Improving Quality Function Deployment to better support Technology Roadmapping

Thi Ngoc Truc, Pisut Koomsap†, Huynh Trung Luong Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology Asian Institute of Technology, Pathumthani 12120, THAILAND

Email: ntntruc@yahoo.com1, pisut@ait.ac.th2

luong@ait.ac.th3

Abstract:

Manufacturers are facing the rapid growths of technology innovations and customer’s requirements. Technology Roadmapping (TRM) has been researched to assist the manufacturers in developing of new products so as to fulfill the customer needs. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is among the supporting tools for TRM. It is considered as an essential tool to link customers’ needs to technology solutions in the TRM process. However, the uncertainty in the input information of QFD is unavoidable. Uncertainty might lead to the output variability in QFD, and hence, misleads the manufacturers in the process of translating the customer’s needs to technology solutions. In this research, a technique that can help incorporate the uncertainty in the input information and the output variability of QFD will be developed to support for robust decision making in TRM process.

Keywords: Technology Roadmapping; Quality Function Deployment; uncertainty; good fit; robust decision making.