Use of the quality function deployment methodology in the development of a novel training system for cricket

Abstract

The ‘quality function deployment’ (QFD) methodology, a quality system used in the planning, design, and manufacture of new products and services, has been adopted throughout the development of a novel training system for cricket. Four basic phases are contained within QFD, which are concerned with every stage of the development process, from the initial product design through to planning the production of the finalized system. The primary focus of the research presented within this paper has been the use of the ‘House of Quality’ (HoQ) product planning matrix, a tool based on the QFD approach, to understand the needs of the future system users (the ‘voice of the customer’ (VOC)), identify the technical characteristics required to fulfil the VOC, evaluate existing technologies, and manufacture a working prototype system. This prototype system has been tested extensively and has been shown to fulfil the needs of the future system users (‘customers’) more fully than those offered by the leading competitors. Further development of the prototype system is ongoing, with a view to expanding the system functionality and better fulfilling the needs of the future system users as identified in the VOC.