Title: The interconnectedness among auxiliary benefits and supporting practices within the Quality Function Deployment process

Authors: Jami Kovach, Lawrence D. Fredendall, Byung Rae Cho

Addresses: Department of Information and Logistics Technology, College of Technology, University of Houston, 312 Technology Building, Houston, TX 77204, USA. ' Department of Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA. ' Advanced Quality Engineering Laboratory, Department of Industrial Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA

Abstract: Due to the difficult nature of successfully launching new products, many firms have implemented Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) initiatives within their organisations. One well-known tool within DFSS is Quality Function Deployment (QFD), which is a structured methodology for translating customer needs into technical design requirements. The QFD methodology and its benefits are well-known, yet little has been discussed in the literature concerning how the qualitative benefits of QFD interact to create successful project outcomes and what specific tools support these achievements. The auxiliary benefits discussed here include the promotion of teamwork, provision of documentation, improved communication, deeper understanding of the design problem, increased effectiveness of the decision-making process and improved design creativity. In this paper, a model is developed to show the interconnections among these benefits and the implications of this model are discussed.

Keywords: communication; creativity; decision making; design for six sigma; DFSS; documentation; goal theory; information processing theory; new product development; NPD; organisational learning theory; quality function deployment; QFD; teamwork.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSCA.2007.015013

International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage, 2007 Vol.3 No.2, pp.137 - 155

Published online: 04 Sep 2007 *

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