Quality function deployment

Quality function deployment

• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a quality management technique that translates the needs of the customer into technical requirements for software. 
• concentrates on maximizing customer satisfaction from the software engineering process. 
• an understanding of what is valuable to the customer and then deploys these values throughout the engineering process. 
• Three types of functions:

o   Normal requirements.

§  The objectives and goals that are stated for a product or system during meetings with the customer. If these requirements are present, the customer is satisfied.

§  graphical displays, specific system functions, and defined levels of performance are examples.

o   Expected requirements.

§  These requirements are implicit to the product or system and may be so fundamental that the customer does not explicitly state them. Their absence will be a cause for significant dissatisfaction.

§  ease of human/machine interaction, overall operational correctness and reliability, and ease of software installation are examples.

o   Exciting requirements.

§  These features go beyond the customer’s expectations and prove to be very satisfying when present.

§  For example, software for a new mobile phone comes with standard features, but is coupled with a set of unexpected capabilities (e.g., multitouch screen, visual voice mail) that delight every user of the product.

• QFD uses customer interviews and observation, surveys, and examination of historical data (e.g., problem reports) as raw data for the requirements gathering activity. 
• These data are then translated into a table of requirements called the customer voice table.that is reviewed with the customer and other stakeholders. A variety of diagrams, matrices, and evaluation methods are then used to extract expected requirements and to attempt to derive exciting requirements.