| Quality Function Deployment (QFD) has long been associated with the development of specific products or processes based on the needs of the customer. Historically QFD has been used in traditional industrial manufacturing settings such as automobile production. More recently, QFD has been used in new areas of manufacturing to include telecommunications products, software and medical devices. It has also been used in non-industrial settings for the development of services, processes, and programs, in organizations such as hotels, hospitals, armed services, and entertainment industry companies.; This thesis presents the theory of QFD and applies the processes and techniques identified in other applications (i.e. manufacturing and non-industrial settings) to the development of retail/wholesale quality assurance programs. The history of QFD is summarized and previous applications of QFD are reviewed. QFD concepts, processes and applications necessary to establish quality assurance programs within the retail/wholesale sector are presented. |
