The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Weblog

Swapping Order

admin — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:19:10 +0000

Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time moving the requirements around in my QFD spreadsheet. I use a template much like the House of Quality (QFD) Template that is produced by QFD Online. I would use the one produced by QFD Online, only my template has a couple of essential items that I need for my job that QFD Online’s doesn’t have. Among these items are a Rank column that takes dependency into account and a column for referencing an ID used by a separate tracking system. My template also includes some handy macros and other things.

What my template doesn’t include, however, is the ability to move requirements around easily. This is also true of QFD Online’s templates. If you want to change order, then you have to go through a painful copy-paste-clear process that takes hours to complete on a populated QFD. Like I said, I spent hours doing it.

I would have like to have been able to use QFD Online’s web-based “QFD Builder” software, but like their templates, it doesn’t take dependencies into account. What it does do, however, is facilitate sorting and re-ordering of requirements very easily. I hope that they will continue to augment this application because it is affordable (read “free” currently), and it is much easier to modify than my current templates. Unfortunately, it still lacks a little in functionality.

Review of “Which Requirements Are Required”

admin — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:54:23 +0000

An article recently appeared on Quality Function Deployment Online entitled “Which Requirements Are Required“. This article takes a look at the process for grooming a House of Quality and maintaining managable requirements lists.

The article offers some good advice including algorithms for evaluating requirements from either axis in a House of Quality. These algorithms depend primarily on inspecting the “Max Rating Value” in the relationship matrix. The article also emphasizes the fact that there are no magic limits to the number of requirements that should be used in any given QFD/HOQ.

I’d recommend the article to anyone who is concerned that their QFD has become a bit unweildy.

Review of QFD Online

admin — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 04:03:03 +0000

QFD Online is web-based magazine that produces Quality Function Deployment and House of Quality articles.

QFD Online also produces some free Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and House of Quality Templates for Excel. These templates are akin to software that allow users to produce House of Quality matrices as spreadsheets inside Microsoft’s Excel. There are 4 different templates to choose from, based on the needs of the user. Interestingly, they do not offer any Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) templates for Excel at this time.

There appears to be some emphasis on the relationship between the Quality Function Deployment tools and the Agile Development/Manufacturing methodologies at this site. They also have a running series on “Remodeling the House of Quality™”.

Additionally, they have a directory of external Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and/or House of Quality resources such as links to a Flash-based QFD Tutorial.

In all, the site appears to be an excellent resource for QFD novices as well as those who are deeply steeped in its processes.