Page 328 - The Handbook for Quality Management a Complete Guide to Operational Excellence

314 C o n t i n u o u s I m p r o v e m e n t A n a l y z e S t a g e 315

the unstable condition during a specific time period must be addressed
and removed to attain a stable process, which can then be improved
(if needed) as noted above.
At the business level, customer data may be analyzed to estab lish rela-
tionships between customer satisfaction and the internal processes used
to deliver the customer experience. A common tool used for this analysis
is Quality Function Deployment (QFD). In many cases simplified versions
of these tools are used with comparable results. This identification of key
inter nal processes and metrics feeds into operations and process-level
projects in a top-down deployment strategy. This feedback from business-
level projects into the definition of operations- and process-level projects
is a key to successfully harnessing the power of Six Sigma.

Quality Function Deployment
Once information about customer expectations has been obtained, tech-
niques such as QFD can be used to link the voice of the customer directly
to internal processes.
Tactical quality planning involves developing an approach to imple-
menting the strategic quality plan. One of the most promising develop-
ments in this area has been policy deployment. Sheridan (1993) describes
policy deployment as the development of a measurement-based system
as a means of planning for continuous quality improvement throughout
all levels of an organization. Although it was originally developed by the
Japanese, American companies also use policy deployment because it
clearly defines the long-range direction of company development, as opposed
to short term.
QFD is a customer-driven process for planning products and ser-
vices. It starts with the voice of the customer, which becomes the basis
for setting requirements. QFD matrices, sometimes called “the house of
quality,” are graphical displays of the result of the planning process.
QFD matrices vary a great deal and may show such things as competi-
tive targets and process priorities. The matrices are created by interde-
partmental teams, thus overcoming some of the barriers that exist in
functionally organized systems.
QFD is also a system for design of a product or service based on
customer demands, a system that moves methodically from customer
requirements to specifications for the product or service. QFD involves
the entire company in the design and control activity. Finally, QFD pro-
vides documentation for the decision-making process. The QFD approach
involves four distinct phases (King, 1987):
• Organization phase. Management selects the product or service to
be improved, appoints the appropriate interdepartmental team,
and defines the focus of the QFD study.

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