August 2017

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL

Vol. X & Issue No. 8 August - 2017

AN APPLICATION OF QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT:

A CASE OF GYMNASIUM
Ankit Chouksey
Dr. A. Dalpati
Abstract
In the present scenario, the fitness industry is showing rapid growth.The possible reason behind it may include the factors in which people now adays
are more concentrating on their fitness. These industries are facing unique challenges due to advancement in technology and increasing competition
in the market. These problems forced them to implement new approaches in order to satisfy customer demands.
The objective of this paper is to apply QFD at Gymnasium with respect to the services provided by them in order to satisfy needs and demands of
customers. To evaluate the customer's voice about the services provided in the Gymnasium House of Quality is used. The voice of customers (WHATs)
data was collected from members of Gymnasium through a questionnaire; whereas, the technical solutions (HOWs) were identified from experts of
the fitness industries followed by developing the relationship between technical solutions with the Voice of Customer or customer requirements.
Requirements are displayed in the form of matrix and house of quality for Gymnasium is built. Through QFD various suggestions can be made to the
Gymnasium so that they can improve their customer satisfaction and can provide a competitive advantage to them.
Keywords- Quality function Deployment (QFD), House of Quality (HOQ), Voice of Customer, Gymnasium.

1. INTRODUCTION In this paper, a framework based on QFD for services provided

The Fitness industry is mainly driven towards health, well
being, good looks and confidence. Resistance training,
aerobics, Zumba, aerial yoga, kickboxing etc. have become the
fitness trends over a few years. The general population is
moving towards fitness to relax them from boisterous work
weight and battle undesirable dietary patterns and inactive ways
of life. With the significant changes in the way of life and pay
levels of individuals, the fitness industry in India has turned into
a dawn segment and is set to develop by 20-30 for each penny
year on year. Notwithstanding, a vast piece of the Indian
populace doesn't know about the wellness alternatives
accessible to them. A pool of new businesses has risen over the
most recent few years, to scaffold this hole, and address the
necessities of fitness devotees. This industry in India is
balanced at an enunciation point, with high market
discontinuity, spectacular market potential, and end-to-end
general development. A few new plans of action are rising to
upset this industry. Fitness industry in India is worth Rs.4,500
crores and is developingat 16-18% yearly and is relied upon to
cross Rs.7,000 crores by 2017. The business is divided with
most of the market ruled by chaotic andfree exercise centers
outlets. The sorted out or present day wellness retail is around
28% as of now yet growing a 22-27% yearly development rate.
Figure 1: Fitness industry in India
in gymnasium has been proposed. This framework provides the
guidelines to a GYMNASIUM and by implementing these
guidelines, the satisfaction level of customers may be improved.
Keeping in mind the end goal to guarantee that gymnasium
business survives and stays aggressive in today's fitness
industry, they need to reliably give your individuals great
administration. Customer benefit assumes an indispensable part
in part procurement and part maintenance. It is imperative that
quality of customer service is always the top priority. QFD helps
to change client requests into design. It has been used in quality
management for years. This method supports the appropriate
adjustment of product and service to customer's requirements.
There are many ways of capturing the requirements of
customers through questionnaires and observations. HOQ
(House of Quality) is one of the tools of QFD, which interprets
the customer's voice into the specifications of products or
service.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Yoji Akao, created Quality Function Deployment in 1965 to
with Katsuyo Ishihara, characterizes QFD as “a method for
developing a design quality aimed at satisfying the consumer
and then translating the consumer's demands into design targets
and major quality assurance points to be used throughout the
production stage” [1]. Change creation to administration and
may summarize this to “a system and procedures to aid the plan
and development of services and assure that they will meet or
exceed customer expectations” [6].
QFD framework is used for developing new a product or new
characteristic of service in view of customer requirements that
includes all individuals like producer and supplier industries. In
Japanese, 'deployment' alludes to an extension or broadening of
activities and hence 'Quality Function Deployment' implies the
obligations regarding delivering a quality thing must be
appointed to all parts of an organization. It is at times alluded to
as the most exceptional type of Total Quality Control, Japanese
style. The framework could be comprehended by the terms in
'Quality Function Deployment' inside the context of QFD.

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· Quality means full filling customer requirements
· Function shows what should be done
· Deployment shows who will do it and when [17].
Quality function deployment (QFD) is a strategy for improving
the quality of new products or services so that the satisfaction of
customers can be enhanced [13]. QFD has also been developed
into a technique for controlling the design process [7]. It has
been argued that house of quality (HOQ) is the main tool of
QFD [22]. House of quality matrix (HOQ) is a correlation
between customer requirements and technical characteristic. It
interprets the demanded service quality of a product into real or
vague service quality characteristics [19]. HOQ consists of six
stages namely (i) requirements of customers (HOW), (ii)
technical solutions (WHO), (iii) relationship matrix between
customer requirements and technical solutions (relationship
matrix), (iv) correlation among technical solutions correlation
matrix, (v) technical matrix and (vi) planning matrix. The
standard framework of HOQ is shown in fig.2 [14].
Figure.2 Kano Model [3]
Figure 3. Framework of House of Quality [14]
Customer requirements are the prime focus of the house of
quality; therefore, it has become necessary for the organization
to tune up their facilities according to the requirements of the
customers. Customer requirements are classified into three
types namely (i) expected requirements, (ii) exposed
requirements, and (iii) exciting requirements. Expected
requirements are the basic requirements which customers
usually do not pay attention but their absence makesthem
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dissatisfied. Exposed requirements are true needs of customers
and are collected by inquiring them. Finally, the exciting
requirements are those whose presence make customers excited.
These requirements can be analyzed through Kano model which
is presented in fig 3[3].
QFD has been deployed in a variety of applications. For
example, Kioumars Paryani (2010) [12], shows the QFD
application in a five-star hotel to find out the services demanded
by the customer in hospitality industry. Paryani proposed
SERVQUAL structure for identifying the main customer
requirements. By using a structured analytic hierarchy process
(AHP) questionnaire, the customer importance levels were
obtained. The AHP analysis was used to develop ratio scale
numbers for the importance ratings. Executing the
recommended action plans at the final stage of the QFD process
resulted in measurable improvements in the services provided
by the hotel. Lincoln C. Wood (2015) [24], shows the
implementation of QFD in construction industry by focusing the
customer demands that can affect the design of the green
hospital. This paper shows the QFD, which is used for develop
the green hospital which is known as “The House of Quality
Green Design (HOQGD)”.Figure 4. Framework of House
ofQuality [20] In 2016 Dariush Mohamadi Zanjirani [26],
shows the development of QFD model for prioritize the
customer requirements in e-banking sector. The design of QFD
has extended from customers' needs to the functions provided by
the bank for e-banking. The highest scores of quality dimensions
of e-banking services based on e-banking functions
includesystem security and protection of customers'
information (confidentiality), speed and ease of use of service.
In 2016 Mehmet A. Gündüz[8], applied QFD technique for
determining the quality characteristic for the inner and outer
members of higher education which includes students, student
families, academic and administrative staff. The study led
among 100 understudies, 30 understudies' relatives, and 30
scholastic and authoritative staff. Physical, academic and access
qualification considered as a quality characteristic for the higher
education.The review demonstrates that among the partners and
ability of scholastic staff the understudy relatives have the
mostastounding significance for the quality variables.
Mohd Fairuz Bin Suliman [4], shows the solution of problem
occur in car wiper. Customers' requirements are collected
through the survey. With the help of results the house of quality
is developed and the shows the product characteristics which are
demanded by the customers. The design of new car wiper can
help the customers to solve the problem.
Robin Rawlings-Quinn [18], Marketing manager, of Intertape
Polymer Group, shows how QFD was used for developing a new
heat activated tape product and give suggestions for
implementation of QFD process.
Selim Zaim[20], this study shows the two approaches to
developing a new product (shampoo) using QFD . In the first
approach, conventional QFD technique was used to develop a
quality plan for a new shampoo. The fuzzy approach was used in
second stage. This approach fixated on the use of probability
hypothesis created to show the uncertainty. At the last phase,
these two methodologies have been contrasted and each other.
3. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objective of this study is to provide higher quality service to
the customer and at a lower cost. It will give the following
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framework to future outline and upgrades in services. Some of requirement may help another related requirement and
the objectives are as follows: influence it in a positive way. Then again, attempting to
• To identify the customer expectations regarding product and enhance one requirement may negatively affect the other
service provided in the gymnasium. necessity. The correlation matrix is a triangular table. "How"
• To determine the gap between customer expectation and is coordinated by setting up the relationship between the
available service. majority of the components.
• To develop suitable action to fill the gap as identified in 6. Finally, the house of quality is created. The house of quality
above objectives. interprets the voice of the customer into technical
• To improve the service quality provided in the gymnasium. characteristic that meet the particular target values and match
• To analyze the factors which contribute to the effectiveness those against how an organization will meet the requirement.
of customer satisfaction.
5. D E V E L O P M E N T O F H O Q M O D E L F O R
4. METHODOLOGY ADOPTED GYMNASIUM: A CASE STUDY
In this paper voice of the customer is taken from the gymnasium This case study has been done in gymnasium located in SGSITS,
of SGSITS, Indore to identifying the desire and key problem Indore. In this work, questionnaires were prepared and
areas in the gymnasium. The procedure followed in building the distributed to the members to find out their needs. Appropriate
house of quality are as follows [15]: engineering characteristics were found out from the customer
1. It is improbable for an organization to fulfill majority of its attribute which is shown in the
customers' requirements at the same time. Along these lines,
it is important to organize the requirements that are to be met S. Voice of S. Voice of
inside a planning cycle deliberately. Utilizing an organized No. Customer No. Customer
poll for customers comprising understudies, faculties of the 1 Personal 14 Rest place
college, staff of gymnasium and so forth were solicited to Trainers
rate the importance of the facilities provided in gymnasium. 2 Staff 15 Washroom
Along these lines, it was conceivable to analyze which Availability
quality attributes are more critical for full filling or
3 Range of 16 TVs
surpassing customers' expectations. The rate of importance
is a rating of the customer requests on a size of 1 to 5. On this dumbbells
scale 5 indicates most imperative and 1 means generally low 4 Good 17 Music
significance. The customer ought to appoint these equipment
evaluations. Mean of the characteristics is ascertained and Condition
properties were positioned likewise [20]. 5 Cardiovascular 18 Lighting
2. Engineering characteristics in view of satisfying customer Equipment
requirements are gathered from specialists of the fitness 6 Weight 19 Ventilation
industries which specifically influence the client
Machines
discernment.
7 Gymnasium 20 Mirrors
3. Relationships developed between the customer's voice and
Cleanliness
technical characteristics are not generally 1:1, there are
unpredictable connections. A solitary plan prerequisite may 8 Locker Room 21 Drinking
have an impact on a few of the customer's necessities. Cleanliness water
Connections amongst "What" and "How"; characterized by 9 Cardiovascular 22 Referral
three quality levels: weak relation, medium relation, and area From
strong relation. Friend
4. The strong relation expresses the relative importance of 10 Free weight 23 Atmosphere
every customer ("What") and technical characteristic area
("How") to full filling the coveted objective. "What" relative
criticalness is built up through an assessment by the 11 Stretch area 24 Gymnasium
customer. The relative scale utilized (1-20) ought to be set up Security
so that customer importance is viewed as more critical the 12 Locker rooms 25 Air
bigger the number seems to be. For each column ("How"), Conditioner
the ("What") importance level is multiplied by the 13 Changing
corresponding weighting. This makes a value for every rooms
connection amongst customer and design requirement. The
Table 1: Voice of Customer
importance of the technical characteristic ("How") is
registered by including the qualities together. The · The relative scale utilized (1-20) so that client significance is
significance level of "How" approximates the most viewed as more noteworthy the bigger the number may be.
imperative design requirements for consumer satisfaction. For every column ("How"), the ("What") importance level is
3. The roof of the house is intended to cross associate the multiplied by the relative weightage. This makes a value for
"HOWs" against each other with the goal that plan strife and every connection amongst customer requirements and
integral qualities can be distinguished. Numerous technical technical characteristic. The significance of the technicalZ
requirements are interrelated. Attempting to enhance one characteristic ("How") is registered by adding the values
together. The technical characteristics are shown in table 2.

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S. Technical
No. Characteristic
1 Area
2 Infrastructure
3 Maintenance
4 Electricity
5 CCTV
6 Surrounding /Location
7 No. of Equipment’s

8 Basic Amenities
9 Finance /Investment
10 Hospitality

Table 2: Technical Characteristic

· The roof of the house which is co-relationship grids portrays service improvement proficiency can be expanded without
the quality of the relationships between the attributes. The contending or copy exertion. Mean of the attributes is
aim is to recognize which requirements bolster each other calculated and attributes were rated accordingly which is
and which ones don't. Positive connections imply that the shown in the table 3.

S. Voice of Importance S. Voice of Importance

Mean Mean
No. Customer Rating No. Customer Rating

1. Personal Trainers 4.05 10 14. Rest place 3.3 2

2. Staff Availability 3.6 6 15. Washroom 3.925 9

3. Range of 4.325 15 16. TVs 2.5 1

dumbbells

4. Good equipment 4.35 16 17. Music 4.425 17

Condition

5. Cardiovascular 4.35 16 18. Lighting 3.775 8

Equipment

6. Weight Machines 4.425 17 19. Ventilation 4.3 14

7. Gymnasium 4.525 19 20. Mirrors 4.45 18

Cleanliness
8. Locker Room 4.05 10 21. Drinking 4.55 20
Cleanliness water

9. Cardiovascular 4.15 11 22. Referral 3.55 4

area From Friend

10. Free weight area 4.3 14 23. Atmosphere 4.275 13

11. Stretch area 4.225 12 24. Gymnasium 3.925 9
Security

12. locker rooms 3.325 3 25. Air 3.55 5

Conditioner

13. Changing rooms 3.65 7

Table 3: Importance Rating of Voice of Customer

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Figure 5: The House of Quality for Gymnasium

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6. CALCULATION OF RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTIC:
All technical characteristic require a weight to be computed.
The weight is made up of the weighted sum of the elements in
the column corresponding to a technical characteristic
multiplied by the VOC Importance in that row.
Strong Relationship (●): 3
Medium Relationship (o):2
Weak Relationship (? ): 1
In the first technical characteristic, for example, the Relative
Importance = (15 x2) + (16x3) + (17x3) + (19x1) + (10x1) +
(11x3)+ (14x3) + (12x3) + (3x3) + (7x3) + (2x2) + (9x3) +
(20x1) + (9 x2) + (5x3)=383. Weights for all specifications were
computed likewise.
The relationships between “What” and “How”; defined by three
strength levels: weak relation (? ), medium relation (○ ) and
strong relation (● ). An empty column indicates no relationship
between the client and design requirements.
7. RESULT & DISCUSSION
QFD model makes it clear that major problem in the
gymnasium is regarding the infrastructure and area of the
gymnasium. The following are some discussion and solutions
to satisfy the need of the customer.
Importance Voice of Customer
Ranking
1 Drinking Water
2 Gym Cleanliness
3 Mirrors
4 Weight Machines
5 Good equipment Condition
6 Cardiovascular Equipment
7 Range of dumbbells
Table 4: Important Voice of Customer and its Technical characteristic
8. CONCLUSION
In this study, Quality Function Deployment technique is
utilized which is one of the tools of Total Quality Management,
to decide quality measurements of gymnasium from the point of
view of the individuals. The overview directed in a gymnasium
of SGSITS, Indore includes customer requirement, technical
descriptors, relationship matrix, technical matrix and
correlation matrix, which are components of HOQ. The study
exposed basic requirements of the customers that were needed
to be addressed and some technical descriptors were proposed
accordingly to accomplish the customer requirements.
Infrastructure was found to be the highest priority technical
solution, followed by area and finance. The developed
framework informs decision makers about the most sensitive
and least sensitive descriptors. The decision makers may
identify the priority of a single descriptor and improve the
customer services accordingly. The arrangement of technical
descriptors in the manner proposed in framework helps the
decision makers to easily identify solution of problems.
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· The basic infrastructure which includes Floors, mirror,
ceilings, walls etc. should be carefully considered. Standard
ventilation should be available so that the problem of
sweating during a workout could be avoided. Air
conditioners can also be used for the more comfortable
interior environment.
· The area of gymnasium should be carefully selected because
it includes Stretch area, Free weight area, cardiovascular
area etc. so that every exercise can be done freely.
· In one slot a limited number of members should be allowed
for limited time slots so that other members doesn't have to
wait in queue for their turn to use the facilities.
· Only acquisition of new high-end equipment creates the
finance problem but optimum utilization of the available
resources in the gymnasium through timely maintenance
could be of advantageous in the long run for fulfilling the
demands of fitness enthusiasts.
· A warm welcome to members and friendly executives makes
the day for any member so the staff behavior should be polite
and helpful.
· Gymnasium ought to offer well-ordered fitness guiding in
picking the correct strategy and practice to body get an
immaculate exercise.
Technical Relative
Characteristic Importance
Infrastructure 406
Area 383
Finance / Investment 379
Maintenance 378
No. of Equipment’s 353
Surrounding/Location 275
Electricity 263
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AUTHORS
Ankit Chouksey, PG Student, Industrial & Production
Engineering Department, Shri G.S. Institute of Science &
Technology, 23 Nehru Park Road, Indore - 452 003(MP).
Email: choukseyankit8@gmail.com
Dr. A. Dalpati, Professor, Industrial & Production Engineering
Department, Shri G.S. Institute of Science & Technology, 23
Nehru Park Road, Indore - 452 003 (MP).
Email: adalpati@gmail.com