Integration Of Quality Function Deployment Research Articles

An integrated QFD framework for smart city strategy development

PurposeIn this study, the deployment of an integrated Quality Function Deployment (QFD) decision framework is presented to help cities design targeted strategies to become “smart”. Arguably smart cities leverage advanced technologies to enhance their smartness to improve everyday urban life. To this end, a QFD – Analytic Hierarchy Process – Analytic Network Process (QFD-AHP-ANP) framework is proposed to deliver guidance for selecting the appropriate mix of smart technologies based on the specific smart needs of each city.Design/methodology/approachThe AHP and ANP methods are incorporated into QFD to enhance its methodological robustness in formulating the decision problem. AHP accurately captures and translates the “Voice of the Experts” into prioritized “Smart City” dimensions, while establishing inter-relationships between these dimensions and “Smart City Technologies”. Meanwhile, ANP explores tradeoffs among the technologies, enabling well-informed decisions. The framework’s effectiveness is evaluated through an illustrative application in the city of Thessaloniki.FindingsApplying the framework to this real-world context confirms its practicality and utility, demonstrating its ability to particularize local, social, political, environmental and economic trends through the resulting mix of technologies in smart urban development strategies.Originality/valueThe importance of this study lies in several aspects. Firstly, it introduces a novel QFD decision framework tailored for smart city strategic planning. Secondly, it contributes to the operationalization of the smart city concept by providing guidance for cities to effectively adopt smart technologies. Finally, this study represents a new field of application for QFD, expanding its scope beyond its traditional domains.

QFD-based hybrid neutrosophic MCDM approach with Six Sigma evaluation for sustainable product design in Industry 4.0

PurposeThe concept of sustainable product design (SPD) is gaining significant attention in recent research. However, due to inherent uncertainties associated with new product development and incorporation of multiple qualitative and quantitative criteria; SPD is a complex and challenging task. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a novel approach by integrating quality function deployment (QFD), multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) technique and Six Sigma evaluation for facilitating SPD in the context of Industry 4.0.Design/methodology/approachThe customer requirements are evaluated through the neutrosophic-decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory-analytic network process (DEMATEL-ANP)-based approach followed by utilizing QFD matrix to estimate the weights of the engineering characteristics (EC). The Six Sigma method is then employed to evaluate the alternatives’ design based on the ECs’ values.FindingsThe effectiveness of the suggested approach is illustrated through an example. The result indicates that utilization of the neutrosophic MCDM technique with integration of Six Sigma methodology provides a simple, effective and computationally inexpensive method for SPD.Practical implicationsThe proposed approach is helpful in upstream evaluation of the product design with limited experimental/numerical data, maintaining a strong competitive position in the market and enhancing customer satisfaction.Originality/valueThis work provides a novel approach to objectively quantify performance of SPD under the paradigm of Industry 4.0 using the integration of QFD-based hybrid MCDM with Six Sigma method.

A new hybrid MCDM approach for mitigating risks of hazardous material road transportation.

Given the ongoing development of the global economy, the demand for hazardous materials, which serve as essential components for numerous industrial products, is steadily increasing. Consequently, it becomes imperative to devise a methodology for mitigating the risks associated with the road transportation of hazardous materials. The objective of this study is to establish an integrated quality function deployment and multicriteria decision-making (QFD-MCDM) framework and identify the pivotal factors that propel Industry 5.0 (I5.0), thus fortifying supply chain resilience (SCR) and ameliorating the hazardous material transportation risks (HMTR). These measures encompass various strategic areas, including "establish a safe and inclusive work environment", "customized products and services", "enhance production flexibility and strengthen control redundancy", and "real-time data collection and analysis". By adopting these measures, enterprises can lead to sustainable and stable business operations. The findings of this study demonstrate the synergistic potential of integrating I5.0 and SCR in effectively mitigating HMTR. Additionally, these findings offer valuable insights and practical implications for enterprises across diverse industries.

An Integrated QFD and TRIZ Methodology for Innovative Product Design

The paper presents a methodology that integrates Quality-Function Deployment (QFD) and the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) used for generating innovative solutions to design problems. It proposes a modified analytical House of Quality (HoQ) to reveal and prioritize contradictions between design parameters and between customer requirements. The proposed methodology extends the traditional HoQ and eliminates the need for the TRIZ’s Function Analysis (FA) procedure. Function Analysis involves identifying the functions of a product or process elements and trying to find contradictions between the system elements. The usability of the proposed method is illustrated through the redesign of an assembly workshop to overcome major problems addressed by the various stakeholders of the process. The new design of the assembly workshop helps reduce the number of work stages from 3 to 1, reduce the number of workers from 4 to 2, decrease rework, decrease the percentage of damaged products, enhance workplace ergonomics and improve the overall system efficiency.

An interval valued Pythagorean fuzzy AHP integrated quality function deployment methodology for hazelnut production in Turkey

This study aims to investigate the effect of customer expectations and cultivation processes on the hazelnut industry in Turkey. Hazelnut is an essential fruit for meeting the energy needs of the body, and it grows in temperate climates, with Turkey being the largest producer in the world. However, changing climatic conditions, activities carried out unconsciously in the field of production, and the use of agricultural products and their content affect the quality of hazelnuts. To survive in this competitive environment, hazelnut producers in Turkey need to improve the cultivation process and meet customer expectations. In this context, the Pythagorean Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (PF-AHP) integrated Quality Function Deployment methodology is employed to analyze the cultivation process of hazelnuts grown in Turkey. Firstly, customer expectations are defined through literature review, experts' opinions, and customers' opinions on the Quality Function Deployment application. The expectations are then prioritized using PF-AHP. In order to meet the customer expectations, strategies to achieve required technical characteristics are designed based on interviews with producers. A relationship matrix is established to examine the impact of customer expectations on the product and production process, taking into account the technical characteristics. This process is examined using Quality Function Deployment. The results show that “Price stability due to state policies” is the most important customer expectation, and “Low costs” is a vital strategy to improve the quality of hazelnut production. Sensitivity analysis and comparative analysis are performed to evaluate the proposed method and test its accuracy. This study presents a practical and effective approach for farmers and companies to improve the quality of hazelnut production, and can be used as a reference for other agricultural products. The results of the study can provide directions to be developed in the cultivation process for hazelnuts grown in Turkey.

Integrating Quality Function Deployment and Service Excellence for Educational Quality Enhancement in Higher Education

This article aims to analyze the integration of quality function deployment (QFD) and excellent service in improving the quality of education at STT Migas Balikpapan. This research uses a qualitative case study type approach. Data collection techniques are carried out through observation, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis is carried out circularly, starting with data collection, presentation, reduction, and conclusion. The results of this research show that integration of quality function deployment (QFD) and service excellence in order to improve the quality of education at STT Migas Balikpapan is carried out through the identification of customer needs, the transformation of needs into action plans, alignment with superior service, continuous measurement, and evaluation. The results of this research can provide practical guidance for higher education institutions in improving the quality of their education in a way that is more focused, responsive, and oriented to the needs of students and industry. It is hoped that integrating QFD and excellent service can become the basis for educational renewal in similar universities.

Planning to improve the quality of public services using servqual and Quality Function Deployment integration

Service is any activity that is intended or intended to provide satisfaction to customers, but in fact, there are still several service systems that are always complained about by the community, including the problem of family cards (KK) and identity cards (KTP) because these services are the most dominant in the Sepee District Office. This study aims to obtain the quality of service in the district so that it can be repaired or improved the service system. This study uses the integration of Service Quality (Servqual) with a 5-dimensional approach to service quality, namely Tangibles, Reliability, Assurance, Responsive, and Empathy with the integration of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to create a development and planning process in setting specifications for community needs and evaluating strengths and weaknesses on the service process. The results of Servqual and QFD integration in this study can be seen from the Q value which is not in accordance with service quality standards, the Q value shows 0.86 meaning that service quality cannot be said to be good because 0.86 ≤ 1. Based on the Cartesian diagram, 8 attributes are found. In quadrant A high-expectation value and low-performance value). According to the community, the highest attribute whose perceived value is low but whose expectation value is high is that service facilities and infrastructure are complete and sophisticated.

Integrasi Metode Objective Tree Diagram dan Quality Function Deployment dalam Perancangan Hydraulic Ram Pump (Hydram Pump) untuk Sistem Distribusi Air Irigasi Ramah Lingkungan di Sumatera Barat

This study proposes an integration between the Objective Tree Diagram (OTD) and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) methods in the design of a Hydraulic Ram Pump (Hydram Pump) for an environmentally friendly irrigation water distribution system in West Sumatra. The hydram method uses the potential energy of river water to drive the pump without the need for electricity or fossil fuels, thereby reducing negative environmental impacts. This study involved a design phase of Identifying user requirements, Developing an Objective Tree Diagram to decompose the ultimate goals, and Integrating Quality Function Deployment to link user requirements with technical specifications. The design results indicate that the hydram pump can be designed to meet the needs of irrigation systems in West Sumatra. With a minimum waterfall height of 0.5 meters, the hydram pump can produce a head of 10 meters. The inlet flow rate is designed to be a maximum of 0.0354 m3/second, while the outlet flow rate is 0.028 m3/second or approximately 2448 liters daily. Integrating OTD and QFD methods allows designers to comprehensively understand user requirements, connect them with precise technical specifications, and reduce the gap between design and actual needs. This research is expected to contribute to developing an environmentally friendly irrigation water distribution system in West Sumatra. By using an integrative approach of the OTD and QFD methods, the design of the hydram pump can be more targeted and meet user needs. The implications of this research can be utilized as a guide in designing efficient and sustainable irrigation water distribution systems while reducing negative environmental impacts in the region.

Evaluation of sustainable supply chain performance on apple chips using the integration of quality function deployment, fuzzy analytical network process, and data envelopment analysis

Batu City is the largest apple producer in Indonesia, producing around 55,891 tons. One way to optimize supply chains is sustainable supply chain performance in the economic, social, and environmental fields. Problems in apple chip small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) are the price of apples increases in the dry season, accumulation of apple peel waste, and poor employee work performance. This study aimed to analyze the level of importance variables in measuring the supply chain performance level and the strategies to improve the supply chain of apple chips SMEs in Batu City. The integration of quality function deployment (QFD) and Fuzzy analytical network process (FANP) was used to obtain the level of cooperation interest. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) was used to determine the efficiency of each stakeholder's interest. The results showed that the three highest important cooperative behavior factors were production costs (0.16), raw material costs (0.15), and raw material inventory (0.14). The efficiency level of partner cooperation and apple chip SMEs from 17 SMEs indicated that two partners were inefficient, with an efficiency score of 0.973 (D3) and 0.957 (D4). The improvement strategies proposed to apple chip SMEs were reducing production costs, revising agreements between suppliers and farmers, and implementing information technology.

Risk response decisions for projects in project portfolios considering objective adjustments and project interdependencies

PurposeRisk response decisions (RRDs) are vital for project risk mitigation. Although past research has focused on RRDs for independent single projects, it has scarcely explored how to make RRDs for single projects in project portfolios (SPPPs). Consequently, this study aims to bridge the gap in extant literature by developing an integrated approach to select risk response strategies (RRSs) for SPPPs considering objective adjustments and project interdependencies (PIs).Design/methodology/approachAn integrated quality function deployment (QFD) method was used throughout this study. More so, a balanced score card (BSC) and stratified-Z-numbers-full consistency method (SZFUCOM) was applied to identify SPPP success criteria (SP3SC) to determine their weights. In addition, a spherical fuzzy set-design structure matrix (SFDSM) was used to quantify the correlation between the risks and the relationship between the risks and the predecessor projects. Consequently, the relationships between the risks and SP3SC and RRSs were described by the spherical fuzzy set (SFS) and Z-numbers, respectively. Besides, the results are weaved into QFD to transform SP3SC into risks and then into RRSs, while a linear optimization model is used to obtain the optimal RRSs. Lastly, a construction project portfolio (PP) was used to test the veracity of the results to prove their validity.FindingsThe approach to RRDs for single projects is observed to be different from that of SPPPs. In addition, this study finds that project portfolio objective adjustments (PPOAs) and PIs have significant impacts on RRDs given that they influence the risk priorities of independent single projects and SPPPs. Moreover, the application of an integrated QFD effectively synthesized the results from the findings of this study, as well as enabled companies to determine robust RRSs. Finally, the consistency results of the SZFUCOM were better than those of the triangular fuzzy number-full consistency method.Originality/valueThe study innovatively explores the method of RRDs for SPPP, which has been ignored by past research. SP3SC highly compatible with PP success is determined. Z-numbers are first used to evaluate the effect of RRSs to enhance the robustness of RRDs. The study proposes a method of RRDs comprehensively considering PPOAs and PIs, which provides robust methodological guidance for SPPP managers to control risks.

An Integrated Quality Function Deployment and Multichoice Goal Programming Approach for Sustainable Transportation: The Case of Eskişehir

Limiting individual transportation and increasing the share of public transportation has an important place in planning a sustainable transportation system in the urban environments of today. The most important goals for city governments include the ability to attract automobile users to public transportation. At this stage, there is a need for a public transportation system that aims to optimize the criteria of cost, safety, organization, and comfort. It is highly important to measure, assess, and improve the satisfaction of those who use public transportation for sustainable transportation. This study used an integrated quality function deployment (QFD) and multichoice goal programming approach to assess the satisfaction of people who use public transportation and to improve the transportation systems quality. The proposed approach was implemented for the tram system that is currently operational in Eskişehir in Turkey. According to the results that were obtained, with a low cost, it was seen that customer priorities could be met to a great extent as 93.1%. The results of the study are helpful for the decision makers to develop incentive policies regarding public transportation systems.

A voice of the customer real-time strategy: An integrated quality function deployment approach

In the era of Industry 4.0, the rapid development of information technology in the last decade has provided new challenges for product improvement by enabling users to give their feedback and sentiments in real time. In this paper, combining with genetic algorithm back propagation neutral network, fuzzy inference method, and entropy-based synthesis evaluation method, we raise a full-process product improvement solution driven by online reviews, from the initial online review collection to the final engineering characteristic prioritization. The proposed novel integrated quality function deployment-based approach adheres to the customer-oriented design principle, allowing manufacturers to strengthen the launched product based on the spontaneously-articulated voice of customer, rather than the traditional expertise. In this way, an off-the-shelf product improvement strategy is available for enterprises, and its special advantages like fast adaptation and real-time responsiveness, would significantly reduce management costs, shorten response time to market dynamics, and enhance customer satisfaction. In addition, a case study in smartphone industry is conducted for illustration, and the results clearly demonstrate the effectiveness and practicability of the treatment.

Conceptual robot design for the automated layout of building structures by integrating QFD and TRIZ

According to the increase in building size and lack of skilled laborers, layout operation has high demands on automation for productivity and quality improvement. With such a background, research has been recently undertaken to develop an automated layout system based on marking robots for structural work in Korea. Although there are several robot-based automation systems under development targeted at interior works, the system for structural work has different functional needs and technical requirements in designing robots compared with the existing ones. Therefore, this study proposes a conceptual robot design for an automated layout of building structures, based on a systematic design process, by integrating quality function deployment (QFD) and the theory of creative problem solving (TRIZ). With the support of the approach, 11 user requirements and 16 relevant technical characteristics were derived and prioritized, and 15 creative ideas were derived to solve the technical contradictions. The selected design solution improves driving speed by separating driving and marking operations, and the two-wheeled steering drive system with a suspension device allows easier driving control in a narrow and uneven driving environment. The noncontact type of printer head also minimizes the complexity of the device and provides excellent performance in securing marking precision and quality in response to floor conditions. The results of this study will be used for the detailed design of the layout robot system, and the design process can be utilized for designing and evaluating other construction robots and automation systems.

Integrating Quality Function Deployment with Fuzzy Cognitive Maps for Resolving Correlation Issues in the Roof Matrix

The roof matrix represents correlations among engineering characteristics (EC) in the house of quality (HoQ) in Quality Functions Deployment (QFD). Correlations are usually measured qualitatively and omitted in the analysis. However, ignoring them may cause duplication of effort, decreased product performance, and unsatisfied customer requirements (CR). Hence, this paper intends to propose an approach to considering the correlations quantitatively. Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM) were used for this purpose. Additionally, Axiomatic Design (AD), for examining relationships between CRs and ECs, and Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) with the Extent Analysis (EA) were used for checking the consistency of the evaluations. The proposed approach was applied in a sheet metal die making company for ranking CRs and ECs. Results show that FCM enables analyzing the quantitative roof matrix practically. The square roof matrix that also supports FCM’s adjacency matrix structure successfully represents asymmetric relationships among ECs. Integrating the correlations into the analysis resulted in a change in the final ranking. It also helped to determine the most manageable ECs, better satisfiable CRs, and most critical/least manageable ECs.

Assessment of risk propagation during different stages of new product development process

New Product Development Process (NPD) is a key aspect of launching new and innovative products in the market. Many products fail in the market because of technical risks, financial risks and product development time risks. It is very important to understand the overall risk factors associated with different stages of product development so that risks can be mitigated effectively. This paper presents a methodology to understand the risk associated with the initial stages of NPD. Design flexibility is higher in initial design stages requiring minimum redesign efforts and costs. It is a great opportunity to deal with risk factors and uncertainties in initial design stages than the later design stages. Product development costs in initial stages are around 5 to 10 percent but impact is 70 to 80 percent so exploration assessment in initial stages of NPD can be hugely beneficial. Stage-wise risk assessment will also provide the details of risk associated with each stage, which will be helpful in implementing appropriate mitigation strategies. Since transition from one stage to another stage of NPD is independent of the previous stage, different NPD stages can be easily expressed by the transition state of the Markov process. In this paper, the Markov process has been used for the risk assessment of initial stages of NPD, keeping mitigation strategies in mind. The three initial stages of NPD considered in this study include the concept design, detailed design and integration & testing stages. This paper also explores a method by integration of quality function deployment (QFD) and Markov process, to understand risk patterns associated with several complete design solutions (CFDs). By using QFD, the mapping between customer requirements can be reflected into risk assessment of complete design solutions (CFDs). This methodology has been demonstrated by a case study on Coffee Maker.

Improved Model for Generating Incremental Product Innovation Schemes

To realize incremental product innovation, the key problems of existing products need to be identified and solved with feasible innovation schemes. This study examines the generation process of innovation schemes by integrating Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ). This study has the following advantages: first, this study proposes new rules for distinguishing physical conflicts with technical conflicts and the method for calculating conflict importance after building House of Quality (HoQ) in QFD. Second, an improved integrated model of QFD and TRIZ is constructed, which generates innovation schemes by solving not only the conflicts between technical characteristics but also the problems of product parts. Third, the uncertainty and subjectivity of the data provided by decision-makers in the evaluation process of innovation schemes are processed by interval grey numbers. Moreover, a cone model is built to make the evaluation results more reliable. Last, a case study of water purifiers is conducted to illustrate the validity of the generation process of incremental product innovation schemes.

Picture fuzzy set and quality function deployment approach based novel framework for multi-criteria group decision making method

Quality function deployment (QFD) translates customers’ requirements into product design requirements for improving quality and design of the product. Very often, customers’ requirements are uncertain because of imprecision and linguistic representation. Many researchers have integrated fuzzy set (FS) and intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) with QFD to model uncertainty in the preferences of customers’ requirements due to imprecision and vagueness. Since picture fuzzy set (PFS) which is an extension of IFS, has been proved more ideal than fuzzy and intuitionistic fuzzy set in modeling of fuzziness and uncertainty in real life problem of decision making, we have integrated QFD with PFS to propose a multi-criteria group decision making (MCGDM) method. Present study contributes a MCGDM method that uses prominent characteristic of QFD in the integration of heterogeneous preferences of decision makers by splitting them into groups of users and analysts. Positive, negative and no correlations among engineering criteria without normalization in QFD is used in proposed MCGDM method to obtain more precise overall relationship matrix and hence final ranking of alternatives. Feasibility and suitability of proposed MCGDM method is verified by using it on a real case study of ranking of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Twitter in which users are taken as decision makers.

A methodology for supplier selection under the curse of dimensionality problem based on fuzzy quality function deployment and interval data envelopment analysis.

Supplier selection is an important decision-making problem, which involves many quantitative and qualitative factors incorporating vagueness and imprecision. This study proposes a novel fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making framework for supplier selection, which integrates quality function deployment (QFD) and interval data envelopment analysis (DEA). The proposed methodology allows for considering the relationships among the product features and supplier evaluation criteria (SEs) and the impacts of inner dependence among SEs by constructing a house of quality (HOQ). Considering that the number of supplier evaluation indicators is greater than the number of suppliers in some cases, the curse of dimensionality problem usually exists. To solve this problem, we combine the HOQ, interval DEA models, and forward-stepwise selection approach to screen supplier evaluation indicators and select the best supplier(s). Through the two-stage supplier selection method, we can achieve the double screening of indicators and determine the final supplier(s). Finally, the application of the proposed framework is demonstrated through a numerical example and a sensitivity analysis is also carried out to verify the stability of the proposed methodology. This study focuses on supplier selection based on the combination of fuzzy QFD and interval DEA, and also provide a new two-phase methodology for DEA indicator screening.

Deploying Resilience Enablers to Mitigate Risks in Sustainable Fashion Supply Chains

The complex structure of supply chains makes them vulnerable to risk, so enhancing their resilience is an important goal. In particular, fashion supply chain research has identified two important issues that need to be addressed: sustainability and risk. However, investigation of these issues is relatively sparse and has primarily been independent with little combinatory research. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a risk mitigation method that can maximize the resilience of sustainable supply chains for fashion companies. The objective of this study is to develop an integrated quality function deployment approach and to mitigate supply chain risk by deploying resilience capabilities and resilience-enhancing features, thus ultimately providing the fashion industry with a useful approach for the development of resilient, sustainable supply chains. Using a fashion company as an example, the practicability of the proposed approach is verified. To strengthen resilience and thus mitigate key risks, it is found that the most urgent tasks are to reallocate the company’s resources, to carry out the real-time monitoring of risk on the spot, to share the risk responsibility, and to establish an incentive system. When these features are strengthened, agility and adaptability can be improved, and finally, the risks of supplier delays, natural disasters, political instability, and problematic supplier materials with the greatest impact can be alleviated. This study provides a new strategy for the fashion industry for the implementation of resilient, sustainable supply chains to mitigate risks.

Sustainable design of the household water treatment systems using a novel integrated fuzzy QFD and LINMAP approach: a case study of Iran

There is a high possibility that pursuit of water policies goals which could have impacts on water security. Decision makers are interested in developing the water management systems to establish sustainable demand for secured water. The aim of the paper is to analyze the sustainability indicators (SIs) related to designing of the household water treatment system (HWTS). Thirteen criteria like solid waste, liquid waste, air pollution, initial cost, operation and maintenance costs, transport cost, satisfaction, purchasing power, social acceptance, health, reliability, after sales service, and technological capacity in four categories including environmental, economic, social and technical aspects have been considered. These criteria affect HWTS. These criteria are evaluated by taking into account the customer requirements (CRs) and design requirements (DRs) of HWTS. The objective of this study is to design sustainable HWTSs. This is achieved by an analytical approach integrating quality function deployment (QFD) and a linear programming technique for multidimensional analysis of preference (LINMAP) under fuzzy environment for guiding HWTSs manufactures. Fuzzy QFD-LINMAP approach is used to investigate the roles of the study criteria and the interrelationships between them. The HWTSs development in the city of Behbahan, Iran, is considered. The findings indicate that operation and maintenance costs (with value of 0.0522) is the most important sustainability indicator in the CRs and the least important is technical capacity (with value of 0.1096). The most important sustainability indicator in DRs is purchasing power (with value of 0.0207), and the least important is liquid waste (with value of 0.1469). The results show that sustainability strategies are selected for water treatment systems constraints and the model provides compromise solutions to help decision makers evaluate suitable water policy mix.