Showing posts with label blitz qfd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blitz 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.

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

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)

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

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) 
 

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

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.

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

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.












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).





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.







      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





      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







      07 July 2016

      The First ISO Standard for QFD

      We are pleased to announce that ISO 16355, the first ISO standard for QFD, has won full approval, just a few weeks ago at the International Standard Organization meeting in London UK.

      (ISO 16355-1)
      This standard is intended to guide both novice and veteran product and process developers who use QFD, including practitioners of Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma, and Design for Six Sigma.

      One of the important aspects is the decision by the ISO working group to make this standard in descriptive rather than prescriptive, so as to expose practitioners to the full depth and breadth of the QFD concepts and methodology, and not limit to one particular model.

      This decision came from the recognition that we cannot be successful in the future products development when bound by old methods and mindsets, while the world around us is going through rapid changes. For example, a wall-sized House of Quality that worked well forty years ago is no longer effective for today's agile and IT-oriented businesses.

      Therefore, any approach to new product development must continue to transform over time for a business to survive and sustain success. Our working group decided early on to make this new standard stand the test of time in this regard, and open the eyes of QFD practitioners to multiple broad possibilities and options from which they can find a feasible best path for their unique situation, such as Akao's Comprehensive QFD, modern Blitz QFD®, and the German QFD models.

      Read more about the newly approved ISO 16355.

      The standard is now published and available for purchase from the International Organization for Standardization.




      17 May 2016

      ISO QFD Training in EU

      Here are upcoming opportunities for those who live in EU and surrounding regions.

      These events can help you learn how to comply with the new ISO 16355 and modern QFD methods.

      Stay ahead of your competitors who may be still using an outdated House of Quality and conventional approaches. Most important, enhance your professional skills, business performance, and career with the best QFD training.

      • 25–27 May 2016
        QFD Green Belt® training
        at Laatukeskus Excellence Finland (Keilaranta 16, 02150)
        Espoo, FINLAND
        Please register by 21st May, to assure your seat and training materials.
         
      • 31 May 2016  (from 10:00 to 15:00)
        Introduction to ISO 16355
        Half-day seminar at the European Organization for Quality Congress
        at Laatukeskus Excellence Finland (Keilaranta 16, 02150)
        Espoo, FINLAND
         
      • 1 June 2016  (@ 13:30)
        ISO 16355: A Quality Approach to New Product Development
        at the European Organization for Quality Congress
        (Track "Quality Tools and Business Improvement" )
        Helsinki, FINLAND

      http://www.quality2016.eu/program/pre-congress/




        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 May 2014

        The Quality Conference Crush has begun…

        Well, the American Society for Quality (ASQ) World Conference on Quality Improvement (WCQI) has come and gone, and I must say for me, it was a tremendous success.

        Hilton Anatole Dallas was ASQ WCQI venue
        First, it was held in what could only be described as a museum of Asian art – the Hilton Anatole in Dallas Texas. Yes, it took 20 minutes to walk across the lobby to the ASQ center, but the art and the gardens were a welcomed distraction to stave off the fatigue of doing this 3-4 times a day. (I lost a pound of weight despite the never-ending buffets for lunch and dinner!)

        Presentations by leading CEOs, a sketch artist, and others reminded us that quality should also include – fun!  2015 is in Nashville at the OpryLand, so I recommend y'all come on down

        ASQ Division meetings I attended for Healthcare and Service are revising their Body of Knowledges (BOK) and I am pushing to modernize the QFD entries. Some of them are stuck in the 1980s!  I also popped in to the TAG 176 meeting to hear the latest on ISO 9001-2015. This is a BIG thing.

        Concurrent with the ASQ were the annual U.S. meetings of the International Academy for Quality (IAQ) of which I am now Secretary-Treasurer. Our general meeting included updates on work with UNESCO educations projects, work on quality in governance. We had really great introductions on design of experiments for wine and the growth in food and product safety testing in China. I also learned a lot from a presentation on the early philosophers whose work is often cited by quality professionals.
         . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

        Coming up is the IAQ concurrent meetings with the European Organization for Quality (EOQ) to be held in Gothenburg Sweden in June. I'll be presenting a Pre-Congress workshop and a paper on the new ISO 16355 standard for QFD being developed.

        The ISO 16355 QFD standard is going into its first draft to be reviewed in June in Vienna, so I'll be traveling there after Sweden. Stay informed with the ISO 16355 group on LinkedIn.

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


        2014 ISQFD in Istanbul
        Istanbul Turkey is my next stop. The basics of the Modern Blitz QFD® and the ISO 16355 standard will be taught at the International QFD Green Belt® course on 2-3 September 2014. We're running a great early bird discount, so register soon.

        On 4-5 September is the International Symposium on QFD (ISQFD) where we will celebrate 20 years of this annual get-together of the top QFD professionals in the world. Especially folks in Europe, Middle East, and Africa, we are close to home.

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

        The ASQ Technical Communities Conference has invited me to Orlando Florida (yeah Mickey!) to present "Delighting Customers in Health Care using QFD" on 30-31 October 2014. This will include updates on recent projects in clinical, medical device, software, and insurance applications. 
         . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

        For three consecutive years, Charleston was named
        the top U.S. destination by Conde Nest readers.
        Charleston SC is our chosen spot for the North American Symposium on QFD.

        Our 26th consecutive program still has the Call for Papers open (we want you!) and will include updates on ISO 16355.

         As always, we will offer the QFD Green Belt®, QFD Black Belt® and the Update courses.

        Some great package discounts await your registration.  

        So, wherever you are this year, try to catch one of these events. At the least, stay in touch because your official source for QFD is on the move.

         glenn



        04 February 2014

        I'd like my QFD sunny-side up!

        You've earned your Spring Break from the coldest, snowiest winter in recent memory.
        Come to Orlando, Florida for the next QFD Green Belt® training course on March 6–7, 2014.

        Learn modern QFD tools to translate voice of customer into unspoken customer needs, get accurate priorities, and operationalize innovative solutions to what matters most.

        Blitz QFD® uses simple Excel sheets (provided) to feed into, and often replace, the House of Quality and other matrices. Can be applied to systems, modules, components — for hardware, software, service, and healthcare. Bring your own project for the workshops.

        (QFD Green Belt® Course in Orlando FL)
        Online Brochure   |   PDF Brochure   |   Registration

        The course has these components:

        • Workshop 1: Defining project goals and outcomes. (Project Goals Table)
        • Workshop 2: Defining key customers and stakeholders, and their applications/scenarios. (Customer Segments Table)
        • Workshop 3: Planning customer visits (gemba) to see for ourselves, and model what they say and do. (Customer Process Model)
        • Workshop 4: Documenting what goes right (and is to be protected) and wrong (and is to be improved) based on voice of customer and observational study. (Gemba Visit Table)
        • Workshop 5: Translate voice of customer into true customer needs, both spoken and unspoken. (Customer Voice Table)
        • Workshop 6: Structure customers needs to find missing ones. (Affinity Diagram and Hierarchy Diagram).
        • Workshop 8: Deploy high priority needs into solution requirements and concepts. Assure quality in deliver. (Maximum Value Table).
        • Discussion on advanced QFD tools for competitive assessment (Quality Planning Table), complex projects (Modern House of Quality), Emotional Quality (Kansei Engineering), etc.
        • Implementing QFD in your organization.

        Course includes workbook, Excel tool templates for workshops, and related case studies. Bring your own projects for the workshops.