QFD at Loral Aeronutronic

Engineering organizations that want to improve their processes, develop new procedures, or reengineer systems must look to their internal and external customers. They need to be intimately familiar with the needs and wants of those who receive their products and services. Too often organizations and their management assume they already know, or worse yet, never think to ask the question before moving off to change, improve, or reengineer their operations and processes. The design engineering organization at Loral Aeronutronic in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, has adopted and consistently practiced the quality function deployment (QFD) methodology for listening to the voice of their customers. Specific examples of the application of QFD, the building of the "house of quality," and the resulting revelations and sometimes unexpected "aha's" are presented and discussed. The authors present both a brief generic overview of the QFD methodology and the "house of quality" matrix, as well as a summary of a few Loral Aeronutronic applications, highlighting successes, stumbling blocks, mistakes, recoveries and lessons learned.<>