Deployment of the quality function: what it is, and characteristics

There is a very varied typology in terms of quality management systems, and each organization chooses the model that best suits them.

Within all the existing alternatives, one of the most striking is the deployment of the quality function, a methodology that we are going to discover throughout these paragraphs to be clear about its characteristics and the advantages it offers over other different models.

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What is the deployment of the quality function?

The deployment of the quality function is a typology of quality management, whose foundation is to seek this through the needs observed in the consumers of our product, so that we adapt our products to improve quality and thus satisfy the demands that users express. It is also known by the acronym QFD, which corresponds to the English name for Quality Function Deployment. In this way, the company will be in constant adaptation to offer the perfect product.

To achieve this objective, the company must adopt changes in its production method that achieve the greatest possible increase in quality, in all levels, both in the general process, as in the sub-processes, as well as in specific elements that make up each task when manufacturing the product. Therefore we would be talking about the deployment of the quality function being a comprehensive system that is evenly distributed from the beginning to the end of the manufacturing process.

Its versatility makes the deployment of the quality function a method applicable to the generation of infinite products or services, regardless of the type of market in which they are located. Still, it is true that it is particularly successful in the new technology sector. Geographically, it has spread remarkably in Japanese companies, and Japan is a country characterized by having industries that constantly adapt to the most pioneering models, in search of the excellence.

Originally, the deployment of the quality function was thought of as a suitable method for those companies that manufactured products, but These ideas were soon found to be equally applicable to rising industries such as software, which proved to be a great methodology for optimizing the processes of very disparate industries. This is the quality that has made this quality management system so popular.

Tools

Within the discipline of the deployment of the quality function, there is a whole series of tools with which this system seeks to achieve its objectives. Let's look at some of the most important ones.

1. Quality house

The quality house is probably the concept most associated with the deployment of the quality function, both that there is a debate as to whether it is a variant of this method or just a complementary tool for your use. It consists of a diagram that resembles a house, hence its name, in which all the requests made by users are placed together with the capabilities that the company has to carry them out, so that they are all interrelated.

The elements that are put in relation are the “what”, that is, what the users want, assigning them a level of importance, with the "How", which would be the variables of our product that, by modifying, can respond to those requests made by the customers. By establishing this relationship we can easily see which variables respond to one or more requests, to what extent they do so and what is the importance of them, so that we can establish an action plan with reasonable criteria solid.

There is a whole series of templates and tutorials so that any company that wishes can make use of this methodology in search of an improvement in the quality of its products and services, as many of organizations. The attractiveness of the house of quality is the simplicity of its approach and how visually intuitive its diagram is., which makes it perfect to benefit from the deployment of the quality function in an easily accessible way.

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2. Pugh matrix

Another tool frequently used to apply this method is the Pugh matrix, a decision matrix created by Stuart Pugh, for whom it is named. Its function is compare a whole series of designs, taking into account all those criteria that are necessary for our production. In this way we will obtain a table in which, with a quick glance, we can check the points strengths and weaknesses of each of them and the extent to which they fulfill the wishes of our consumers.

It is a fantastic method to quantitatively assess the validity of all our alternatives, and thus be able to make an objective decision, based on real data, what that will increase the chances of being successful in the production process and obtaining a high quality service or product as a result, as demanded by all users. Hence, the Pugh matrix is ​​also very popular within the quality function display methodology.

3. Modular function deployment

The modular function deployment is another tool related to the QFD method. Through this system, we obtain another type of diagram, where we also compare customer requests with design criteria, doing it this time by modules, and without obtaining in the comparison the "roof" so characteristic of the house of quality. It is another good method to make estimates and to be able to compare between different options of production designs, being able to choose the one that most benefits us.

4. Hoshin Kanri

The Hoshin Kanri is another methodology, in this case emerged in Japan after the Second World War, to establish business strategies along seven steps. It is a full-fledged management system, rather than a tool, but it is also related to the deployment of the function quality, since some corporations decide to use them in a complementary way, taking advantage of the benefits that both techniques provide.

5. Management by Objectives

As in the previous case, management by objectives, or management by objectives, is a very extensive management method, in this case used to establish lines of action and provide a guide to make decisions. It is another system that has been chosen by some companies at the same time as the deployment of the quality function, in search of maximum optimization of processes and a search for the highest quality in the final products created by the company.

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Fuzzy QFD

There have been numerous studies that review the original concept of the deployment of the quality function to put it in relation to fuzzy logic, giving rise to the so-called fuzzy QFD, or FQFD (for the initial of fuzzy, in English). Fuzzy (or fuzzy) logic is based on the establishment of relationships between values ​​in a relative way, that is, between themselves, and not around a general scale (A is greater than B, but we do not know if A is a high value by itself).

Fuzzy logic provides an advantage, and it is that it facilitates the comparison between the values ​​that we manage, without the need to have an absolute measurement scale in which to measure each of they. In this way, we will be able to compare all the elements that we have in the quality function display diagram and quickly know which one is the most optimal for our purpose.

This variant is gaining popularity in recruitment systems, to be able to make comparisons between candidates' scores in different processes, some of which are complicated to standardize on a scale, so thanks to fuzzy QFD the procedure and it is much easier to be able to compare the results between one individual and another, no matter how ambiguous the qualification.

In addition, it is another example of how the deployment of the quality function adapts to any field of business activity, not just the mere production of objects, but rather specific processes such as personnel selection, since in this sense a comparison can also be established between what is that we are asked (the characteristics of the position) and the variables that we can modulate, which in the end is the basis on which this methodology.

Bibliographic references:

• Escobar, O., Sofía, E., Rodríguez, C., Julio, C., Velasco, D., Germán, O. (2005). Quality function deployment (QFD): benefits and limitations detected in its application to the design of myoelectric hand prosthesis. Engineering and Research Magazine.
• Gutiérrez, H., Gutiérrez, P., Garibay, C., Díaz, L. (2014). Multivariate analysis and QFD as tools to listen to the voice of the customer and improve the quality of service. Chilean engineering magazine.
• Osorio, J.C., Arango, D.C., Ruales, C.E. (2011). Supplier selection using fuzzy quality function deployment. EIA Magazine.