Enterprises and supply chain networks around the world today are faced with intense competition. Although competition has been on several fronts, the essential features of quality strategies and management have always centered around customer needs and requirements. Quality function deployment (QFD) has long been recognized as an effective tool to support enterprises and supply chain networks become more competitive by designing their products and service to satisfy customers' needs and requirements.
Madu's latest book on QFD provides a comprehensive guide to conducting and managing a successful QFD effort within an enterprise. While reading this book, readers are bound to be impressed by the author's presentation and organization style, which appears to be very precise and direct. To remain competitive in the twenty‐first century, for example, according to Madu, a structured quality approach such as QFD needs to be adopted:
set quality objectives based on voices of the customers and the exercise of analytical hierarchy processes (AHP);
understand the performance gap based on the benchmarking efforts;
identify activities in carrying out innovative action plans;
align innovative action plans with business strategy;
design quality into a manufacturing network;
employ statistical quality control to monitor the capability of processes;
break down barriers and optimize the concurrent engineering efforts;
implement improvements by applying the Plan‐Do‐Study‐Act (PDSA) cycle to a system;
maximize the human capacity through education and training; and
organize for cost control, productivity improvement, and quality transformation.
This QFD way is also known as “action follows voice”. The former requires the enterprises of concern to master the challenges of product quality and process quality. The latter is concerned with translating a set of quality objectives into action plans for further execution.
Recognizing that an understanding of Six Sigma is a vital asset to any QFD team, the book includes an important chapter on Six Sigma and QFD. Madu provides a well‐elaborated version with respect to the following:
WHY Sigma? For the satisfaction of customers.
WHO does it? Structured top‐down hierarchy or trained personnel.
WHAT is it? Statistical thinking using data to combat process variation and making expert use of statistics and Kaizen methods to improve a wide variety of function.
WHERE is it? Standardized frameworks of “define‐measure‐analyze‐improve‐control” or “identify‐design‐optimize‐verify”.
HOW is it done? Implementing strategy through projects. Software packages for information analysis.
WHEN is it done? Sustained efforts via policy development.
Madu takes readers from measurement issues in Six Sigma to the implementation of Six Sigma and QFD and provides the readers with a road map to remain competitive in today's dynamic business environment. This chapter is an excellent introduction to the subject for anyone involved in the quality improvement and Six Sigma programs of an organization.
To show QFD in action, short cases (Host Marriot, National City Bank, Integrated Watershed Management, Six Sigma in hospitals, Champion Road Machinery Ltd, General Electric's Aircraft Engines Division, Toyota) are also presented. Review questions are presented at the end of each chapter.
To stay abreast with the new developments in the area of QFD, senior executives, consultants, practitioners, middle line managers, and business students should read this book.
