Page 259 - Design for Six Sigma a Roadmap for Product Development

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) 229

Step 2: Identify the HOWs and the relationship matrix. The purpose of this
step is to define a “good” product or process in terms of customer expec-
tations, benchmark projections, institutional knowledge, and interface
requirements, and to translate this information into CTS metrics.
These will then be used to plan an effective and efficient DFSS project.
One of the major reasons for customer dissatisfaction and warranty
costs is that the design specifications do not adequately reflect cus-
tomer use of the product or process. Too many times the specification
is written after the design is completed, or it is simply a reflection of
an old specification that was also inadequate. In addition, poorly
planned design commonly does not allocate activities or resources in
areas of importance to customers and wastes engineering resources by
spending too much time in activities that provide marginal value.
Because missed customer requirements are not targeted or checked in
the design process, procedures to handle field complaints for these
items are likely to be incomplete. Spending time overdesigning and
overtesting items not important to customers is futile. Similarly, not
spending development time in areas important to customers is a
missed opportunity, and significant warranty costs are sure to follow.
In DFSS, time is spent upfront understanding customer wants,
needs, and delights together with corporate and regulatory require-
ments. This understanding is then translated into CTS requirements
(CTSs), which then drive product and process design. The CTSs
(HOWs) as well as the relationship matrix to the WHATs are given in
the following table:

Importance to the customer
Meet time expectations
Know my business & offers
Save money/enhance productivity
Do it right the 1st time
Consultative
Know our products & processes
Talk to 1 person
Answer questions
Courteous
Adequate follow-up
A mapping begins by considering the high-level requirements for the
product or process. These are the true CTSs which define what the cus-
tomer would like if the product or process were ideal. This consideration
of a product or process from a customer perspective must address the
requirements from higher-level systems, internal customers (such as