A concurrent function deployment technique for a workgroup-based engineering design process

Abstract

In this paper, an alternate framework to quality function deployment (QFD) called concurrent function deployment (CFD), suitable for a workgroup-based engineering design process, is described. The methodology exploits the independence of units that manifest itself in a company strategic business unit, total quality management, and enterprise knowledge management concepts. It considers parallel deployments of a number of 'values' in addition to 'quality', as opposedtoaserialfour-phaseddeploymentofquality. Consider,forexample,the popular American Supplier Institute's (ASI's) four-phased QFD concept (Sullivan 1988). ASI's QFD is based on using a single measurement, 'quality', and the four phases called 'quality plans' are deployed serially. CFD employs a concurrent deployment process of its 'value sets'-'quality' happens to be one of its important values. Six concurrent value-sets, namely functionality (quality), performance (X-ability), tools and technology (innovation), cost, responsiveness, and infrastructure (delivery) are considered in CFD, running in parallel rather than serially. In the present setting, Don Clausing's QFD process emerges as a special case of this CFD (Prasad 1998). CFD is more suited early on during a product design and development process-to deal with trade-offs among the crucial factors of artifact values. A set of three-dimensional value characteristics matrices is employed in CFD to ensure that such trade-off goals are adequately addressed.