Deployment Of The Quality Function: What It Is, And Characteristics
There is a very varied typology when it comes to quality management systems, and each organization chooses the model that best suits it.
Among 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.
The deployment of the quality function is a typology of quality management, the foundation of which 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 constantly adapting 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, at all levels, both in the general process and in the subprocesses, 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 countless products or services, regardless of the type of market in which they are located. Even so, it is true that it is especially successful in the new technology sector. Geographically, it has spread significantly in Japanese companies, and Japan is a country characterized by having industries that constantly adapt to the most pioneering models, in search of excellence.
Originally, the deployment of the quality function was thought to be an appropriate method for those companies that manufactured products, but It was soon discovered that these ideas were equally applicable to growing sectors, such as computer programs (software) , which demonstrated that it was a magnificent methodology to optimize the processes of very disparate industries. This is the quality that has made this quality management system so popular.
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. House of quality
The house of quality is probably the concept most associated with the deployment of the quality function, so much so that there is a debate about whether it is a variant of this method or just a complementary tool for its use. It consists of a diagram that resembles a house, hence its name, in which All 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 users want, assigning them a level of importance, with the “how”, which would be the variables of our product that, when modified, can respond to those requests that clients made to us. By establishing this relationship we can easily see which variables respond to one or more requests, to what extent they do so and what their importance is, so we can establish an action plan with reasonably solid criteria.
There is a whole series of templates and tutorials so that any company that wishes can use this methodology in search of an improvement in the quality of its products and services, as many organizations have already done. The attractive thing about 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.
2. Pugh matrix
Another tool frequently used to apply this method is the Pugh matrix, a decision matrix created by Stuart Pugh, after 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 strengths and weaknesses of each of them and the extent to which they meet 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, which will increase the chances of being successful in the production process and obtaining as a result a service or a high quality product, just as all users demand from us. Hence, the Pugh matrix is also very popular within the quality function deployment methodology.
3. Modular function deployment
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 the 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 be able to compare between different production design options, being able to choose the one that benefits us the most.
4. Hoshin Kanri
Hoshin Kanri is another methodology, in this case emerged in Japan after World War II, to establish business strategies through seven steps. It is a full-fledged management system, more than a tool, but it is also related to the deployment of the quality function, since some corporations decide to use them in a complementary way, taking advantage of the benefits that both techniques provide them.
5. Management by objectives
As in the previous case, administration 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 for making 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.
Numerous studies have been carried out 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 (from the initial of fuzzy, in English). Fuzzy (or fuzzy) logic is based on establishing relationships between values in a relative manner that is, among 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, which is that it makes it easier for us to compare the values we handle, without the need to have an absolute measurement scale on which to measure each of them. In this way we can compare all the elements we have in the quality function deployment diagram and quickly know which one is the most optimal for our purpose.
This variant is gaining popularity in personnel selection systems, to be able to make comparisons between candidate scores in different processes, some of which are complicated to standardize on a scale, so thanks to fuzzy QFD the procedure is simplified and it is much easier to compare the results between one individual and another, no matter how ambiguous it may be at first. rating moment.
Furthermore, it is another example of how the deployment of the quality function adapts to any field of business activity, not only to the mere production of objects, but to processes as specific as personnel selection, since in this sense A comparison can also be established between what is asked of us (the characteristics of the position) and the variables that we can modulate, which in the end is the basis on which this methodology is based.
