This brief guide discusses what Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is, its importance and benefits, its four phases, and some FAQs.
Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a proactive, focused approach used in taking the Voice of the Customer (VOC) into account and then carrying out effective responses to customer expectations and needs during the design and production stages. A key component of QFD is the House of Quality (HoQ) matrix, which helps translate customer requirements into specific engineering or operational goals. Initially considered a form of cause-and-effect analysis, QFD is an essential tool not just for quality management but also for planning.
Originally developed in Japan by Professors Yoji Akao and Shigeru Mizuno in the late 1960s while working for Mitsubishi's shipyard, QFD was later adopted and widely used by other companies such as Toyota and its suppliers. Consequently, the methodology was introduced in the US during the late 1980s primarily by automotive companies and electronics manufacturers. It's also commonly known as a basic Total Quality Management (TQM) tool, being used by organizations in the manufacturing and healthcare industries, among others.
Key Takeaways:
Voice of Customer Translation – Captures customer needs in qualitative terms (safe, user-friendly, ergonomic) and converts them into quantitative design and operational requirements
House of Quality Matrix – Primary graphical representation that organizes customer requirements and translates them into prioritized engineering specifications and design features
Proactive Quality Integration – Embeds customer satisfaction into product design and manufacturing stages, rather than fixing issues during or after production
Cross-Functional Collaboration – Enables teams across departments (marketing, engineering, production, quality) to align on customer requirements and technical specifications
Documented Decision-Making – Provides comprehensive documentation and structured processes for weighing customer needs against competitive market positioning
Four-Phase Implementation – Systematic progression through Product Planning, Product Development, Process Planning, and Production Planning stages
Originally developed in Japan by Professors Yoji Akao and Shigeru Mizuno in the late 1960s while working for Mitsubishi’s shipyard, QFD was later adopted and widely used by other companies such as Toyota and its suppliers. Consequently, the methodology was introduced in the US during the late 1980s primarily by automotive companies and electronics manufacturers. It’s also commonly known as a basic Total Quality Management (TQM) tool, being used by organizations in the manufacturing and healthcare industries, among others.
The goal was to create a methodology that integrates customer satisfaction into a product before implementing its manufacturing process. This presents a more proactive approach than other methods of quality control that focus on fixing customer issues during or after manufacturing.
Usually, customer requirements are communicated in the form of qualitative terms such as “safe,” “user friendly,” “ergonomic,” and so on. For organizations to effectively develop a product or service, these qualitative terms from customers need to be translated into quantitative design requirements. This is where QFD comes in. By combining various matrices to form a comprehensive house-like structure called the “House of Quality”, manufacturers and production facilities can come up with a prioritized list of customer needs and pain points and a systematic process of integrating them into the design of the product or service.
Hence, organizations can then make better decisions after weighing customer requirements and considering how the products or services go against the competition in the market. How QFD helps in this aspect is that it provides the needed documentation for the overall decision-making process.
Now, how does this approach help organizations ensure the quality of their processes, particularly in product development? To summarize, here are a few of the major advantages of using QFD:
Gain a better understanding of your customers – Be able to predict, know, and act on what they need, either stated or unstated, and provide a better customer experience.
Utilize customer feedback for continuous improvement – Transform what the customers need into quantifiable business goals through the form of performance metrics, process controls, and more.
Establish a better structure of requirements – The various stages of product development require efforts across departments, and inefficiencies in the process may occur. QFD helps build a standardized system that minimizes unnecessary risks and bottlenecks.
Have an efficient way of allocating resources – By knowing the priority list of the customer requirements to be implemented, organizations can then be more intentional and focus on critical improvement opportunities.
Unlock hidden efficiency
Middle managers lose over 5 hours each week on low-value tasks—time that could be spent driving meaningful progress. Learn why they hold the key to operational success.
Also known as the product planning matrix, the House of Quality (HoQ) is practically the most essential stage of the QFD. This is where every bit of detail must be taken into consideration, as it’s going to set the pace for the succeeding stages of the four-phase QFD. Further, HoQ serves as a primary graphical representation of the product planning and development process.
House of Quality Example | QFD Matrix
QFD enables cross-functional teams to collaborate and find a balance between customer needs and technical requirements. This is crucial in streamlining the way manufacturers and production facilities decide what kind of features or characteristics they should include in their products and services that customers will buy and value.
The comprehensive process of QFD is divided into 4 major phases: Product Planning, Product Development, Process Planning, and Production Planning. Each matrix or visual representation used under each of the 4 phases is related to the previous one. Let’s look into how to implement QFD into your business process and what happens at each stage.
The 4 Phases of QFD
In this stage, the House of Quality matrix is used to translate customer needs into design requirements. The Voice of the Customer (VOC) is gathered through conducting Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), interviews, and other similar methods using Voice of the Customer templates. Then, feedback and insights from such customer requirements are lined up for design and product features considerations.
As this phase will help set the pacing of the entire QFD process, it’s important to cover various aspects as well. These include identifying the underlying—apart from the obvious, stated ones—customer requirements, characteristics of possible market offerings, and competitive opportunities. It’s also crucial to note that this stage is typically led by the Marketing department.
This phase enables the team to specify design requirements by identifying critical parts and assembly components. These are then based on the prioritized list of offering characteristics gathered in the Product Planning phase using the House of Quality matrix.
The third phase involves deciding on the design manufacturing and assembly process that best addresses the requirements discussed in the Product Development phase. Teams responsible for this aspect must be able to define the required operational guidelines, elements, and parameters.
The final phase is where process control methods are established, along with the production and inspection processes. These are key to ensuring that the characteristics are met and continuously undergo evaluation and improvement.
Mitti (by SafetyCulture) is a mobile-first operations platform adopted across industries such as manufacturing, mining, construction, retail, and hospitality. It’s designed to equip leaders and working teams with the knowledge and tools to do their best work—to the safest and highest standard.
Streamline processes, eliminate bottlenecks, enhance resource utilization, and build an agile and scalable infrastructure with Mitti (by SafetyCulture). Strive for operational excellence to boost competitive advantage, foster sustainable growth, and deliver long-term value.
✓ Save time and reduce costs ✓ Stay on top of risks and incidents ✓ Boost productivity and efficiency ✓ Enhance communication and collaboration ✓ Discover improvement opportunities ✓ Make data-driven business decisions
