The Benefits of QFD

QFD thus provides each manager with a clear understanding of what his or her area should deliver, in the context of how the organisation needs to operate as a whole.
The rigour and structure that QFD provides, allows the management team to consider goals and strategies that they might otherwise consider unthinkable or irresponsible, even to the extent of entirely redefining themselves, their role, and their operations.
The structure provides a means to examine every part of the organisation, and to succinctly document the conclusions, but the real value of QFD arises from the discussion when building the matrix. The valuable outcomes leave the room in people's minds and not just on the piece of paper that is the QFD. The QFD diagram is not the goal of the exercise; it is simply a tool within it.
The discussions, on the other hand, do much to:

	build deeper understanding of the organisation's objectives, and greater clarity of exactly what they mean and how they fit together
	ensure a holistic grasp of the organisation and how the various parts need to interact and function together
	inspire new insights into the capacity for each part of the organisation to contribute to achieving the objectives
	equip the management team members to inspire and encourage their own teams to commit themselves to achieving their potential.

All of these factors develop a real sense of teamwork in transforming the organisation, and it is this teamwork that makes the difference in effectively harnessing the talents and energies of people in transforming their performance.
In the case of Smith & Nephew Group Research Centre, this translated into an annual performance improvement of 40% on five out of their seven key metrics. (Download the case study)
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