Steps of building a house of quality
A house of quality is a model built to show the relationship between the needs of a customer and the capabilities of a firm’s product. The model shows product that a customer requires and identifies the products that will suit the customer needs. In most cases, a company often modifies its products so as to suit the customer needs. An example is a software company. In most cases, the vendor often modifies the software so as to suit the customer needs.
Developing a house of quality goes through six steps. The first step is identifying the customer requirements. This stage entails establishing, elucidating and detailing customer’s needs. Establishing of customer needs entails translating the customer’s wish into some tangible value. After establishing customer needs specifications are made. This step creates a basis for clearly outlined undertaking. It is a critical step since it determines whether the product designed will meet the requirements of the customer. The second step is identifying the technical requirements. This stage gives a detailed list of what must be done so as to achieve the customer specifications.
Further, all the regulatory standards set by management and other external bodies must be acknowledged. In as much as the product is being designed to suit specific customer needs, it is important to ensure that various regulatory requirements are complied with. This stage outlines all the requirements such as raw materials, number of employees, and capital requirements needed to develop the product for the customer. The third step entails relating the customer’s requirements to the technical requirements. This stage establishes the connection between the customer needs and outlined technical requirements. At this stage, the management compares the strength and weaknesses of the company with the customer’s needs and assess what needs to be done so as to stay on top of the competition.
The fourth step entails conducting an evaluation of competing products and services. This stage compares the outcome of the process and what the competitors offer. At this stage the customer rating is developed based on the customer requirements. Companies are rated between 1 and 5 for each customer’s requirements. The fifth step entails evaluation of technical requirements and developing targets. The stage sets targets for the each technical requirement. These targets are to be met new product designed. These targets are significant in comparing the expected results and outcomes. The final step entails determination of technical requirements to deploy in the remainder of the production process. This final stage is meant to fine tune the firm’s product so as to meet the customer’s requirements.
Parts of the house of quality
The design of the house of quality is in such a way that the rooftop of the house is made up of interrelationships. Technical requirements are located in the ceiling of the house. Inside the house we have the voice of the customer, relationship matrix, customer requirement priorities and competitive evaluation. Finally, the technical requirement priorities are located at the foundation of the house. The design of the house is shown in the diagram below.
From the diagram above, customer requirements and technical requirements are located inside the house.
How marketing, human resources and finance contribute to the success of quality function deployment
Quality function deployment (QFD) is an arrangement which attempts to translate customer requirements into appropriate company requirements at each stage of the production process. QFD attempts to address how to meet customers’ quality requirements in a dynamic way. Therefore, QFD is a systematic process of incorporating customer requirement in the design process. It is achieved by using production planning matrix – house of quality. Various factors contribute to the success of the QFD. The key factor is human resources. It is worth noting that an organization cannot run without the human resources. An organization can only be successful when the concept of strategic human resources is executed. Similarly, management needs to fill in positions strategically to the quality function deployment process. The process requires staff members who are very dynamic and can quickly adjust to continuous changes in the organization. Further, innovative employees are likely to bring a lot of impact on the design process. This would lead to rapid growth of the organization and improved customer satisfaction.
The contemporary business world is quite competitive. Companies including large Multinational Corporations are struggling for their survival in the market place. Marketing is a vital tool for the growth of an organization. It helps increase awareness of the company and its product in the market. Further, aggressive marketing increases the competitive advantage of a company. Through marketing, a company attracts various customers with varying needs. This forms the beginning of the QFD process. Therefore, marketing helps in initiating the QFD process and giving more ideas for the growth and continuation of the QFD process.
Finance is also a critical in the QFD. Finance offers support in the areas of budgeting and other financial related matters. Cost is a major constraint in all organizations. Therefore, finance plays a critical role of managing the cost of the project to ensure that expenses are incurred as budgeted. Failure to manage cost leads to lack of completion or implementation of the QFD process.