Design for Quality

from the Perspective of Competitive Advantage

by
Edwin B. Dean

Morup (1992) notes that

Quality is the most effective factor a company can use in the battle for customers.

To be competitive, we must satisfy the customer. In order to be more competitive, we must delight the customer. Quality is defined here as the measure of customer delightment. Note that customer satisfaction is a region on the scale of customer delightment. To delight the customer, we must design for quality.

Kaizen provides the philosophy and driving force for designing for quality. Total Quality Control provides the implementation. The concepts are elegant. If quality is made the global driving force, then the customers will obtain the best value possible and use your product. This maximizes profit by focusing on increased revenue. If you also design for minimum cost you will increase profit further. To accomplish these goals you must develop tools which give you the competitive edge in designing for quality and cost. The seven old tools enhance the application of statistical quality control which measures the quality of the product. By definition, these measures are product specific surrogates for quality. The seven new tools strengthen the planning process which is used to guide the process of designing quality into the product. Quality function deployment links customer defined value to the product and to the processes which bring forth, sustain, and retire the product. Quality is allocated to the various aspects of the product and the process to bring forth the product. This allocated value is used to prioritize and focus efforts on activities which will provide the most quality for the customer. Taguchi methods, response surface methodology, or multidisciplinary optimization are then used to optimize the value to the customer. Design for quality is a simple, effective, efficient, and elegant strategy.

Unfortunately there is considerable resistance to the use of design for quality tools. Morup (1992) notes that

Sooner or later new tools show up with even more promising catchwords, preferably Japanese names. Accordingly, large resources are wasted on developing and implementing new tools. The losses by not using and maintaining the tools are even greater because of poor quality on the market and large internal quality costs.

My interpretation of this statement is that the use of proven quality tools will save your company lots of unnecessary expense and, hence, will improve your net profit.

Design for quality (DFQ) is a quality driven form of integrated product and process development or IPPD. DFQ focuses on developing the product, improving the product, and improving the system to bring forth, sustain, and retire the product.

Morup (1992) examines the general nature and scope of design for quality. Taguchi (1986) defines a powerful process which has been used effectively to design for quality.

References

Morup, M. (1992). "A New Design for Quality Paradigm," Journal of Engineering Design, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 63-80.
Taguchi, G. (1986). Introduction to Quality Engineering: Designing Quality into Products and Processes, Asian Productivity Organization, American Supplier Institute, Dearborn MI.

Table of Contents | Quality Technologies | Design for Value | Use