behaviors to accelerate business performance and translate company values into action.

Linking Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) and QFD.  Richard Zultner, Zultner and Company, USA.

DFSS is the expansion of the Six Sigma improvement process to tackle critical issues in the design of new products and services. While traditional Six Sigma focuses on improving existing products and processes, DFSS is an approach to prevent problems in the first place, and to incorporate positive customer satisfaction into the initial design intent from the beginning.

Experienced QFD practitioners will immediately recognize the role they can play in DFSS, and if fact, the House of Quality is one of the core tools in the DFSS approach. But, as QFD has continued to evolve since its "4-House" model in the early 80s, our latest tools can help DFSS professionals make their training programs more competitive. For example, we now incorporate
strategic planning, project selection and management, customer visits, identifying unspoken needs, and a valid mathematical model for the DFSS transfer function.

This paper will cover the most significant improvements to QFD and how they can improve DFSS training and application.

Supply Network / Logistics Management

Agile Supply Network Transition Matrix: The QFD-Based Tool for Creating an Adaptive Enterprise.  Manisra Baramichai and Emory Zimmer, Enterprise System Center, Lehigh University, USA.

Volatility has become an undeniable and consistent feature of the current business world. Companies have increasingly reached the point where they need to be more adaptive – intelligent, fast, agile, flexible, and responsive to changes.

One of the strategies that can help a company make a successful transition toward becoming an adaptive enterprise is to leverage the partnership and create agile supply networks through outsourcing. Although the need for adaptability is now widely appreciated, the adoption of an agile supply network is still in its infancy. Companies require a tool to help them successfully transform their business.

This research will propose a new QFD-based tool, Agile Supply Network Transformation Matrix, which can be used to relate the change domains with the strategies needed for agile supply network configuration. By addressing the relationships among the change drivers, change response capabilities, design principles, key deployment areas, and supplier selection strategies through the phase progression methodology, this tool can assist managers complete the entire transition process. The presentation will include an industry case study to illustrate the implementation of this new tool.

Public Projects / Regional Development / Government / EU Compliance

LORD (Local Opportunity – Regional Development) and TASQUAM (Technical Assistance Services Quality Management) : Applying QFD-based Applications for Quality Management of  Technical Assistance Services in Regional Development Areas.  Witold Edmond Witowski, Ph.D., Ministry of Economic Affairs & Labor, Poland.

In Poland, over 400 business support organizations have applied for assessment and accreditation from the National Support Systems program overseen by the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Labour since its initiation in 1996. The program provides public financing to regional and local development projects and related technical assistance, training, and other services.

This involves a significant amount of public funding that the Ministry is responsible for managing. A budget of 900.000.000 EUR is allocated for Small and Medium Enterprise technical assistance alone for the period of 2005-2008. Additionally, over 1,500.000.000 EUR will be spent on human resource development activities including trainings and advisory services, and over 3.000.000.000 EUR on regional and local development projects.

It is important, therefore, to implement a clear and transparent method for evaluating the projects and programs in such way that efficiency and adequacy of public money spending can be accounted for. EU Directives of Polish regulations also recommend applying quality factors for programming, contracting and evaluating public-financed projects. Hence, a QFD-based methodology was developed to address the specific problems of the Technical Assistance services as well as compliance with the ISO 9001:2000 requirements.

The author of this paper has used this method since 1996 and states that it could be also used as a tool for creating, evaluating, and improving quality systems. The presentation will include the modification details and application history and examples.

2005 Appendix I: Bonus Case Studies

QFD to Direct Value Engineering in the Design of a Braking System. Jim Dimsey, Hayes Brake, USA.

Case Study - Applying QFD for the development of the World’s First High-Quality 3D Home Theatre System. Pierre-Hugues Routhier, Sensio, Canada.  

Defining Customer Needs for Brand New Products: QFD for Unprecedented Software Development.  Richard Zultner, Zultner & Company, USA

QFD's role in Advanced Tactical Aircraft Development.  Suzanne Bergman, Mcdonnell Douglass Aerospace - East, USA.

How QFD Saved A Company - The Renaissance Spirometry System. O. Kaelin, P. Bennett, R. Klein, USA.

2005 Appendix II: Abstracts of Papers from Past Symposia on QFD 1989-2004

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2004: The 16th Symposium on QFD (ISBN 1-889477-16-8)

Aerospace / Kansei Engineering QFD

Kansei Engineering for Commercial Airplane Interior Architecture.  Jeanne Guérin, Human Factor Specialist, The Boeing Company, USA.  Kansei Engineering process was used to ease the difficult task of down-selecting the final interior architecture concept for the Boeing's new commercial airplane that is under development. This paper reports the Kansei experiment performed by the design team, simultaneously with several other methods in a project that is still on-going. To be presented at the symposium are: the Kansei Engineering methodology used for this project including extraction of the Kansei words from a market research study, the Kansei Domain and Physical Domain, examples of Kansei Engineering matrices and software, and the results, as well as the experience and lessons learned by the project team.

Chemical / Packaging

Implementing QFD for Product Development through Action Research. P. A. Cauchick Miguel, Quality & Methodology Research Group, Faculty of Engineering, Methodist University of Piracicaba, Brazil.  A number of organizations have implemented QFD, but to what degree is a question that is difficult to tell from outside. This paper will report an 'action research' project which began in 2000 in Brazil. It will present the 'action-oriented' research through a case study of QFD implementation by a flexible packaging film manufacturer. To be included in the talk are: the new product development process employed by this company, how QFD was part of their product development practice, in what stages QFD was used, data and results of this three year research project, and the results of QFD implementation in a pilot project.

Critical Chain Project Management / Theory of Constraints

Maximize Shareholder Value in A Growing Economy —How Utilizing Critical Chain Project Management in Your QFD Can Maximize Shareholder Value Through Better Project Management and Getting More Done in Less Time.  Tony Rizzo, Product Development Institute, USA.  Many projects experience delays despite careful planning. Project managers, wanting to be realistic in project estimates, tend to build 'safety' into new project planning, while management, being pressed for decreasing time-to-market, tend to ax the project schedule: a vicious cycle. This paper will propose extending QFD's scope to include the project team's concerns for schedule and time-to-market, through utilization of Critical Chain Project Management, an application of the Theory of Constraints. Through examples of projects which successfully reduced the development time by 15-25% without increasing risk or resources, this presentation will explain how shifting paradigms in project management could benefit business and introduce technical details on how this can be done.

Modern QFD Methods

QFD for Innovative Companies: Using Voice of Customer to Focus Opportunities.  Glenn Mazur, Japan Business Consultants, USA.  America's technology-driven juggernaut roars unabated by economic uncertainty, employee outsourcing, and even international opinion. Our innovative capacity is the engine for a successful tomorrow. Yet, both marketing and engineering groups within these companies complain of the same problems: too many opportunities with too few resources, products too new for customers to define their requirements, and an organization too immature to cope with it all. What is needed is a systematic, repeatable approach to:

1. prioritizing projects and allocating human, schedule, and budget resources accordingly,

2. exploring key customers for those projects to discover unspoken needs that can win customers away from the current technology, and

3. organizing management and technical processes to efficiently deliver value to all stakeholders.

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a powerful system of processes and tools that harness the efforts of managers, sales, and technical people by focusing them on what matters most to the customer. This paper will explore some of the major front end deployments in QFD, including Strategy Deployment, Project Deployment, Customer Deployment, Voice of Customer Deployment, Quality Deployment, and Schedule Deployment, as well as key processes and tools, to achieve this.

2004 Appendix I:  Select Papers from North American Countries

Sensio - The Evolution of a Revolution: QFD Applied to the Development of New Businesses. Pierre-Hugues Routhier, Sensio, Canada. 

Large Scale System Redesign Using QFD. Robert Gerst, Converge Consulting Group Inc., Canada.

Prioritizing Customer Needs at Spectator Events: Obtaining Accuracy at a Difficult QFD Arena. rancisco Tamayo-Enríquez, Arnecom; González-Bosch, Mercadotecnia Estrategia Dirigid; and Javier Santa Cruz-Ruíz, Mexico. 

2004 Appendix II: Abstracts of Papers from Past Symposia on QFD 1989-2003

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