Showing posts with label Modern QFD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Modern QFD. Show all posts

16 June 2023

Invitation to Online QFD Training - July 2023

QFD Green Belt® Training

July 19–21, 2023

@ 09:00–13:00 Tokyo (UTC+9:00)

Online Brochure   |   PDF Brochure

  • Internationally acclaimed introduction to Modern Blitz QFD® and ISO 16355;
  • Live online training consisting of 4 hours per day x 3 days (total 12 hours);
  • Includes case studies and templates for modern QFD, AHP, customer voice table, maximum value table;
  • No prerequisites.

Learn how to apply the latest advancements in quality, design, and project management in your work:


This training is compatible with ISO-9001, Six Sigma, DFSS, Stage Gate, EFQM, TQM, Baldrige, and other quality initiatives. The attendees of this course are eligible to enroll in the 2023 QFD Black Belt® training if they so wish. Here is a partial list of the companies who have sent their employees to this training in the past.

For questions, please contact the QFD Institute.

 

 

17 February 2022

2022 Public QFD Training Schedule -- Virtual Workshops

Please mark your calendar. The 2022 public QFD training schedule has been just announced.

Join us this year, to develop new skill-set and/or update your knowledge, to stay on top of your profession. 

All courses will be a live online workshop, with each session lasting 4-hours per day and led by internationally renowned expert(s). You can attend from anywhere in the world over the Internet; no need to travel!

The list below summarizes the 2022 course dates. For details, please visit the individual course brochures. For questions, please contact the QFD Institute.

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QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course  
Online Brochure   |   PDF Brochure

Internationally acclaimed introductory workshop to ISO 16355 modern QFD. 
4 hours x 3 days (total 12 hours). No prerequisites.

April 4–6 @ 11:00–15:00 EDT (UTC−5:00)
July 19–21 @ 09:00–13:00 Tokyo (UTC+9:00)
October 3–5 @ 09:00–13:00 EDT (UTC−5:00)

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QFD Black Belt® Update Course
Online Brochure   |   PDF Brochure

4 hours x 2 days, live online, refresher course (total 8 hours)

March 7–8 @ 11:00–15:00 EST (UTC–5:00) 
 

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QFD Green Belt® Update Course
Online Brochure   |   PDF Brochure

Live online refresher for the past graduates of QFD Green Belt®

October 7 (4 hrs x 1 day)
The class time will be determined based on attendee preference.

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QFD Black Belt® Certificate Course
Online Brochure   |   PDF Brochure

Advanced training for project leaders, facilitators, trainers.
4 hours per week x 10 weeks (total 40 hours)

October 10, 17, 24, 31
November 7, 14,
December 5, 12, and 19.

The class time will be determined based on attendee preference.

 

 

 

 


 



28 March 2021

Virtual QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course

April 7 – April 9, 2021  (4 hours x 3 days)
@ 7pm – 11pm Japan Time
@ Noon – 4 pm Central European Summer Time
     See what time this is in your zone
Online Brochure
PDF Brochure
Contact us to attend, reserve your seat, or ask questions
Now you can attend the QFD Green Belt® Course from anywhere in the world over the Internet. Please join us in the upcoming course:
This is a live online workshop (you will need a free Zoom account).
For questions, please contact us. To receive timely announcements about future QFD training and implementation tips, please sign up for the free newsletter.












24 March 2021

QFD in a Pandemic

Under COVID-19 lockdown, now nearly one year, we at the QFD Institute has been responding to the needs of businesses by instituting changes that are having a profound impact on QFD projects, QFD methods, and QFD training. We’d like to share some of our successes.

QFD Projects:

There has been a trend towards QFD applications in healthcare and in digitalized products. This intensified over the last year due to increased demand for new capabilities and faster time-to-market for medical devices. Unpredictable environments related to durations of use, training of non-traditional operators and users, maintenance and cleaning protocols, infectious disease control, new manufacturing, distribution, and related conditions have increased the need for faster design, re-design, quality control, and “getting it right the first time.” The emergence of telemedicine is demanding new ways for medical staff and patients to connect.

Experienced QFD practitioners will recognize these problems as the very conditions that gave rise to QFD nearly 60 years ago. This trend did not catch us by surprise, as attendees of our QFD classes in recent years were trained on a medical case study that deployed into infectious disease control services and materials, a physical device, and a software interface.

We have also seen an increased interest in applying QFD to digital and communications products as the shift to work-from-home, on-line education, and virtual meetings and family/social events has strained communication infrastructure, privacy and security, and demand for computers and other devices. Customer needs for easy setup, ease of use, and reliability have remained high priorities as first-time users (including seniors and children) require more screen time to remain engaged with their life activities.

QFD interest among companies engaging in e-commerce has also grown as customers shift from on-site shopping to pick-up and delivery arrangements. How customers browse, order, pay, and receive fresh food and household staples is different than downloading or streaming entertainment.

These disruptions have increased opportunities for QFD experts to help marketers and engineers work faster and better together to deliver solutions that help customers retain some sense of control and normalcy in their lives.

QFD Methods:

The urgency of this new commercial and social environment has been well served by the improved methods of Modern Blitz QFD® which the QFD Institute has been standardizing in recent years.

Blitz QFD® does not rely on large matrices like the House of Quality that require long hours of teamwork to complete. Instead, more concise Excel-based tools allow individuals and teams to work remotely and independently while maintaining customer priorities, communications, and innovation. This can result in much faster QFD project completion with a focus on addressing what matters most to customers.

Because customer insight and intimacy is critical to understanding what will excite and delight customers in their most critical applications, we have been exploring ways to use new technology that maintains safe, contact-free, and private gemba research.

The Modern Blitz QFD® methods are now available in the new ISO 16355 series standards for QFD, especially ISO 16355-2: 2017, ISO 16355-4:2017, and ISO 16355-5:2017. Excel templates for the Modern Blitz QFD® as well as updated Classical QFD are included in the Virtual training.

QFD Training:

The change to Virtual training has become a great opportunity for attendees from around the world. Benefits include:

  • Classes are kept small to allow the instructor to pay close attention to each attendee and their project.
  • Some sessions have more than one instructor depending on the industries of the attendees.
  • iZoom breakout rooms allow multiple students from one company to work from home, yet discuss project details in private chats with the instructor.
  • Included in the tuition is on-going support for your QFD project after the training concludes.
  • e-materials that you can print, zoom, and translate (if English is your second language) in advance of the class.
  • No travel expenses or travel time to attend.
  • Less disruption to your work and family life.

This extra attention to your success has become a great point of pride for us, and the results have been remarkable in terms of the quality of work attendees have submitted for review and the percentage of students who have quickly earned their Full QFD Green Belt® certification.

In 2020, we have attracted attendees from China, India, Europe, Canada, USA, and elsewhere with business professionals, university students and faculty.

The 2021 schedule for our Virtual QFD training will always be posted on www.qfdi.org. It is regularly updated as new course dates are added.

The upcoming virtual QFD Green Belt® course (4 hours x 3 days):

In 2021, a virtual QFD Black Belt® program for advanced facilitators is also planned. If you have particular training needs or would like different dates and time zone, we would be happy to consider private training as well. Please contact us.








11 March 2020

What is Maximum Value Table?


Maximum Value Table (MVT) is one of the powerful tools in Modern QFD that is explained in the ISO 16355 standard. Below, let us share an excerpt from a recent QFDI newsletter, describing the purpose and role of the MVT and why it is important to master this tool before attempting a House of Quality matrix.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maximum Value Table lets you deploy the same focused of voice of customer analysis as the House of Quality (HoQ) matrix does, but with greater speed, efficiency, and focus. It is an invaluable tool when budget, manpower and development time are limited.

Its purpose is to deploy only the highest priority Customer Needs into a solution design, build, and commercialization such that every necessary action to satisfy those needs is taken by each and every relevant organization department in a timely and quality way. No step must be overlooked. This is how customer satisfaction with the new product is assured.

The MVT is not constructed in one meeting, but it is populated as the design progresses, with each department adding its information in reflection of prior entries and in anticipation of later entries. It creates a traceable record that illustrates how every necessary action to achieve customer satisfaction has been sufficiently performed.

It is important to appreciate that only with a true multi-functional team can all of the MVT columns get addressed.  This forces cross-functional collaboration toward a common business goal. This is exactly how it assures the final shipped product will satisfy the highest priority customer needs.

The MVT achieves its purpose of providing maximum value to the customer by assuring their highest priority problems, opportunities, and image concerns are resolved by the new product or service. The MVT provides maximum value to the organization by aligning all critical resources (time, people, money, information) to develop and commercialize the new product or service. Value is achieved only when the customer chooses our new product or service and puts it into service to satisfy their needs.

Which should we use, MVT or HoQ?

The columns of the MVT are indicators of what, if any, QFD matrices from the Comprehensive QFD toolset described in the eight parts of ISO 16355 may be useful for more detailed analysis.

A QFD matrix is an effect-to-cause relationship matrix between two data sets. This means that any two MVT columns that share a relationship could be juxtaposed into a matrix that would indicate the strength of the relationship and transfer the weights of the rows into weights for the columns.

The House of Quality (HoQ) is the most well-known among the 30+ matrices in Comprehensive QFD. The HoQ juxtaposes a large set of Customer Needs against a large set of Functional Requirements. The top priority items in the HoQ, that is, Customer Needs and Functional Requirements, are commonly found at the start of the MVT.

As such, the MVT can often replace the HoQ when resources are constrained. Alternatively, the MTV can be used to model which Comprehensive QFD matrices are needed. There is no penalty to doing the MVT first, because by definition, the highest priority information derived from QFD matrices should already be in the columns of the MVT. A well executed MTV is more valuable than a poorly or partially deployed HoQ matrix.

Where can I learn the Maximum Value Table (MVT)?

The Maximum Value Table (MVT) is taught at the QFD Green Belt® training.

The QFD Institute offers public QFD Green Belt® courses several times a year. The same workshop is also available at your business locations. Please inquire by email.

Most attendees are able to begin using this fabulous tool in their work, once they get with it through hands-on practices in the class.


Notes:

Transferring the Customer Need weights into Functional Requirement weights in the HoQ is conventionally done using Independent Distribution calculations (in Excel this function is called SumProduct). These calculations do not support the use of ordinal scale numbers, which was inherited from the 1960-70s Japanese QFD in the pre-computer era. In the late 1980s, the QFD math was upgraded to more precise ratio scale numbers based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and other best practices from Multicriteria Decision Making theory. This upgrade is now taught in the QFD Green Belt® training (including Excel worksheets) and guidance is detailed in the ISO 16355-5:2017 standard.





06 January 2020

March 2020 QFD Workshop

QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course

March 19–20, 2019
Online Brochure
We now offer this course as a live online training workshop. Please visit the Calendar page for the upcoming course dates, or contact the QFD Institute if you have questions.
  • Internationally acclaimed introductory to Modern Blitz QFD®, ISO 16355, No-Matrix QFD.
  • Compatible with QS-9000, Six Sigma, DFSS, Stage Gate, EFQM, TQM, Baldrige, and other quality initiatives.
  • Start applying tools in the class on your own project or practice on a generic model.
  • No prerequisites.

Contact
For questions, please contact us (email).





05 September 2019

ISQFD'19-Boise: The 25th International Symposium on QFD

Over seven decades ago in the aftermath of the WW II, Japanese engineers learned from Dr. W. Edwards Deming about statistical process control (SPC), and taking to heart Deming’s teachings, rebuilt Japan’s industrial base. Over time. SPC morphed it into Kaizen and TQM.

At the height of Japanese quality dominance in the 1980s, a handful of Americans discovered the Japanese secret to new product excellence: Quality Function Deployment (QFD). These Americans, including QFD Institute advisors Larry Sullivan and Bob King, studied with Dr. Yoji Akao, who happily shared his knowledge to anyone who came to him, just like Dr. Deming did decades earlier.

QFD spread globally, triggered by the case studies published through the Symposia on QFD, the first of which was organized in Michigan (USA) in 1989 by Bob Adams and which became the predecessor of the International Symposium on QFD.

The QFD taught in the 1980s, however, was rooted in the 1960s Japanese TQM era and was inefficient in many Western business environments and technology-based product development. Dr. Yoji Akao, one of the founders of QFD, approached the QFD Institute to modernize Japanese 1960s QFD for a 21st century global business environment, with Six Sigma precision and Lean Sigma speed.

With the new ISO 16355 Standard established in 2015, Modern QFD has transcended beyond it’s original manufacturing form to become a universally applicable toolset for new product and business development, business process re-engineering, corporate transformation, innovation, and, of course, quality. Tools included in Modern QFD are Blitz QFD®, Customer Voice Table, Maximum Value Table, modern House of Quality using AHP prioritization math, and many more.

Showcased in the 25th International Symposium on QFD (ISQFD) on September 6–7, 2019 are case studies and research that reflect these exciting advancements including Modern QFD for business transformation. They are but a sample of the state of QFD Best Practice from around the world, taking on important, timely topics and presenting solutions with QFD analytics and tools.

Once again, activities for people of all levels of QFD experience are offered at the 2019 conference: the QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course on September 4–5; QFD Black Belt® Certificate Course on September 9–13; QFD Black Belt® Update Course and QFD Green Belt® Update Course on September 8. These QFD Belt Courses are our way of giving back to our QFD community.

Without the hard work, diligence, and generosity of our authors and presenters and QFD Institute staff, this symposium could not have taken place. Our gratitude for all. We also acknowledge support from the members of the International Council for QFD and the members of the ISO 16355 QFD technical committee.

If you are interested in participating the next ISQFD and/or QFD courses, or if you would like to purchase the symposium transactions, please contact the QFD Institute.



05 January 2019

March 2019 QFD Workshop


QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course

March 7–8, 2019   (Thu–Fri)  

Detroit Metro Airport, Michigan USA

  • Contact:  Email  |   +1 734-995-0847
  • This course has NO prerequisites.

Internationally acclaimed introduction to the cutting-edge modern QFD and ISO 16355, the QFD Green Belt® Course will show ways in which Quality Function Deployment (QFD) can solve issues you face in product, service, software, and process development, as well as help identify innovative solutions and new opportunities.
  • What is QFD, what you should and should not do when implementing
  • State-of-the-art QFD curriculum (See Why you should update your QFD practice?)
  • Current best practices and modern tools
  • Modern Voice of Customer analysis
  • Gemba study tools
  • Prioritization using AHP: Analytic Hierarchy Process (templates included)
  • Solid ISO 16355 QFD foundation and sound practices essential for Design for Lean / Six Sigma
  • Introduction to ISO 16355
  • Introduction to Kansei Engineering / Lifestyle Deployment, Hoshin, TRIZ, New Kano Model
  • Modern QFD templates, including AHP, Customer Process Model, Maximum Value Table, modern House of Quality with sound math, and more
  • Hands-on practice of the tools and deployment in the classroom—on your own work project (when possible)
  • The only QFD curriculum approved by Dr. Yoji Akao (founder of QFD), outside Japan
  • After-class support for attendees





31 August 2018

Fall 2018 Public QFD Course for You


In response to many inquiries in recent weeks, we have just added another public course on our calendar this fall.

QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course
October 29–30, 2018 in Michigan USA


Internationally acclaimed introductory to Modern Blitz QFD® and ISO 16355, this course is designed for businesses and people who wish to learn the cutting-edge best practice for agility, innovation and leadership essential to compete in today's global market.

The curriculum incorporates the latest advancements in quality, design, and project management. Some of the topics that you will learn in this course include:

    Blitz QFD®
    ISO 16355 (the new QFD standard)
    Wishbone Diagrams
    Semantic and Situation Analysis
    Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)
    Kano Model
    Customer Gemba visits, and more.


This 2-day course will be held at Hampton Inn & Suites Detroit/Airport-Romulus. The hotel offers complimentary airport shuttle services to/from Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) and a very reasonable room rate ($119 + tax) for QFD attendees.

We look forward to having you in this course.
For questions, please contact us.





09 March 2018

ISO 16355 QFD Courses in 2018

Here is your chance to learn Modern Blitz QFD® and ISO 16355 tool set for innovation, new product development, and business process design.


April 12–13, 2018  in Michigan USA
QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course
Details...


April 16–20, 2018  in Michigan USA
QFD Black Belt® Certificate Course
Details...


June 13–15, 2018  in Helsinki, FINLAND
QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course
Details...


Notes:
  • The April 2018 courses (Michigan USA) offer once-a-year opportunity to attend both QFD Green Belt® and QFD Black Belt® in a single trip, without prerequisites. A significant discount is offered for combined registrations.
  • The June 2018 Finland course brings the internationally acclaimed QFD Green Belt® Course closer to those who live in the EU region and nearby.
  • All courses comply with the new ISO 16355 standards, Six Sigma, Lean Sigma, Design For Six/Lean Sigma, and other Quality initiatives.

For questions, please contact the QFD Institute.

We look forward to welcoming you in this class.








05 March 2018

CEAT wins a Deming Prize with Blitz QFD®

The prestigious 2017 Deming Prize was awarded to CEAT Ltd. of India, for their business transformation and Total Quality Management implementation.

The first non-Japanese tire company to win this recognition, the CEAT management and employees have spent nine years to win this honor, and their quality effort still continues.

CEAT also was ranked first in India for OE Tyre Customer Satisfaction, by the J.D. Power 2017 India Original Equipment Tyre Customer Satisfaction Index (TCSI) study.

Achieving this customer-centricity was attributed, in part, to QFD training. Said Shekhar Ajgaonkar, Senior Vice President of TQM:

"You (QFD Institute) have been very instrumental in building the fundamental understanding on customer insighting and Blitz QFD® and inspiring our people especially in marketing and R&D for working on product development in a TQM way, which enabled our people to become more customer-centric.

"Our customer Insight, QFD and Product Development process played a very important part in achieving our strategy and also appreciated by the Deming Prize examiners. As we look back on our journey we can cherish the great new initiatives we began, which provided momentum to continue on this path year over year."

The custom-tailored Blitz QFD® New Product Development methods enabled the CEAT team to align both the marketing and engineering functions in new product development and to seek out opportunities to beat the competition where it matters most to the customer.

Read more about this...

Blitz QFD® Course





01 October 2017

QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course:
Germany October 17-18 | USA November 8-9

We invite you to two upcoming training opportunities, one in EU and another in USA.

QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course

2017 October 17–18
Stuttgart, GERMANY
Course Details
Registration

2017 November 8–9
Michigan USA
Course Details
Registration


Both are ISO 16355-infused Modern QFD training. They have workshop components. This means that:
  • Attendees can bring their own projects to the class (instead of relying on fictitious examples unrelated to your industry); and 
  • They receive step-by-step guidance on how to apply each tool correctly, detailed hands-on exercises and Excel templates.
  • Attendees can also receive ongoing review of their progress after the course.

The QFD Institute's QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course is part of the international program in QFD education, and it is the only QFD curriculum authorized by the late Dr. Akao, founder of QFD.

For questions, please contact the QFD Institute. We look forward to having you in these classes.




13 December 2016

Modern QFD - ISO 16355 training in EU-Baltic

 QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course         

17th - 18th January, 2017
from 8:30 to 17:00 on both days
Tallinn, Estonia
Tallinn, Estonia
We are pleased to bring this exceptional learning opportunity in partnership with the Estonian Association for Quality (EAQ).

Please join us in this Modern Blitz QFD® and ISO 16355 workshop for innovation, new product development, and business process design.

This 2-day course will be taught in English by Glenn H. Mazur, the world's leading expert in the theory and practice of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and the new ISO 16355.

To attend, reserve your seat in this class, or to inquire, please contact QFD Institute or EAQ office (our local partner) now.


Where

Click for Google map
This course will be held at Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences (Eesti Ettevõtleuskõrgkool Mainor; address: Suur-Sõjamäe 10a, Tallinn, Estonia).

This university is about about 3 minutes (1.5 km) by car from Tallinn Airport (airport code: TLL), and about 15 minutes (5.5 km) by car from the Old City Harbour / Vanasadam.

We look forward to welcoming you in this class.

As always, please contact us if you have questions about this course, other training dates, or QFD ISO 16355.




29 August 2016

ISO QFD Training: Public Courses


Compliance with ISO standards is a critical issue in today's global marketplace. ISO compliance assures that customers and suppliers are speaking the same "language," managing expectations, and agreeing on standards of performance.

For those responsible for product development, compliance with the new ISO 16355 is highly critical. This standard includes today's state-of-art QFD best practices, which have long evolved from the familiar House of Quality made popular in the 1970s.

The impact of this standard is huge, and providers of goods and services who comply will have a tremendous advantage in the marketplace.

Quality professionals including Six Sigma, Lean Sigma, DfSS, and DfLS are uniquely qualified to implement this standard. Many of the methods and tools you use to improve your internal operations can now be re-purposed to improve your customer's operations and products. This shifts the financial impact from cost reduction to revenue creation, an almost unlimited opportunity.

ISO 16355-1:2015 was released in December 2015. Parts 2, 4, 5, and 8 are in pre-publication phase and expected by the end of 2016 or early 2017. The remaining parts should follow soon after.

Now is the time to get ahead of your competitors on ISO 16355 compliance.
 
Two public courses are coming up, taught by the convener of the ISO 16355 Working Group.  We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity.


  • September 12-16, 2016
    QFD Black Belt® training
    Hampton Inn Boise Downtown in Boise, Idaho USA
    PDF Brochure      |     Registration

    Advanced training for the current and future project leaders, DFLS/DFSS champions, corporate trainers, and anyone who seek to develop advanced NPD and CRM skills. This course may be attended without prerequisites by selecting the "Facilitator's Package." Otherwise, prerequisites apply.

    Registration of this course also includes the International Symposium on QFD (Sept 9-10) at the same venue, modern QFD templates, ISO 13655 bibliography materials with case studies, and the entire set of the symposium transactions from 1989 to 2016.


14 August 2016

ISO 16355 Application Examples

Already some companies are implementing the key points of the new ISO 16355 standard.

Please join us in the upcoming 22nd International Symposium on QFD, September 9-10, 2016 to gain the first-hand knowledge on which companies are doing so, why and how they are implementing the modern tools prescribed in the new ISO rather than traditional methods, and what you need to know to stay competitive. Here are some of them:


QFD and the Systems Engineering Way of Working

image by wikipedia/Tosaka/Rolls Royce
This presentation will discuss the integration of Modern Blitz QFD® and Pathfinder, a Systems Engineering (SE) approach developed at Rolls Royce. In addition to the modern QFD tools such as Projects Goals Table, Customer Segment Table, Affinity Diagram, Hierarchy Diagram, AHP, and Maximum Value Table, the flow of Pathfinder tools such as Stakeholder Map / Context and Boundary Diagrams and Viewpoint Analysis are employed. The presentation will support the ISO 196355 standard to reference good practice and evidence of usage in industry.

Speaker: Steve Dimelow, QFD Green Belt®, Systems Engineering Specialist, Rolls-Royce plc., United Kingdom


Soft Systems Method Integration With Sustainable Energy Systems Development Using ISO 16355


Soft Systems Method Integration With Sustainable Energy Systems Development Using ISO 16355
The Soft Systems Method was developed by Peter Checkland's team at Lancaster University in the 1970s to help analyse complex situations or 'soft problems' where the problem for which a solution is sought is not clearly understood, or for which differences of opinion exist as to the precise nature of the problem. Such a 'soft problem' exists in the development of sustainable (economic and environmental) energy systems. This presentation will illustrate how modern QFD methods described in the 'ISO 16355 standard for QFD' have been used in the UK's Energy Technologies Institute to help in the analysis of the 'soft problem' of transition to low-CO2 energy systems. Illustrations will be given on how these methods can be used to establish system specifications and designs.

Speaker: Dr. Kim Stansfield, QFD Black Belt®, Senior Teaching Fellow, Warwick University WMG, United Kingdom


Using AHP In QFD - The Impact of the New ISO 16355 Standard


Traditional QFD uses ordinal weights-percentages of a total to describe priorities for customer's needs and technical solution approaches. AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), on the other hand,  works with profiles-vectors of unit length one, making it mathematically possible to add, substract and compare profiles. The ratio method proposed by Dr. Saaty to calculate priority profiles in AHP has been a part of Modern QFD for some time.
In fact, the new ISO standard 16335 suggests using the ratio scales and profiles in QFD, instead of the ordinal correlation strength indicators.

Not understanding how to properly apply AHP in QFD, however, could lead to project failures, especially if you are still using the traditional House of Quality matrix.  AHP is used in many steps in QFD, but this presentation will focus primarily on the House of Quality matrix.

Speaker: Thomas Fehlmann, Ph.D., Senior Consultant, Euro Project Office AG, Switzerland


ISO 16355 - Keeping Up with Global Best Practice


This presentation will outline the structure of the eight parts of the new ISO 16355, how they build on older QFD models from the 1970s and 80s, and what you need to do to become a leader and facilitator of this Modern QFD standard.

These include not only the classical House of Quality, but also more streamlined Blitz QFD®, strategic hoshin planning, competitiveness, project management, on-site customer visits, survey design, prioritization, quality assurance, innovation, cost management, reliability, optimization, supplier management, make and build, commercialization, support, retirement, and flow to next generation products.
New Product Development professionals will want to master these global best practices so they can engage their organizations in surging ahead of their competitors in creating the truly great products their customers demand.

Speaker: Glenn Mazur, QFD Red Belt®, QFD Institute, International Academy for Quality







27 February 2016

New ISO 16355-1 for QFD



Since 2009, an international team of QFD experts convened by the QFD Institute has been writing the new ISO standard 16355 for QFD. The Part I is now on sale through various standards organizations listed below.

The purpose of the standard is to guide the global community of QFD practitioners, international businesses, and Quality and Design professionals in complying with the skills they need to achieve 21st century levels of innovation and quality in their new products.

To comply with this standard—more accurately, to be able to use the standard successfully, you must possess important QFD foundations.

Simply copying from the standard will not help achieve the desired success. You must know how to tailor QFD methods discussed in the standard, you must be able to distinguish which QFD tools and which deployments in what sequence are best for your project, not falling into copying something that turns out to be detrimental to your particular project.

To develop the sound QFD foundation to comply with ISO 16355 and develop successful product development skill-set, consider proper training. This will save you from making costly mistakes, wasting resources, and project failure.

The papers and links referenced in the standard and its Tool Matrix have been complied in a 1400+page eBook, which was complimentary to the March 2016 QFD Green Belt® attendees. After that, this eBook is available from the QFD Institute. It contains case studies using the tools cited in the ISO 16355 as well as other resources. 

Standard organizations selling ISO 16355-1:2015 (Part I):
  • ISO (International Standards Organization)
  • ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
  • ASQ (American Society for Quality)
  • BSI (British Standards Institute)
  • DIN (German Institute for Standardization)
  • JSA (Japan Standards Association)
  • NEN (Netherlands NEN)
  • EESTI (Estonian Centre for Standardisation)
  • SIS (Swedish Standards Institute)
  • NO (Standards Norway)
  • AFNOR (France)
  • Normservis (Czech Republic)
  • SCC (Standards Council of Canada)

Original post Feb. 27, 2016.  Updated March 25, 2016.




17 November 2014

Upcoming Public QFD Courses
— Learn today's best methods and tools

All events listed here will be held at Charleston Marriott in Charleston, South Carolina USA. The 1-day Symposium on December 5, 2014 is complimentary to the course attendees.

Registration Page.
For questions, please contact the QFD Institute.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course
December 3–4,  2014  (Wed & Thurs)

    QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course
  • Your chance to learn Modern Blitz QFD®.  
  • Learn how to do QFD analysis without the outdated 4-house matrices, without the resource-consuming House of Quality matrix.
  • Learn how to do a Gemba and VOC analysis, correctly identify and prioritize customer needs, transform them into design specifications of customer-value and innovative solutions, deploy them throughout your new product/service development process — with agility and efficiency essential to today's lean environment. 
  • Templates included (modern QFD, AHP, modern House of Quality, Maximum Value Table, and more).
  • No Prerequisites.

QFD Black Belt® Certificate Course
December 8–12,  2014  (Monday - Friday)

    QFD Black Belt® Certificate Course
  • Advanced QFD training for DFLS/DFSS black belts and master black belts, trainers, facilitators, innovation leaders, corporate training scouts, and anyone who is inspired to be a project leader.  
  • Learn the full depth and breadth of Modern Comprehensive QFD, including detailed instructions on how to correctly deploy a House of Quality matrix for its full power, with correct data input and prioritization.
  • Learn how to expertly integrate your own process and other quality and design methods such as DFLS, Hoshin, Kansei Engineering, TRIZ, Critical Chain, six sigma DMAIC, StageGates, DFMEA and more. 
  • Templates included (modern QFD, AHP, modern House of Quality, Maximum Value Table, and more), and over 1,000 pages of training manual.
  • Prerequisites: Qualified graduates of the QFD Green Belt® Courses.

If you have attended the above courses more than three years ago, now is the time to refresh your knowledge and skills in these semi-private coaching sessions:
    QFD Update Courses
  • QFD Green Belt® Update Course is the continuing education for QFD Green Belt® graduates. This half-day course is conveniently scheduled on December 7, 2014, 4 PM - 7:30 PM.
  • QFD Black Belt® Update Course is the continuing education for QFD Black Belt® graduates. Attendees of this full-day course on December 7, 2014 receive the latest copy of both QFD Green Belt® and QFD Black Belt® training manuals.
We look forward to meeting you in these Charleston QFD events.



17 October 2014

Is it mean to mean different things with the same words?

One strength of Modern Blitz QFD® and its powerful voice of customer analysis toolset is a way to more deeply understand the customer's words, since different cultures, regions, age groups, sexes, and so forth can use the same words to mean different things.

The other day, I was listening to the rock opera Tommy by the Who, and in the song Pinball Wizard is the line "…sure plays a mean pinball." Even though I have heard that song a hundred times or more, it suddenly occurred to me, does that mean he plays average pinball or above average pinball?

If you ask us quality specialists, "mean" means average. If you ask us hippies (the album was released in 1969), "mean" means wickedly good, and certainly better than average. Same word, different meaning depending on who says it and in what context.

In his hilarious book Dave Barry Does Japan, the author offers a translation table. My favorite is "We will study your proposal" translated into American English as "We will feed your proposal to a goat."

(we will feed your proposal to a goat)

My point is this, QFD should start with the voice of the customer, but that voice must be translated in order to understand its true meaning.



23 August 2014

QFD in Europe - Reporting 2014 QFD activities across EU

2014 has been a big year for QFD in Europe.
The statue of Poseidon in Gothenburg
photo: Historiker/Wiki Commons
  1. The spring blossomed with QFD Green Belt® and QFD Black Belt® in-company training sessions in Nuremberg Germany, Prague Czech Republic, and Waterloo Belgium. Several projects are well under way.
  2. The summer heated up with a June QFD workshop during the International Academy for Quality (IAQ) annual meeting in Stenungsbaden Sweden, using QFD tools to capture the voice of the IAQ membership (including our Chair, Sr. Mary Jean Ryan) in order to explore ways to improve the membership experience. The session was followed by an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet and musical dinner cruise!
  3. Next was a special Pre-EOQ Congress session in Gothenburg Sweden attended by 37 participants. This included a 2.5 hour QFD White Belt® training session to introduce the new VOC (Voice of the Customer) and AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) tools used in Modern Blitz QFD®.
  4. In the main European Organization for Quality (EOQ) session was a paper on the ISO 16355 standard (new QFD standard).
  5. Vienna
    photo: Eliza0027/Wiki Commons
  6. The ISO Technical Committee (TC) 69 for Statistical Methods held its annual plenary session in Vienna Austria later in June. We were able to finalize the ISO 16355 draft and launch its commentary phase. Work on Parts 2 and 3 have begun.
  7. The autumn is ablaze with new events, starting with the 20th International Symposium on QFD (ISQFD) as well as a
    QFD Green Belt® course to be held in Istanbul Turkey from September 2 - 5, 2014.  This is a great opportunity for readers in EU and ME regions to attend the today's best QFD training and earn an international QFD certificate.
  8. The 2014 Akao Prize® is being awarded to Associate Prof. Jaroslav Machan of the Czech Republic during the ISQFD.

Keep up the good work, Europe. I will update you on Turkey soon!



14 March 2014

Bonehead specs are not customer needs

An automotive customer may demand these things from its vendor, for example:
  • Performance level or specifications
  • Features or functions
  • Specific hardware or methods
  • Complaint solutions or failure mode prevention
  • Lower prices, etc.
In concept, the product performance, features, and methods outlined by the automaker may seem exciting. But sometimes satisfying these requirements still fails to satisfy the end customers (consumers).

Similarly, customers may express desires for such things as speed, engine power, braking performance, roomy interior, and so forth for a new car. Often these requirements show up in customer surveys, focus groups, various marketing research and even in consumer magazines.

The problem is that what you get from these stated requirements are specifications, not "customer needs." People often confuse the two. The distinction is critical for successful new product development.

"The stated customer wants are only a starting point in design. What they said they want is the best guesstimate of what they think the producer could deliver," says Glenn Mazur, executive director of the QFD Institute. "In New Product Development (NPD), the goal should be creating the future experience and value for the customers."

This is how to better-understand this:


The relationship between the customer needs and what customers tell you is similar to a fishbone diagram, with needs representing the "head" or a desired effect, and the specifications, functions, components, materials, etc. representing the "bones" or causal factors.

Customers are experts in "heads" and producers are experts in "bones." When customers give your bones instead of heads, you get "bonehead specs" ☺ where the customer mistakenly thinks their stated specs will meet their unstated needs. Then. when the product is delivered, it fails to fit their use, and they scream.

In the above automotive industry example,
Classical QFD using a 4-phase model and House of Quality matrix would lump all of the customer-stated requirements together and attempt to prioritize the results.  When you approach NPD that way, price and complaint issues dominate, and innovative product development gets inhibited.

Modern QFD, on the contrary, has specific tools for these:
  • Identify what are product features and specs vs. what are customer needs
  • Uncover 'unstated' customer needs
  • Identify the unknown unknowns
  • Determine what are 'true' customer needs (the foundation for highly competitive products)
  • Set the needs priorities correctly
Modern QFD tools are strongest where you want to make a difference by widening the gap between merely meeting product specifications vs. satisfying the customer.

To truly build the "true customer needs" and innovation in your New Product Development, rather than the same old fixes of complaints and cost-pinching, we invite you to come learn the Modern QFD in the next public courses.

This advice also applies to those who have been doing Classical QFD for many years or learned the old QFD from books.