Do you use something, but know that it could be improved? Have you ever wished that the handle on the baloney slicer were on the other side? Well, there's hope. Part of the movement of Continuous Quality improvement emphasizes the importance of gaining information from the end-user of the product or process. This information is often called the "Voice of the client".

QFD stands for Quality Function Deployment, a process of comparing the features of a product or service with the expectations that the client has for it. The comparison might also extend to competitors that offer similar products and might be alterative choices for the client to buy. While this is a process of design planning and decision-making that was popularized in Japan, it is no different from the universal need that suppliers everywhere have. They need to know what the client wants and then strive to meet those expectations.

QFD Designer, from ASI-American Supplier Institute, is an innovative Windows application. It makes it possible to visualize the interactions between various client requirements (WHATs) and related product or process features (HOWs).

This chart is often called the House of Quality because it has a triangular top, resembling a roof. Under this roof are all of the qualities or attributes that the client says the product or process should have. The client requirements are listed on the left edge while design features that your company can control and measure to address the client' input go across the top. In each of the intersecting cells, a relationship "strength" symbol is entered to indicate the interaction between each design element and each client need.

All data is entered into the blank "house" by simply double clicking on the cell to be edited. The user identifies the titles of attribute groups and puts in the variable information as it becomes available. Sometimes there are interactions between the features; this is where the "roof" of the chart comes into play. Each feature may interact with the other features. Diagonals in the roof show intersection cells where the user can indicate any interaction that might exist between the attributes or quality that is being defined. For example, sturdy construction and lightweight might have a negative interaction for a piece of luggage, but sturdy construction and resistance to movement would be a positive interaction for a boat anchor.

A Product or service can then be tested to see if its features contribute positively to meeting the client's needs. If one contributes only weakly, and has a strong negative interaction with other features, which make a strong positive contribution to meeting client expectations, then a compromise or design "trade-off" may be in order. This can then be the starting point for further investigation of the product and even further input from clients.

This approach could be used in "designing" a cup of coffee, an example taken from The client Driven Company, a book published by the ASI-American Supplier Institute's chief proponents of Quality Function Deployment in the U.S. They are also known for their strong support of Taguchi Methods, which is sometimes viewed as an alternative to the Deming approach to continuous Quality Improvement.

Let's look at the "qualities" of a cup of coffee. It should be hot when served. It should stay hot during the time it is normally drunk. It should have an appealing odor and flavor. It should seem like a generous volume and should be a "pick-me-up". But how hot, hot for how long, what is aromatic, what constitutes an agreeable flavor, and how much is enough? Just how much caffeine is the right amount of eye opening for most clients? Temperature can be measured, and volume, too.

But what about aroma or flavor? Those features may need a panel of judges. Caffeine content can be analyzed, but people's reaction to different levels of caffeine would have to be rated, too. The design tasks are deeming, measuring and comparing the client's expectations and the product's performance.

QFD Designer gives planners, designers and marketing research personnel a common forum to discuss their product or service in a quantitative atmosphere that builds on client expectation and measurable inputs. It can even be used to create strategic management plans. The disciplined approach helps them all better understand the trade-offs and constraints that eventually have to be negotiated in the process of finally bringing the product or service to the market.

Hearing the voice of the client is a continuous process that can take many forms. Existing products that enjoy good market today, may be eclipsed by better products that are focused in their design to meet needs that have changed. QFD Designer is certainly an effective way to put onto paper, in a very readable, understandable form, the assumptions that people have used around an existing "well understood" product. It can be a sobering experience for a company to realize that the client's direct input hasn't touched the design process in years.