1.4.4 Use of QFD as an Integrated Product Team Tool to Select Concepts Based Upon Requirements

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe potential for improved weapon load outs on advanced aircraft was recognized by the Wright Laboratories, Munitions Division as a key enabling technology for dramatic improvements in the system performance and affordability. The dilemma faced by the Laboratory was the plethora of enabling technologies, and design concepts. Their combinations were staggering. Given recent weapon technology investments and varying strongly held professional opinions on the best aircraft integration approach, the way ahead was not obvious. Over 1000 potentially feasible combinations of options were available.The laboratory was interested in demonstrating feasible technologies to reduce risk and increase the technical readiness of compressed weapons technologies.The overall goal was to increase the sortie effectiveness of small, F‐16 class fighters by over an order of magnitude using new smaller more accurate munitions currently in development. Resources were available for further development of a limited number of compressed weapons technologies and aircraft carriage technologies. The way we chose to rapidly and accurately identify the high payoff concepts was the use of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) as a formal systems engineering tool in an Integrated Product Team environment. The use of QFD enabled the IPT to select high payoff technologies based upon “system requirements” and a high degree of professional knowledge and experience. The QFD process enabled us to eliminate biases built in from the different organizational views of the team which was made up of government/industry, weapon/aircraft, primes and suppliers and to identify synergistic concepts worthy of additional design and development.