PapersFlow Research Brief
Quality Function Deployment in Product Design
Research Guide
What is Quality Function Deployment in Product Design?
Quality Function Deployment (QFD) in product design is a structured management method that translates customer requirements into technical specifications through a series of interconnected matrices, starting with the House of Quality.
QFD deploys the voice of the customer throughout product development stages, including R&D, engineering, and manufacturing, as implemented by firms like Toyota and Mitsubishi. The House of Quality serves as the core tool, linking customer needs to engineering characteristics, with over 50 applications at Ford alone. The field encompasses 14,457 works on topics such as fuzzy logic models and supply chain integration.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Fuzzy QFD Models
Researchers integrate fuzzy set theory into QFD to handle linguistic customer requirements and uncertain weights in the House of Quality. Studies develop fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS hybrids for robust prioritization under vagueness.
QFD in Supply Chain Management
Applications extend QFD to supplier selection and integration, linking customer needs to supply chain performance metrics. Research proposes multi-stage QFD frameworks for sustainable sourcing and logistics optimization.
Customer Requirements Prioritization in QFD
Methods like Kano model integration and ANP are used to prioritize voice of customer in QFD matrices. Studies validate approaches through case studies in automotive and electronics industries.
QFD for Service Quality
Adaptations of QFD for intangibles in services, such as healthcare and hospitality, map service blueprints to customer expectations. Research incorporates SERVQUAL dimensions into service House of Quality.
Integration of QFD with Multi-Criteria Decision Making
Hybrids combine QFD with TOPSIS, AHP, and VIKOR for engineering characteristics optimization. Empirical studies compare hybrid performance in product design scenarios.
Why It Matters
QFD enables companies to prioritize customer requirements in product design, leading to improved quality and market success; for instance, Toyota originated it in 1972 at Mitsubishi’s Kobe shipyard, and ITT, Ford, and General Motors adopted it, with Ford reporting more than 50 applications. "The Voice of the Customer" by Griffin and Hauser (1993) details how QFD deploys customer input across R&D, engineering, and manufacturing stages. "The House of Quality" by Hauser (1988) demonstrates its role in translating market needs into design parameters, supporting strategic management and multi-criteria decision making in industries like automotive and manufacturing.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
"The House of Quality" by Hauser (1988) is the first paper to read, as it introduces the core matrix linking customer needs to technical specs with real examples from Toyota and Ford.
Key Papers Explained
"The House of Quality" by Hauser (1988) provides the foundational matrix; "The Voice of the Customer" by Griffin and Hauser (1993) builds on it by detailing customer input deployment across development stages; Saaty (2008) extends with AHP for measurement in QFD decisions; Vaidya and Kumar (2004) survey AHP applications connecting to QFD prioritization.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Research emphasizes integrating multi-criteria methods like fuzzy TOPSIS (Chen 2000) with QFD for supply chain and service applications; no recent preprints signal focus on established extensions in strategic management.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Decision making with the analytic hierarchy process | 2008 | International Journal ... | 9.6K | ✕ |
| 2 | Development and preliminary testing of the new five-level vers... | 2011 | Quality of Life Research | 9.1K | ✓ |
| 3 | Usability Evaluation In Industry | 1996 | — | 4.3K | ✕ |
| 4 | Extensions of the TOPSIS for group decision-making under fuzzy... | 2000 | Fuzzy Sets and Systems | 3.7K | ✕ |
| 5 | Analytic hierarchy process: An overview of applications | 2004 | European Journal of Op... | 3.6K | ✕ |
| 6 | Contextual Design: Defining Customer-Centered Systems | 1997 | — | 2.8K | ✕ |
| 7 | A state-of the-art survey of TOPSIS applications | 2012 | Expert Systems with Ap... | 2.3K | ✕ |
| 8 | The House of Quality | 1988 | Harvard business review | 2.3K | ✕ |
| 9 | Multi-criteria decision making approaches for supplier evaluat... | 2009 | European Journal of Op... | 2.1K | ✓ |
| 10 | The Voice of the Customer | 1993 | Marketing Science | 1.9K | ✕ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the House of Quality in QFD?
The House of Quality is the basic design tool of QFD that links customer requirements to engineering characteristics. It originated in 1972 at Mitsubishi’s Kobe shipyard and is used by companies like Toyota, Ford, and General Motors. Hauser (1988) describes its structure for deploying quality requirements in product design.
How does QFD incorporate the voice of the customer?
QFD deploys the voice of the customer throughout R&D, engineering, and manufacturing stages of product development. Griffin and Hauser (1993) explain that it starts with the first house of quality to prioritize customer needs. This process ensures customer inputs drive technical specifications.
What decision-making methods are used with QFD?
QFD integrates methods like the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for prioritizing intangibles alongside tangibles. Saaty (2008) presents AHP as a measurement theory for decision making in QFD contexts. Vaidya and Kumar (2004) survey AHP applications relevant to customer requirement prioritization.
What are key applications of QFD in product design?
QFD applications include automotive design at Ford and General Motors, with over 50 instances at Ford. Hauser (1988) notes its use by ITT and Toyota for translating customer needs into product specifications. It supports supply chain integration and engineering optimization.
How has QFD evolved with fuzzy logic?
QFD incorporates fuzzy logic models for handling uncertain customer requirements in product design. Chen (2000) extends TOPSIS for group decision-making under fuzzy environments, applicable to QFD prioritization. This addresses multi-criteria challenges in engineering characteristics.
What is the current state of QFD research?
QFD research totals 14,457 works, covering customer requirements, strategic management, and service quality. No recent preprints or news coverage from the last 12 months indicate steady application in established domains. Top papers focus on foundational tools like House of Quality and decision methods.
Open Research Questions
- ? How can fuzzy logic extensions improve QFD accuracy in prioritizing ambiguous customer requirements?
- ? What metrics best measure the impact of QFD on reducing product development time in supply chains?
- ? How do AHP and TOPSIS integrate with QFD to optimize engineering characteristics under group decision-making?
- ? In what ways can QFD adapt to service quality beyond traditional product design?
Recent Trends
QFD maintains 14,457 works with no specified 5-year growth rate; top citations remain foundational, such as "Decision making with the analytic hierarchy process" by Saaty at 9560 citations and "The House of Quality" by Hauser (1988) at 2275 citations; absence of recent preprints or news indicates stable emphasis on fuzzy logic and decision-making integrations.
2008Research Quality Function Deployment in Product Design with AI
PapersFlow provides specialized AI tools for Business, Management and Accounting researchers. Here are the most relevant for this topic:
AI Literature Review
Automate paper discovery and synthesis across 474M+ papers
Systematic Review
AI-powered evidence synthesis with documented search strategies
Deep Research Reports
Multi-source evidence synthesis with counter-evidence
See how researchers in Economics & Business use PapersFlow
Field-specific workflows, example queries, and use cases.
Start Researching Quality Function Deployment in Product Design with AI
Search 474M+ papers, run AI-powered literature reviews, and write with integrated citations — all in one workspace.
See how PapersFlow works for Business, Management and Accounting researchers