Quality function deployment (QFD) is a popular tool for product development in industry. QFD aims at setting targets for product
characteristics so that products optimally meet customer demands. In this article, the focus is not on the actual effects
of QFD but on more fundamental possibilities and limitations of QFD. In particular, I will discuss a number of methodological
problems in QFD. One of the most disturbing methodological problems is the impossibility of translating individual into collective
customer demands and the impossibility of translating customer demands into engineering characteristics without violating
one or more very reasonable conditions. These problems are due to Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem. I discuss whether a number
of alternative QFD approaches are helpful in overcoming these methodological problems and suggest directions for the further
development of QFD and for research.
Keywords Quality function deployment - Product development - Methodology - Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem - Market segments - Optimization
An earlier version of this paper was presented at the meeting of the Society for Philosophy and Technology (SPT), 7, 8 and
9 July 2003 in Park City, Utah, USA. I would like to thank Maarten Franssen for comments on an earlier version.