Quality Function Deployment Article Summary
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Introduction
The ultimate goal of any business enterprise is to provide its clients with high-quality goods and services. In today’s business environment, competition is intense (Matook & Indulska, 2011). As such, firms are forced to embark on providing quality goods and services to win the confidence of their clients and sustain a competitive advantage in the market (Jin, Jeong, & Yoon, 2015). As such, QFD (quality function deployment) is a key aspect that firms should embark on to control the quality of goods and services they provide. To illustrate the manner in which QFD is applied in an organization, this paper will review the article titled “How to improve the promotion of Korean beef barbecue, bulgogi, for international customers” by Lee, Ham, and Lee. It will help to illustrate the ways in which bulgogi, a common Korean dish can be directed towards international clients by following the QFD process to address the requirements for customers in United States.
Discussion
Article Review
QFD is a technique that firms employ to help them translate the needs of clients into activities for developing goods and services that meet the requirements of customers. (Zhang, Yang, & Liu, 2014) To demonstrate the applicability of quality function development, the paper focuses on bulgogi (Korean beef barbeque), which is a common Korean dish that targets international clients. It shows the ways in which the Korean beef barbeque is made while following the QFD process in order to meet the requirements of customers in the U.S. (Park, Ham, & Lee, 2012)
Based on a client survey and professional opinion survey among U.S. customers, the top five client needs identified for bulgogi were freshness, taste, flavor, juiciness, and tenderness. The engineering traits were developed, where the localization for the bulgogi menu was considerably linked to other traits as well. Based on the results obtained after calculating the need for engineering traits noted, marinating time control, bulgogi menu localization, cooking and serving process improvement, adoption of various seasonings and recipe development by beef parts served as the greatest contributors towards the general development of bulgogi. In this case, the relative significance of engineering traits, technical difficulties, and correlation is implemented to help in the introduction of an effective strategy for the development of bulgogi. Based on the findings, the adoption of QFD in the improvement of bulgogi played a major role in enhancing the quality of the product in a manner that addressed the needs of U.S. clients considerably (Park, Ham, & Lee, 2012).
Article Reflection
From the article, I believe that QFD plays a major role in helping to improve the overall quality of products and services that a firm manufactures to address the needs of clients. Here, QFD is a process that focuses on meeting the needs of clients rather than technology (Day, 2010). When a firm only emphasizes on technological innovations, the policies it designs do not always benefit it. As such, I agree that the QFD process is essential in helping a firm to determine the exact needs of its clients and the manner in which the input is essential in developing new products (Zhang, Yang, & Liu, 2014). In addition, I have realized that QFD dictates manufacturing standards and product design. Because a firm understands the final traits of its final product, it is possible to check whether its production process is in line with the needs of clients. As such, I have realized that a firm finds it possible to enhance its production efficiency considerably in the early stages of production (Cohen, 2011).
Nonetheless, I have noted that the QFD process lays considerable emphasis on quality and fails to realize optimal design. For a firm, the QFD process may be a tool of choice, particularly if an organization is devising ways of determining what it needs to satisfy the needs of its clients (Cohen, 2011). In this case, I propose that the major drawback is where a firm emphasizes on quality as well as other connected engineering metrics while disregarding key factors such as strategy, product life cycle, cost, and the strength of a company in technology. Therefore, by failing to address these factors, I have seen trade-offs emerge, leading to the development of a product, which is not optimally designed to address the requirements of consumers (Day, 2010).
Conclusion
Quality function deployment (QFD) is a process that aims at rhyming the needs of a client with the production and manufacturing standards of a company. It helps firms to devise strategies for producing products and services that meet the requirements of customers, improving the overall competitive advantage of a company. Nonetheless, it is vital for a company to focus on enhancing the quality and optimal design to eliminate trade-offs that may interfere with the production process and quality of the product.
References
Cohen, L. (2011). Quality Function Deployment: How to Make QFD Work for You. Michigan: Addison-Wesley.
Day, R. G. (2010). Quality Function Deployment: Linking a Company with Its Customers. Indiana: ASQC Quality Press.
Jin, G., Jeong, Y., & Yoon, B. (2015). Technology-driven roadmaps for identifying new product/market opportunities: Use of text mining and quality function deployment. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 29(1), 126-138.
Matook, S., & Indulska, M. (2011). Improving the quality of process reference models: A quality function deployment-based approach. Decision Support Systems, 47(1), 60-71.
Park, S.-H., Ham, S., & Lee, M.-A. (2012). How to improve the promotion of Korean beef barbecue, bulgogi, for international customers. An application of quality function deployment. Appetite, 59(2), 342-332.
Zhang, F., Yang, M., & Liu, W. (2014). Using integrated quality function deployment and theory of innovation problem solving approach for ergonomic product design. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 76(1), 60-74.
