Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a method that ensures that customer needs are integrated into product design. It is designed to foster collaboration between different functional areas, particularly engineering and marketing, and to systematically translate customer requirements into product specifications. Here are the truths and the exception regarding QFD:
A. QFD is not designed to allow engineering and marketing departments to work independently. Instead, it aims to integrate their efforts to ensure the product meets customer needs.
B. QFD limits the chance of omitting important design characteristics or interactions across design characteristics by providing a structured approach to identifying and addressing all relevant aspects of product design.
C. QFD employs matrix analysis, typically in the form of the House of Quality, to link customer requirements (the "whats") to how these requirements will be addressed in the product design (the "hows").
D. QFD is most valuable during the development stage when a cross-functional team agrees on translating customer needs into product specifications and features.
Thus, the correct answer is A: A tool designed to allow engineering and marketing departments to work independently while accomplishing a common goal of discovering how customer needs translate into product specifications.
References:
Akao, Y. (1990). Quality Function Deployment: Integrating Customer Requirements into Product Design. Productivity Press.
Hauser, J. R., & Clausing, D. (1988). The House of Quality. Harvard Business Review.