The designer organisation: Organisations too can benefit from the application of design and quality tools, and with startling results!

This paper outlines the design of a completely new global business‐critical organisation. The design process utilised and reconciled the diverse range of experience and opinions of the people who are to work within the new organisation in order to establish full and active commitment to its success. Quality function deployment (QFD) was used to drive a series of group discussions, ensuring full participation in objectively determining the organisation's objectives, processes, strategies and priorities. The tools were adapted to ensure the continued interest and engagement of busy, pragmatic, senior executives who were subject to the typical day‐to‐day pressures of running a high‐profile business. The steps that were taken to achieve this are explained and supported with practical illustrations. The commitment, objectivity and creativity generated through QFD led to doubling and tripling of performance and cost savings of $3 million per annum. QFD provides an extremely powerful and effective tool for the planning and management of an enterprise.