ABSTRACT
The chapter discusses the Kano model and quality function deployment as tools to encourage a better understanding of customer requirements. These requirements translate into product specifications as part of a structured design process and eventually to the launch of a new product or service.
The opening perspective is essentially an assignment in product design. We challenge the reader to design a transportation device and expect the reader to incorporate customer requirements.
Quality is inherent in every product and process, but the measurement of quality relies on customers to determine; it is the customer view that prevails. The chapter discusses total quality management and the four traditional categories of quality costs.
Developers design products with given tolerances and specifications, but it requires a process to perform the transformation and produce the product or service. Process capability is a measure of the inherent variation of the process relative to the design specifications. We calculate and explain the process capability ratio, C p , and the process capability index, C pk .
Six sigma uses focused training with verifiable return on investment. It is business results oriented and is not just statistics and quality oriented. The chapter discusses six sigma quality, the define-measure-analyse-improve-control (DMAIC) approach to improving processes, and strategic product design.
Discussion includes strategic product design, structured product development, product development portfolios, and robust design.
