Showing posts with label QFD Black Belt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label QFD Black Belt. Show all posts

08 February 2024

2024 Training Schedule

Here are the 2024 QFD training dates. All are live virtual classes, using the Zoom platform. Please contact us if you have questions.


QFD Green Belt® Training 

Session #1: April 1–3, 2024 @ 11:00–15:00 EDT
Session #2: September 9–11, 2024 @ 09:00–13:00 EDT
(4 hours x 3 days = total 12 hours)

Online Brochure   |   PDF Brochure 


QFD Black Belt® Training

2024
September 16, 23, 30
October 7, 14, 21, 28
November 4, 11, 18.
Weekly 4-hour session x 10 meets (total 40 hours). Class time to be determined based on attendees' preference.

Online Brochure   |   PDF Brochure


QFD Green Belt® UPDATE

September 13, 2024 @ 9:00–13:00 EDT
4 hours x 1 day

Online Brochure   |    PDF Brochure


QFD Black Belt® UPDATE

March 4–5, 2024 @ 11:00–15:00 EDT
4 hours x 2 days

Online Brochure   |    PDF Brochure

 

 

 

08 October 2021

2021 QFD Black Belt® Update Course

You might have moved up within your company, are leading important projects, or might seek new opportunities elsewhere in the future. Staying on top of the advanced QFD knowledge and application skill is important, especially for the QFD Black Belts®.

We are offering the QFD Black Belt® Update Course this November, in response to the inquiries from past attendees of our QFD training who wish to refresh what they had learned in their previous classes so that they can a better QFD practitioner and leader at work. 

QFD Black Belt® Update Course
November 18–19, 2021 (Thur–Fri)
@ 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
  EST (New York Time)
Online Brochure
PDF Brochure
How To Attend

This 2 half-day live online seminar (4-hours each day x 2 days) is for the past graduates of the QFD Black Belt® Courses. This refresher course will bring you up to date to the current global best practices and assist you in transitioning to the new ISO 16355 standard for QFD.

Students will receive a copy of the latest QFD Green Belt® and QFD Black Belt® training manuals and templates, plus a 2-year extension of your provisional QFD Black Belt® status. 

For questions, please contact the QFD Institute.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PS:
New to QFD? Not qualify for this Update course?
We recommend you attend the upcoming QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course, December 13–15, 2021 (4-hours x 3 days) that is also offered as a live virtual workshop.





 

 

24 August 2021

2021 QFD Black Belt® — Virtual Training

The QFD Black Belt® Certificate Course is now offered as a live online training, using the Zoom platform. 

It will be delivered over a 10-week period, with a 4-hour session every week (total 40 hours). This makes it less disruptive to students’ work schedule and allows more time to absorb the intense knowledge. 

2021 QFD Black Belt® Course:

    • Every Monday @ 9 AM – 1 PM (US Eastern/New York Time),
      starting from September 13 and continuing every Monday

      through November 22 (except for September 27).


The curriculum encompasses the breadth and depth of modern Comprehensive QFD per compliance with ISO 16355, and relevant advanced quality and design methods. Most of all, you will be taught how to adapt QFD to unique requirements of the company and project.

This advanced QFD course has prerequisites

If you would like to attend the 2021 QFD Black Belt® but do not meet the prerequisites, please contact us as soon as possible.


 


24 May 2021

2021 QFD Black Belt® Course

 Online Brochure  |  PDF Brochure  

Registration Forms:  PDF or MS Word

 

Starting September 2021, the QFD Institute will be offering the QFD Black Belt® Certificate Course as a live virtual training, using the Zoom platform. 

This facilitator-level advanced course consists of ten 4-hour sessions (40 hours total), currently planned to start in the week of  September 13–17, 2021. 

Those who would like to attend are invited to send their registrations soon — because the dates and time zone will be finalized based on attendee preferences, after their registration forms are received.

Registration Options:
  • You have a Full QFD Green Belt® (with a Gold seal on your certificate):
    Please select [QFD Black Belt® only] on the registration form.
  • You attended a QFD Green Belt® in 2020 or 2021:
    Select [QFD Black Belt® only] on the registration form.
  • You have a Provisional QFD Green Belt® from 2019 or earlier courses:
    Select [QFD Update Package] on the registration form.

We look forward to your joining us in this new virtual training. For questions, please contact us.


PS: You might be also interested in
July 26–28, 2021 QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course
@ 11am–3pm EST (New York time)



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.








01 July 2019

Using QFD and AHP's Structured Analysis to Surface Market Predictions and Formulate Future Strategy

This might come across as strange but we once heard a Navy officer say their number one enemy is the Air Force. It was meant as a metaphor describing how different divisions within an organization fight for the same resources.

Similar situations can be found in the business world. One product division views another as their number one competitor to be defeated, a sales force competes for a territory or market share with another department in the same company, or a VP demands a budget for her group's project pushing back against another VP doing the same for his.

Internal completion is good generally, but when leadership is disconnected for various reasons and travels in conflicting directions, it becomes a problem. It leads to unnecessary redundancy, wasted resources, broken team spirit, and diluted market focus.

While it might not always be possible to cause leadership to change his/her mind, what if you could offer a single view of company activities, market, and competitive environment that everyone can work from? What if you could offer a versatile structured analysis that enables the leadership to see current market direction as well as help them formulate strategic responses to changing elements in the future in a systematic way?

Here is a case study that used Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to surface the market predictions and AHP to discuss and decide on future events, showing the ways to achieve agreement and alignment among the leadership: "Predicting Future Health Insurance Scenarios using Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)". This case study was done by Carey Helper and Glenn Mazur and was presented in 2008 (ISBN 1-889477-20-6). Here are some of the analysis used.
Mr. Carey W. Hepler is one of our QFD Black Belt® graduates and the recipient of the 2010 Akao Prize® for Excellence, a member of the US technical advisory group for the ISO 16355standard for QFD, a Six Sigma Black Belt, and an Net Promoter System Champion at UnitedHealth Group®.

He has been applying various aspects of modern QFD successfully in the healthcare and insurance fields. (See below for a list of some of Carey's papers). We are pleased to announce that Carey will be co-teaching the QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course on September 4-5, 2019 at the 25th International Symposium on QFD in Boise, Idaho USA.

Since its inception, the aim of the QFD Institute training has been to produce practitioners who are capable of applying QFD thinking and tools correctly and effectively in their profession for successful development of new products, services, and business processes, and by doing so, to foster the next generation of QFD practitioners within his/her organization.

Carey is a good example, and we are pleased to have him co-teach in Boise. His experience in the QFD Belt® training will be an added benefit for new students who might have questions on how to go about applying QFD in their work or tips for a successful outcome.

PDF Brochures:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

QFD papers/presentations by Carey W. Hepler:

"QFD and Politics - A Sure Way To Start An Argument"
Carey Hepler, QFD Black Belt®, 2010 recipient of Akao Prize, Solantic Urgent Care (USA)
First of its kind, this paper examines using QFD in a political campaign. QFD is the art and science of taking the voice of the customer (VOC), and, more specifically, the top needs of the targeted customer segments, into consideration before developing a product or service. This paper discusses the specific steps of using Modern Blitz QFD® tools for an actual election campaign by his wife for a Florida county judgeship. Specifically, how to: 1) select target segments; 2) use the voice (top needs) of the target segment customers to develop the strategy; 3) create messaging; and 4) deploy the messaging to the targeted segments. [ISBN 1-889477-24-9]

"The QFD Process at Medtronic - Creating the Next Generation of Insulin Pumps and Sensors"
Carey Hepler, QFD Black Belt®, 2010 recipient of Akao Prize, Medtronic; Cary Talbot, QFD Black Belt®, Senior Marketing Product Planner, Medtronic, USA
Changes in technology and customer expectations are creating many new opportunities for medical device organizations. As the oldest and most respected diabetic medical device organization in the world, Medtronic MiniMed strives to stay ahead of the competition by quickly responding to these changes with new and improved insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring products. Recently, we have began using QFD to discover the unspoken customer needs for targeted portions of our population. QFD has allowed us to convert their needs into new products, services, and features to delight and attract new customers as well as retain current customers. This paper will describe some of the new opportunities we are facing, and show step by step how we are addressing them by understanding the Voice of the Customer and innovating and implementing exciting solutions. [ISBN 1-889477-23-0]

Predicting Future Health Insurance Scenarios using Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)
Carey Hepler, QFD Black Belt®, Innovation Director, BCBS of Florida, USA; Glenn Mazur, QFD Red Belt®, QFD Institute, USA
This project used a combination of QFD, AHP, and other forecasting tools to look at possible 2008 election and policy outcomes and what new opportunities might be created to service both traditional members of health insurnce products as well as those who are uninsured in the State of Florida. The identified scenarios can be used to map and prioritize different market segments, formulate key customer needs into value propositions, determine strengths and weaknesses in their current competencies and capabilities, and then initiate service quality projects to begin improving those areas where customers will need them most. Several quality methodologies have been used to design successful products. [ISBN 1-889477-20-6]

The Many Faces of AHP - How to use AHP with Different Audiences for Maximum Results
Carey Hepler, QFD Black Belt®, Innovation Director, BCBS of Florida, USA; Glenn Mazur, QFD Red Belt®, QFD Institute, USA
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) is the oldest and most respected health insurance organization in the State of Florida. This paper discusses the company's use of AHP in terms of audience and technology delivery, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each of the technologies when working with the company's constituent groups. [ISBN 1-889477-19-2]

Finding Customer Delights Using QFD
Carey Hepler, QFD Black Belt®, Integrated Market Intelligence, BCBS of Florida, USA; and Glenn Mazur, QFD Red Belt®, QFD Institute, USA
Changes in market demographics and the regulatory environment are creating many new opportunities for health-care and related organizations. As the oldest and most respected health insurance organization in the State of Florida, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) strives to stay ahead of the competition by using QFD to discover the unspoken customer needs for an underserved portion of our population. QFD has allowed us to convert their needs into new products, services, and features to delight and attract new customers as well as retain current customers. This paper describes some of the new opportunities we are facing, and shows step by step how we are addressing them by understanding the Voice of the Customer and innovating and implementing exciting solutions. [ISBN 1-889477-18-4]




03 June 2019

 The 25th International Symposium on QFD
 ISO 16355 QFD Training
 September 4 - 13, 2019
 Boise, Idaho USA

The 25th International Symposium on QFD (ISQFD)

September 6 - 7
  • Brochure:    WEB    |    PDF
  • Tutorial "QFD for Business Transformation"

QFD Green Belt® Certificate Course

September 4 - 5
  • Course Contents:   WEB   |   PDF
  • Internationally acclaimed introductory to Modern Blitz QFD®, ISO 16355, No-Matrix QFD
  • Compatible with 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.
  • Includes templates for modern QFD / modern House of Quality / AHP, ISO 16355 QFD reference materials, and the International Symposium on QFD (Sep 7-8).

QFD Black Belt® Certificate Course

September 9 - 13
    • Course Details:  WEB   |   PDF
    • Advanced modern QFD®, ISO 16355 for revenue producing new product development, full deployments of modern Comprehensive QFD, Kansei Engineering (Lifestyle QFD), Hoshin Kanri, New Kano Model, TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving), Reverse QFD, and more.
    • 5-day facilitator-level training with hands-on workshop elements. Includes the QFD Black Belt® level templates, ISO 16355 QFD reference materials, over 1,000-page training manual and case studies, plus International Symposium on QFD (Sep 7-8).
    • This course has prerequisites. However, those who select the Facilitator's Package can attend the QFD Black Belt® without prerequisites. 


    QFD Black Belt® Update Course
    September 8 @ 8 am - 3 pm
    • Course Details:   WEB    |    PDF
    • Semi-private coaching / refresher for the past graduates of the QFD Black Belt® course.
    • Registration: Please select "QFD Black Belt® Update Package."  

      QFD Green Belt® Update Course
      September 8 @ 4 pm - 7 pm
      • Course Details:   WEB    |    PDF 
      • Semi-private coaching / refresher for the past graduates of the QFD Green Belt® course, especially those who earned a provisional QFD Green Belt® more than 18 months ago and/or those who wish to advance to the QFD Black Belt® level. 
      • Registration: Please select "QFD Black Belt® Package #1" or "QFD Green Belt® Update Package".


      Venue


      Hampton Inn & Suites Boise Downtown
      495 S. Capitol Blvd.
      Boise, Idaho 83702 USA
      TEL: +1 208-331-1900

      Hotel Reservation page: $140 + taxes
      This hotel provides complimentary shuttle service from Boise Airport (BOI).

      Travel Information



      Contact

      Please contact the QFD Institute if you have questions about the above events.
      We look forward to seeing you in Boise this September.







      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.








      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.


      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.



      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!