Keynote

QFD in Europe: State-of-the-art and Case Studies
To be delivered by Georg Herzwurm, Ph.D., Chair of Information Systems II, Universität Stuttgart, Germany

This keynote address will present an overview on the state of the art of QFD in Europe. The first part covers a general analysis of QFD applications in Europe based on a literature review with focus on contributions in quality journals and past national and international QFD symposia. The underlying assumption of this analysis is that there may exist regional distinctions in the dissemination of QFD and in the industries in which QFD has been applied. The second part of the talk will present selected case studies from various representative industries like the automotive, the software and the service sector. Companies involved in these QFD applications include among others the Volkswagen Group and T-Systems.

Industry: General

Keywords: QFD in EU, European industry, Volkswagen, T-Systems

Automotive

Value Based Product Development - Using QFD and AHP to Identify, Prioritize, and Align Key Customer Needs and Business Goals
To be presented by Chad Johnson, QFD Green Belt^®, Six Sigma Master Black Belt, TRW Automotive - Braking Division, USA

In order to separate ourselves from the competitive pack, it is becoming increasingly important to seek a deeper understanding of value-driving customer needs during the early states of product/process development. Although we are often asked to be creative and lean, we still often build strictly to given specifications. We receive data in the old "build to print" paradigm but we are often required to design in a more creative and lean one. To address this dichotomy and break away from the costly design-build-test iterative loop, QFD suggests that we seek an understanding of customer's needs beyond the requirements specification and incorporate that understanding into the final product. In this case-study, you will hear how TRW Automotive has utilized QFD and augmented it with the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to develop a working model for project leaders to prioritize and focus their design effort effectively. This model enables product/process design managers to comprehend, prioritize, and merge the various goals of the business (both corporate and project) with the derived needs of the customer(s). Further, it serves as a central, clarifying centerpiece of project direction and remains fluid - so if priorities are challenged, the model can be used to recalibrate the design focus.

Industry: Automotive

Keywords: automotive QFD, Modern QFD, customer value, key customer needs, business goals, AHP

Defense

Use of QFD & Tehnology Road Mapping to Develop a Mobile Data Collection System
To be presented by Kim Stansfield, Ph.D., QFD Green Belt^®, CSC Computer Sciences Ltd. / BizTek Processes Ltd., UK

The work described in this paper considers the systems engineering procedures used to select and design a ‘mobile data collection’ sub-system of a larger Enterprise Application Development project for a UK Government client. The work was conducted by the authors under contract to a system integrator in the UK. The paper describes how the authors systematically analyzed the requirements of the stakeholders for the mobile subsystem using SIPOC and QFD Analysis, and how the solution was identified using a Technology Road Map such that it met all of the requirements, unlike the solution tentatively proposed by the client. In addition the hardware costs of the final solution were considerably lower to the delight of the customer.

Industry: Defense

Keywords: QFD for defense industry, mobile data collection system, government project, technology road mapping

Applying QFD to Curriculum Planning in the Field of Military Education
To be presented by Daniela Carmen Cosma, QFD Green Belt^®, Assistant Professor, Land Forces Academy Nicolae Balcescu, Romania

This paper advances a conceptual framework for applying QFD to the curriculum planning for a military academy through integration of the quantitative and qualitative methods. QFD was used to confirm the validity of the team's option. Nicolae Bãlcescu Land Forces Academy is the main military education institution in Romania, founded in 1995 as a result of the reform of the armed forces and entire military education system. Using Blitz QFD®, the Voice of the Customer was gathered from gemba visits to military missions abroad, applications, operational units etc.; the verbatims were analyzed and the needs of military professionals, structure, and modern battlefields were examined and prioritized to identify the critical areas of military education. The technical requirements of the curriculum performance are then specified, and the degree of implementation of the educational policies is evaluated by using statistical multidimensional analyses and the conceptual framework defined by UNESCO Statistics Institute and objectified at a national level in the OECD handbook. The presentation will include Modern QFD tools such as Gemba Visit tables and logs,  Customer Voice table,  Hierarchy diagram, AHP, Maximum Value table, as well as fuzzy decision making methods, statistical, factorial, multidimensional and variation analyses (ANOVA experiments and T tests).

Industry: Military Education

Keywords: QFD for military education, Modern QFD for curriculum planning, armed forces, military academy

Healthcare Insurance / Financial Products

Predicting Future Health Insurance Scenarios using Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)
To be presented by Carey Hepler, QFD Black Belt^®, Innovation Director, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, USA

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) wants to anticipate how the next president's administration and congress might set new healthcare policy in order to begin planning for and implementing new processes for our members, providers, and business decision makers. We have used a combination of QFD, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and other forecasting tools to look at possible 2008 election and policy outcomes and what new opportunities they will create to service both our traditional members as well as the uninsured in our state. BCBSF has been using QFD and AHP since 2004 to better understand the voice of our members, physician providers in our network, and business decision makers of Florida companies that offer health plans to their employees and their families. Our successful implementation of these tools has led our Integrated Market Intelligence group to apply them to forecasting future market scenarios based on different outcomes to the 2008 presidential, congressional, and Florida state elections. We will use these scenarios to map and prioritize different market segments, formulate key customer needs into value propositions, determine strengths and weaknesses in our current competencies and capabilities, and then initiate service quality projects to begin improving those areas where our customers will need us most.

Industry: Healthcare Insurance

Keywords: healthcare, health insurance / financial product development, market projection, Modern QFD, AHP

Using QFD to Understand, Prioritize, and Develop Solutions to Address the Future Needs of Customers
To be presented by Kathy Hines, QFD Black Belt^®, Innovation Leader, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, USA

As the United States health insurance model continues to evolve, with increasing financial responsibility falling on the consumer, the opportunities for new and different interactions with the health insurance company are sure to follow. Consumers are already very savvy when it comes to evaluating alternatives in other industries and it’s only a matter of time before the health care industry is also comparatively shopped like many other commoditized products and services. BCBSF must continue to evolve to create a service experience that enables and empowers members in their healthcare decision-making efforts. The especially challenging was trying to understand the needs of customers in the future and the different needs of various customer segments including Boomers, Parents with Young Children, as well as High Out of Pockets plan subscribers. This project was initiated in an effort for the Service Organization (SO) in BCBSF to identify what they would be needing 3-5 years from now to continue to provide the type of service to support our customers in the new retail environment. This approach was designed to help the organization plan and appropriate the necessary resources to support the process changes, build, etc., required to deploy the recommended solutions in the future.

ndustry: Healthcare Insurance

Keywords: healthcare, health insurance / financial product development, market projection, Modern QFD, AHP

Software / IT

Kansei Engineering for Software Interface Design
To be presented by Richard Zultner, QFD Red Belt^® and Glenn Mazur, QFD Red Belt^®, QFD Institute, USA

Kansei Engineering is a method for exploring sensory product attributes that are experienced through sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. The physicality of these sensations has somewhat limited it to hardware design, such as automobiles, product packaging, home design, fashion, etc. and even to the physical aspects of services such as interior design, lighting, etc. Software has been primarily experienced through sight, but with the recent introduction of smart phones and touch screen operated interfaces, it is now possible to incorporate tactile, sound, and sight senses. This paper will explore the application of Kansei Engineering to design software interfaces for these emerging products that take account of user preferences and self-image.

Industry: Software

Keywords: Modern QFD for software development; Kansei Engineering; GUI (graphic user interface); Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP); prioritization; usability

[Paper Title] Speaker confirmation pending...

[Paper Title] Speaker confirmation pending...

[Paper Title] Speaker confirmation pending...