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Understanding DFSS for Translating Customer Needs into Product Design
Jay Patel, President and CEO
QPS Incorporated
One Sunny Hill, Oxford MA 01540
jayp@qpsinc.com

While Six Sigma helps fix what is broken-which is obviously a needed tool for any company but DFSS helps design things that do not break in the first place. Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) provides the means to accelerate innovation and ensures customer needs are translated into the product design. QFD is a method to translate the voice of the customer into quantifiable design requirements that can be used in designing better products or services. The DFSS-QFD process provides greater objectivity, greater focus and greater speed than the traditional process of understanding needs.

QFD process consists of:
1. Understanding the voice of the customers (customers, collecting the data, analyzing)
2. Translating the voice of the customer into performance requirements
3. Choosing the best design concept to meet the performance requirements
4. Translating technical requirements into performance parameters
5. Translating product parameters into manufacturing conditions

The DFSS-QFD customer axis includes:
-  Customer needs and wants
-  Customer importance ratings
-  Customer competitive evaluations
-  Subjective customer targets

The key deliverables from DFSS are the prioritized customer requirements and targets. These requirements and targets will focus on the DFSS team efforts to next phase. In DFSS, proven tools and techniques are used, including TRIZ ( the Theory for inventive problem solving) , PUGH ( a technique for evaluating and developing the concepts) and DFMEA.

Presenter:

Jay P. Patel has more than 25 years of experience in management, operations & quality area. His professional work experience includes working at: General Electric, Allied Signal- Bendix, United Technologies-Carrier, and Cabot Safety Corporation plus consulting and training services to many of the Fortunes 500 clients, in both Manufacturing and Service industries. Currently, he is CEO of Quality & Productivity Solutions, Inc. The company provides consulting, training and auditing services for Six Sigma, Lean, Management System, Project Management & Business Improvements.

Jay has been National Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award Examiner. Jay has served, presented speeches and seminars to various organizations such as Project Management Institute, American Production and Inventory Control, Institute of Industrial Engineers, American Society for Quality and Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Jay has served ASQ at local, regional and national level. He is Conference chair plus 2006-2007 NEQC chair. He has been chair of NEQC in the past.

Jay has 10 ASQ certifications including certified six sigma Black Belt. He is an ASQ fellow. He is also RAB Quality Management System Lead Auditor besides other certifications.

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