Quality activities traditionally have focused on improving existing products and processes: Cause and effect studies, process review, change input to bring a desirable output and zero defects, effect validation, etc. With new products, however, processes may not yet be determined, let alone product functions and design features.

This is where QFD brings power to DFSS. A weakness of many design teams is that they expect that what the customer asks for is only what they want. Numerous studies have shown that it is only a starting point for design. "Take something like the MP3 player. Our traditional customers won't tell us anything about the potential usage characteristics of this device," says an executive at Seagate, a manufacturer of hard-disk drives.

DFSS must go beyond the stated Voice of the Customer to discover latent needs. QFD can bring the greatest impact in understanding this Voice of the Customer.

Unfortunately, many in the DFSS field equate QFD to only the House of Quality. Despite the fact that QFD is positioned in the first subheading of the Six Sigma Black Belt Certification Body of Knowledge by the American Society for Quality, most books and seminars focus only on the transfer function of QFD with little attention paid to the steps that have the greatest impact on understanding the Voice of the Customer. This weak link could inadvertently skew the outcome of otherwise good DFSS intentions.

To inquire, please contact QFD Institute or TEL: +1 734-995-0847 (Mon - Fri 9:00 am - 5:00 pm U.S. Eastern Time).