A systematic method for generating engineering characteristic candidates in quality function deployment

Abstract

The set of the engineering characteristics (ECs) in quality function deployment (QFD) should be comprehensive enough to explain all the given customer requirements. The identification of such a set of ECs, which is currently done using brainstorming in practice, is a challenging task. Notwithstanding the rapid growth of the QFD literature, development of a systematic procedure for identifying ECs has scarcely been addressed. This paper proposes a systematic method for generating EC candidates. By providing a step-by-step procedure, the proposed method ensures that all the important ECs are identified, the generated ECs are measurable, and subjective judgments are minimally required. Hence, the shortcomings associated with the existing practice based on brainstorming can be effectively overcome. The unique characteristics of the proposed method are also demonstrated via a case study.