QFD Case Histories

Abstract

Reading Quality Function Deployment case studies can be useful for understanding how professionals applied QFD and what the specific findings were. In this chapter, we take a look at eight real QFD projects, four in detail and four others briefly. However, imaginary names have been used for the companies involved. The Geotherm case study focuses on a small company that sells geothermal heat pumps, it is a longitudinal study, and in fact QFD was applied on two occasions. Wepartner is a large association of small and artisan companies, that applied QFD to study a territory and its potentialities. Citymove is a public transport company and the aim in that case was to understand who the customer was and how the service offered could be redefined. Elight shows the case of a lighting company which was going to plan the new product line. Paint is a paints producer that deployed QFD to design its production process better. Insure is a telephone and web based insurance company and the case study concerns the organisational planning of the Insure call centre. Mobile 1 is a project our team managed some time ago concerning new product planning for a mobile phone. Stone provides services to marble workers. Our target was to study the needs of registered companies and increase service performance through QFD. Each case has its own peculiarities that will be discussed. The reader needs a certain amount of knowledge about QFD, so I recommend reading Chaps. 2, 3 and 4 beforehand.