Using Expanded QFD Matrix Analysis to Establish and Link Test Instrumentation to Customer Satisfaction Attributes

When reliability testing is performed, the focus is often on engineering metrics such as changes in part dimension or material properties that are of interest to the design engineer. This focus can result in missing failure or degradation conditions that affect customer satisfaction with the product. There is a need for a structured approach to plan the test, engineering metrics, and measurement system (instrumentation) on product or system attributes that contribute to customer satisfaction. This paper shows how a simple needs-metrics matrix (a common element used in Quality Function Deployment or QFD) can be expanded to serve as a structured tool to establish laboratory test instrumentation for objective measurements in a reliability test. This paper also shows how the matrix can be further expanded to include results of interim subjective evaluations. This expanded matrix can then be used to readily relate the results of reliability testing as well as subjective testing to potential impact on customer satisfaction.