QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT: AN EXAMPLE OF THE

APPLICATION OF THE HOUSE OF QUALITY (HOQ) TO

CARTOGRAPHY

Ariza López, Francisco Javier (*); García Balboa, José Luis.; Fernández Oliveras, Paz. (*)
(*) Grupo de Investigación en Ingeniería Cartográfica.
Dpto. de Ingeniería Cartográfica, Geodésica y Fotogrametría.
Universidad de Jaén.
Campus “Las Lagunillas” s/n. E-23071-Jaén (Spain).
e-mail: fjariza@ujaen.es. Tel: +34953212469
e-mail: jlbalboa@ujaen.es. Tel: +34953212844

ABSTRACT
The bases of the Quality Function Deployment methodology are presented and an example is shown for a new
cartographic product development by means of the House of Quality. A market study is presented briefly in order to
understand the considered customer’s expectations for the development of a high quality product. Have been sixteen
main customer expectatives (WHATs) considered in relation to product comfort, contents and portrayal. In order to take
into account the aforementioned expectatives, twenty six technical descriptors (HOWs) have been considered. The
product is finally specified by all the technical descriptors. The House of Quality depicted concentrates the most
important aspects of a product plan. The application of this methodology is an enriching experience, but somewhat
difficult to apply and also time consuming.

1. INTRODUCTION

Quality is a wide field beginning with product and process statistical control and passing through product and process
design, quality assurement and management, quality improvement, TQM and so on, finally ending with excellence
models. Nowadays in the cartographic sector there is an increasing interest in quality: we all speak about the quality of
geomatic products, quality control of process, quality reporting in metadata, etc.; and there has also been a great
development in standards, for example the ISO 19100 family (e.g. ISO 19113 and ISO 19114).

Quality improvement is one of the most important activities in a quality management system. Essentially, there are three
kinds of quality improvement: corrective, reactive and proactive. Corrective quality improvement is devoted to a simple
correction of the process in order to bring it under control, the reactive improvement is oriented towards solving more
complex problems, and proactive quality improvement, also more sophisticated than the previous, oriented to solving
more complex problems, mainly in the development of new products and strategies.

One of the tools or techniques used in proactive improvement is known as the House of Quality (HoQ), because of its
representation (see Figure 1), but also as Quality Function Deployment (QFD). This is a method created to link product
and service design decisions directly to customers’ wants and needs. HoQ is designed to deploy customer input
throughout the design, production, marketing, and delivery facets of a given product or service. In a typical QFD
application, a cross-functional team creates and analyzes a matrix linking customer wants and needs to a set of product
and service design metrics that the company can then measure and control. It is utilised by a multidisciplinary team to
translate a set of customer requirements, drawn from market research and benchmarking data, into an appropriate
number of prioritised engineering targets to be met by a new product design.

Here we present an application example of the HoQ to the improvement of a map & tourist guide for a natural park
(NP). The paper is divided into four sections: the first is devoted to approaching the HoQ basics; the second shows a
brief overview of the zone of interest and the market situation, and the next presents the specific development of the
HoQ. Finally conclusions are presented.

We must note that, in order to guarantee the confidentiality of product development and expertise, not all the technical
elements mentioned here are true, and the names of products and area of interest have been omitted.
2. THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE HOQ

Quality is a philosophy. For the Japanese, quality involves everything that contributes to improving customer
satisfaction, but also to the internal objectives of the organization: productivity, profit, market share, and so on. In this
way, several terms such are Total Quality Management (TQM), Company Wide Quality Control (QWC), Excellence,
and so on, are different manners of referencing to the same purpose and objective. Continuous improvement is a key
strategic aspect in order to assure the future success of organizations. For such activities a set of tools or techniques are
available. These are commonly called the seven management and planning tools (affinity diagrams, relations diagram,
hierarchy trees, etc.) (Cuatrecasas, 2001). Quality Function Deployment (Akao and Mizuno, 1978; King, 1987, Hauser
and Clausing, 1988) is one of these, the first reference to its application to cartography coming from Ariza (2002).

Akao, widely regarded as the father of Quality Function Deployment (QFD), defines it 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 phase" (Akao and Mizuno, 1978).

The main features of QFD are its focus on meeting customer’s needs through the use of their actual statements (termed
the "Voice of the Customer"), the facilitation of multidisciplinary team work and the use of a comprehensive matrix for
documenting information, perceptions and decisions.

QFD is utilised by a multidisciplinary team in order to translate a set of customer requirements, drawn upon market
research and benchmarking data, into an appropriate number of prioritized engineering targets to be met by a new
product design. There are many slightly different forms of this matrix and this adaptability to the requirements of a
particular problem or group of users forms one of its major strengths.

It is very common that the majority of the staff of an organization do not come into direct contact with the customer. It
is common for people in the various departments of an organization to speak different languages, justified by partial
problem overviews (restitution errors, field survey problems, printing problems, and so on). The critical aspect of this is
that all of these languages are far removed from the language commonly used and understood by the customer (nice,
cheap, robust, reliable, etc). The QFD is a more precise methodology for putting all the departments in an organization
in contact through cross-functional teams, in order to approach a common language closer to customers and their
problems, and to make decisions more justified and consensual.

QFD is not yet mature, so every one applies it in their own way, depending on their own limits and environment. The
main phases of QFD are (Zaïdy, 1990):
1. Market research: Taking into account ambitions and strategies of the organization, at this phase a market and
environ research is developed. The key idea is to obtain knowledge of customers, listening to them and gathering
their explicit and unexplicit expectations.
2. Product planning: Taking into account customer expectations and organizational restrictions and situation
(strategies, available technology, resources, and so on), a product definition is developed. Many organizations only
apply through this phase of a QFD process.
3. Parts deployment: Functional specifications are translated into technical ones.
4. Process planning: Technical specifications are translated into manufacturing specifications where necessary, and
means and fabrication methods are defined. This is a transition phase between design and production where:
Fabrication processes are determined, critical product characteristics are listed, critical process parameters are
identified, product characteristics and process parameters to be controlled are identified, homologation needs to be
reached, and so on.
5. Production Planning: The way in which the customer’s voice reaches, without noise, the workers who develop
production. Processes should be kept under control, assuring and testing that qualitative and quantitative product
specifications are met.

Table 1 shows a small example of the above mentioned phases, as well as the departments or functions involved.

We have described this process sequential, but actually it is iterative. There are many interactions between phases and
interphases. In this way uncertainty decreases with each step.

QFD uses a series of matrices to document information collected and developed and represent the team's plan for a
product. The House of Quality (matrix) is the most recognised form of QFD, and takes its name from its shape (see
Figure 1). The general format of the House of Quality (HoQ) is constructed from six major components, completed in
the course of a QFD project:
  Customer requirements (WHATs): A structured list of requirements derived from customer feedback (A labeled
matrix in Figure 1).
 Technical requirements (HOWs): A structured set of relevant and measurable product characteristics (D labeled
matrix in Figure 1).
 Planning matrix: Illustrates customer perceptions observed in market surveys. Includes the relative importance of
customer requirements, and company and competitor performance in meeting these requirements (C labeled matrix
in Figure 1).
 Interrelationship matrix: Illustrates the QFD team's perceptions of interrelationships between technical and
customer requirements. An appropriate scale is applied, illustrated using symbols or figures. Filling this portion of
the matrix involves discussions and consensus building within the team and can be time consuming. Concentrating
on key relationships and minimising the numbers of requirements are useful techniques for reducing the demands
on resources (E labeled matrix in Figure 1).
 Technical correlation (Roof) matrix: Used to identify where technical requirements support or impede each other in
the product design. Can highlight innovation opportunities (G labeled matrix in Figure 1).
 Technical priorities, benchmarks and targets: Used to record the priorities assigned to technical requirements,
measures of technical performance achieved by competitive products and the degree of difficulty involved in
developing each requirement. The final output of the matrix is a set of target values for each technical requirement
to be met by the new design, and these are linked back to the demands of the customer. (F and H labeled matrix in
Figure 1).
Table 1.- Example of the five phases of the QFD methodology
Examples
Phase Departments or functions involved
Fountain pen refill Paper tear at fold
1 Long life refill Longer map life Marketing
2 40 pages of A4 size 200 folds Marketing, commercial strategies, product
definition, research and development
3 Cartridge with diameter of 4 mm and Resistance Research and Development
length of 45 mm (R & D)
4 Mould diameter, pressure and work Cartographic paper of Class III (Spanish Methods and industrialization
temperature standard UNE 57048-77).
5 Worker training, instructions form. Worker training, instructions form. Manufacture

Figure 1.- House of Quality matrices

The HoQ can be used as a stand alone tool to generate answers to a particular development problem (phases 1 and 2).
Alternatively, it can be applied within a more complex system in which a series of tools are used. The “Clausing Four-
Phase Model” is the most widely known and utilised of these approaches (the complete processes with all phases). It
translates customer requirements through several stages into production equipment settings, using four coupled QFD
matrices and a table for planning production requirements (as shown below in Figure 2).
 Figure 2.- Clausing Four-Phase Model

In this work we present a case comprising phases one and two of the above-presented methodology. This corresponds to
a case developed for the introduction of a new cartographic product by an important publishing company. First, we
briefly describe the area of interest to be represented in the product, and also the main characteristics of the market and
competitors’ products.

3. THE AREA OF INTEREST, MARKET AND PRODUCTS

In order to give a better understanding of this work, certain characteristics of the area of interest are to be described
here. These condition many aspects, such as: scale, map size, complementary information and so on. It is also important
to know the product market, where we can learn from other experiences and where our designed product is going to be
introduced. The area of interest, which corresponds to a Natural Park (NP) area, is described and the market and
products description comes later.

3.1. Area of interest:

One of the largest NP in Spain and Europe. It has more than 200.000 hectares, affects more than 20 villages, and has a
north-south elongated shape with a minimum bounding rectangle of 57 km x 93 km (wide, high). In main characteristics
are:
 Water and relief: Steep relief, with high mountains and deep valleys many times dominated by a karstic behaviour.
It has a great hydrologic importance (lakes, falls, and reservoirs) for a complete river basin.
 Flora and fauna: This NP was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, and also a special protection area for
birds by the European Union. Wild fauna is very abundant, mainly deer, goat, wild boars, and so on. The fauna is
typically Mediterranean with many endemisms.
 Social and cultural aspects: There are many places with artistic and cultural interest, rustic villages, castles,
churches, caves, and so on. The local cuisine is also different and much appreciated.

3.2. Market and products

The market of cartographic and related products has grown very much in recent years because of a general economic
prosperity. This can be contrasted in a very simple and evident way by taking into account the increase of the space in
which department stores offer this type of product.
There are many cartographic products dedicated to our NP, main reason being the touristic importance of the area,
which receives more than a hundred thousand visitors a year, many of whom are repeating. Focussing our attention only
on those printed products for which cartography is the product core, they can be classified as follows:
 Official cartography: Mainly topographic data bases, generated by mapping agencies (national o regional). Diverse
scales are available (E50k, E25k, E10k), but are sold as sheets, with prices from 3,30 €. This cartography is used
for administrative procurements (e.g. the licensing of determined activities), and is also much appreciated by
customers with a certain amount of cartographic knowledge because this kind of product is considered as best.
 Free products: These are edited by the public administration as advertising to promote tourism. The quality of such
products is very diverse. The majority of them are devoted to divulgation, and cartography is mainly small-scale
and generalized. For each place of interest, for instance the NP or any one of the villages, many booklets are
published which deal with different aspects of interest, such as routes, gastronomy and history, and always include
a map. These products form a heterogeneous set of papers or booklets which are free, and many visitors are
satisfied with them.
 Specific products: These are produced by specialized companies and can be single maps or maps with a
complementary guide. There are maps specifically compiled for the NP, and others which are based on existing
 cartographies. There are local products and also products from large national enterprises of this sector for which
this product is a piece of an existing series. Considering the quality aspects, existing products in the market for this
NP can be categorized in three groups:
 Category 1: Do not present a professional treatment; contain evident cartographic errors when selecting formats,
papers, scales, keys, colours, and so on. In general it is a single map without additional information. For this
category the market segment is formed by those customers that are not satisfied with the contents of free
products, but are also looking for the cheapest options without any more interest than acquiring a general
reference of the NP.
 Category 2: Professional products from a cartographic, and also commercial, point of view; these are considered
well finished maps with or without additional information. They are the more common option because a good
balance between quality and cost is maintained, and a good option for those that already know the NP and only
require a map.
 Category 3: The same properties as the previous group, but including more additional information, generally
guides, partial and general maps, and so on. These are the more elaborated and expensive products. The market
segment corresponds to visitors with a higher economic level. This kind of product has a greater profit margin
and has the better distribution channels outside the local area of the NP.
Tables 2 and 3 show the main characteristics of four products belonging to categories 2 and 3. These products are
analyzed because they will be used in our study:

 P1: Equivalent to a topographic map with hypsometric tints. Some specific information has been added to the map
itself, but it is still a single map without any other accompanying information.
 P2: The cheapest product and also with the worst quality. It has very few information on the map, but also a
horrible green shading to highlight the inside of the NP. There is a lack of a graphic or numeric scale. The best
aspect is that the back of the paper is used to present a general map of the province and also some details of other
important places.
 P3: Scale is similar to that of P1 but with less information so that many spaces of the map are almost empty. The
north is rotated, so the map now has a horizontal layout. The NP is well outlined, and the back of the paper is used
to include some general information on tourism and hotels. Here it also includes a street map of the most important
village within the NP and other maps which present redundant information between them.
 P4: Actually consists of three maps and two guides which are commercialized as two independent products.
Therefore, each product consists of cartography (one or two maps) and a small guide in the form of a booklet with
the same size as the map when folded. It is similar to a topographic map with hypsometric tints to which some
specific information has been added. All the additional information is contained in the guides. This is the most
expensive product.

Table 2.- Main characteristics of the cartographic products of the competitors

Price Languaje Date
Product Scale Bag Guide Text Routes
(€) Text Legend Toponomy (year)
P1 E100k Yes 3,5 No No -- Sp Sp --- Yes
P2 E75k No 2,56 No No Sp/En Sp/En Sp 2001 No
P3 E135k No 2,74 No Yes Sp/En/Ger Sp/En/Ger Sp 2000 No
P4 E40k No 18 Yes -- Sp Sp/En Sp 2000 Yes

Table 3.- Main characteristics of the cartographic products of the competitors (continuation)
Weight Size Folded size
Product Weight (gr) Layout Back used Folds organization
gr/m2 (cm x cm) (cm x cm)
P1 45 75 68 x 88 11,5 x 22 Vertical No 1/2+ Accordion (6)+1/2
P2 40 140 49 x 58,5 10 x 24,5 Vertical Yes Accordion(6)+1/2
P3 50 100 99 x 49 12,5 x 24,5 horizontal Yes ½ + Accordion(6)
85,5 x 119 1/2+ Accordion(10)+1/2
P4 340 95 85,5 x 119 11,5 x 21 Vertical No 1/2+ Accordion(10)+1/2
85,5 x 86 ½ + Accordion(6)+3/4

4. APPLIYING THE HOQ TO A PRODUCT

Here we are going to apply the QFD methodology to the definition of the main characteristics of a new product of the
NP. This product is going to be developed within an organization with some production experience in cartography, and
with enough economic and technological capacity. This enterprise already has some cartographic products on the
market which are well considered and appreciated for their quality by customers. This organization has never produced
cartography for a NP. One of the objectives of its strategic plan is to enter this market and also to achieve a leadership
position. The organization has its own vision about the product which is, in some way, similar to the place of the SUV
(Sport Utility Vehicle) within the car market. For the product the organization seeks: quality, completeness and
versatility. Design and materials will be key aspects for quality, and the amount of information is the main aspect for
completeness. Versatility means that the product has to be appropriate for its use in the field but also at home. It is very
important to have a positive experience from the beginning, so the company has decided to use the QFD methodology.
From the above-mentioned phases of the QFD methodology we present here the first two, which correspond to the
building of the first level HoQ. The result is shown in Figure 3, to which we will make continuous reference in the
following paragraphs.

4.1. Phase 1: Market research

An important market study has been realized including these steps:

 Existing products: More than twenty products devoted to the NP have been gathered, analyzed, and technically and
economically evaluated.
 Competitors: The most representative products have been presented in the previous section. They have been
evaluated by polling to a representative customer sample on support aspects (format, size, folding, comfort, and so
on), general aspects (legibility, key, colours, quantity of information, etc), and content aspects (type of
information). Customers have also been asked about the best and the worst aspects of each product in order to
detect the strong and weak points. Information about what to change, eliminate or improve in each product has also
been acquired. Quantitative results are presented in matrix C of the HoQ.
 Customer identification and hierarchization: By means of direct polling, consulting to vendors, and commercial
answers, main characteristic of customers have been determined and analyzed for this kind of products. From the
point of view of the enterprise, the classification and evaluation (weight) of clients is shown in Table 4.

Table 4.- Client classification

Type Weight Characteristics
(C1) (C2) (C3)
Public institutions (city halls and other administrations), private institutions.
Institutions 25 Exigencies of quality, contents and design.
Product used as gifts in multiple cases, large number of units being acquired every year.
Eventual visitors, repeating visitors, and second house-residents; comfortable economic level.
Client “A”
Foreign visitors.
55
Exigencies of quality, contents and design.
For own use and for gifts.
Other clients 20 Another kind of use.

 Customer requirements or expectations: The main preferences of customers in relation to product properties have
been identified. The results of customer polling on competitors have been used, as well as those of another survey
on specific cartographic contents. Grouped by theme, customer expectations are presented in Table 5 (Column 1,
and submatrix A of the HoQ, Figure 3). In order to simplify the example, all the actually detected expectations are
not presented. In general, customers appreciate:

 Comfort and support quality: Because of the intended use for tourist activities, comfort is required. Also a rapid
deterioration of the map is very common, due to the type of paper used and to the many folds to which it is
subjected. This disappoints many customers.
 Information contents: There is interest in reliability and abundance of information. Reliability is mainly linked
by customers to the updateness of the information. Updated information is a very typical demand on
cartographic products. To reduce costs, it is very common to produce large editions whose sale takes a long time.
This generates more inconveniences when more non topographical information (hotels, time tables, and so on),
is included in the product because of greater time-change ratios. Our inquiries show complaints about maps with
overabundant information, but also about those with insufficient information. The presence of additional
information in the form of guides is very well evaluated.
 Information portrayal: The way in which information is presented (legibility, colours, symbols, structure, etc.) is
another element considered by customers.

 Hierarchization of customer expectations: The WHATs are prioritized in such a way that they are converted to an
orientation for all following processes (column C5 of Table 5). This prioritization is computed by means of a
double weighting, first the relative importance of the expectation for each customer (columns C2, C3 and C4 of
Table 5), and also the importance of each customer for the organization (column C2 of Table 4).
For each of those characteristics indicated as expectations we also have a quantitative evaluation from the survey. These
values are presented in submatrix C of Figure 3. Here the representation is made by values, but it is also possible to
present a line or bar chart as a perceptual map. As can be observed, there are very clear possibilities for improving all
products.

Another important practical result of this phase is the detection of extras that can be added to the product in order to
make it more attractive to customers. Extras can be very diverse, for instance: a small compass, a bag for protecting and
carrying the product, an anaglyph, street maps, a colour orthophotography, and so on.

Table 5.- Weighted customer expectations

Customers Weight
Expectative
Institutions Client A Other s expectative (C5)
(C1)
(C2) (C3) (C4)
Customer weight 25 55 20 Total %
Comfort and support quality
Size (manageable, car, field, house..) 2 3 3 275 4.75
Weight (manageable, car, field, house…) 2 3 3 275 4.75
Limited rupture and wear of paper 5 4 3 405 6.75
Few folds 3 3 3 300 5
Easiness to fold 3 3 3 300 5
Information (Contents)
Topographic base (common, complete, updated…) 5 5 5 500 8.5
Routes (by foot, 4x4, etc., all official open routes, updated
2 3 4 295 5
and explained, etc)
Flora, fauna and geology guide (the essential, descriptive
4 4 4 400 6.75
photos, reliable, etc)
Socio cultural guide (the essential, descriptive photos,
4 4 4 400 6.75
street maps, reliable, etc)
Tourist information directory (hotels, museums,
5 4 3 405 7
monuments) (complete, updated, reliable).
Languages (German, English) 5 5 2 440 7.5
Information (portrayal)
Scale (common, comfortable, allowing detail) 4 5 3 435 7.5
Key (complete, evocative symbols) 3 4 3 355 6
Key (pleasant colors, evocative) 3 4 4 375 6.25
Relief (extracting heights, non impasted) 3 4 3 355 6
Toponimy (abundant, well classified, reliable, etc) 4 4 3 380 6.5
Weights: 1 = without importance, 2 = little importance, 3 = important, 4 = very important, 5 = imperative

4.2. Phase 2: Product Planning

The starting point is the prioritized list of customer’s expectations. This list is called the Voice of the Customer, and is
the set of WHATs to be satisfied. For each item (WHAT) one or several HOWs have to be identified. This way a new
list is generated, called the Voice of the Engineer. These technical descriptors are attributes of the product or service
that can be measured and benchmarked against competitors. Technical descriptors may exist that the organization is
already using to determine product specification, but new measurements can be created to ensure that the product is
meeting customer needs. The HOWs are presented in Table 6 and in submatrix D of Figure 3. Before each HOW a
symbol (+ or -) is used to show the direction of the actuation (increasing or decreasing). These HOWs should be
specified in such a way that they are easily understood, being operative and manageable. That is the basic idea for the
word DEPLOYMENT which consists of the translation of one type of elements into another type, here WHATs into
HOWs.

As shown in Figure 1 WHATs and HOWs are organized in a double entrance matrix form with WHATs in rows and
HOWs in columns. This matrix is used to specify in each cell i,j the existing correlation between WHATs and HOWs as
interpreted by the HoQ working team using its own experience. The use of different correlation levels (9 = high,6 =
medium, 3 = low) allows the identification of the relative importance of each HOW by applying Ec. 1. These values are
commonly shown below the correlation matrix (submatrix H in Figure 3).

IR j   Pi ICi , j
n Where:
IR Importance rating for each HOWj
Ec. 1 P Priority of each WHATi
i IC Index of correlation between each What and each
How

The HOWs are elements and/or a subset of a system and for this reason are rarely independent. Therefore, there is the
common possibility of a positive or negative interaction. The latter is analyzed by putting a roof on the house. The roof
is a matrix where symbols are used to show the interaction between HOWs. Team members must examine how each of
the technical descriptors impact on each other. Positive relations indicate redundancy and negative incompatibility,
contradiction or the necessity to reach a compromise solution. The roof of the matrix is an interesting tool for
verification and improvement.

The benchmark for the HOWs is developed below the correlation matrix and is a very efficient tool for analyzing the
technical aspects of products. Here we can discover the strong and weak points of products. This process involves the
use of reverse engineering of competitor’s products to determine specific values for their technical descriptors. It is also
important to note here that this analysis is performed with the available competitor products in the market. For this
reason, some prevention has to be taken into account because it is sure that competitors are also studying how to
improve their products.

At this stage in the process, technical descriptors are stated but the product definition needs target values. Target values
represent “how much” for technical descriptors, establishing the functional requirements for the product. For each
HOW, an appropriate measurement unit should be proposed (e.g. pages, meters, cases, % errors, and so on), but also an
appropriate and realistic target value. The main HoQ chart (see Figure 3), shows proposed values. Finally, at the foot of
the HoQ more information can be added for each technical descriptor, for instance: Information portrayal (the way in
which information is presented -legibility, colours, symbols, structure, etc.- is another element considered by customers;
Resource requirements (internal or external); Associated cost; Evaluation of the technical and/or organizational
difficulty; Time schedule; Responsibility distribution; Remarks and comments.

Table 6 summarizes the complete design; it shows the units used for each descriptor, the target values and a brief
rationale. All aspects included in that table are not immediate and are the result of an iterative design process based on
objective data, the interactions between decisions, the experience of the team and the user’s expectations. Two main
decisions of the design need a brief explanation:
 The product consists of a booklet plus a map. The booklet includes all the guides and a detailed map at E25k
scale, organized in the same way as a common routes guide. The separated map is at E100k scale, and is printed
on a polyart paper.
 The guide is multilingual (Spanish, English and German) and full-colour, including photographs. Text is
organized in three parallel columns, one for each language.

Finally, some extras have been considered in order to increase product appeal: street maps of main cities or villages, and
a purse or bag for protecting and/or carrying the product.

Table 6.- Measurement units of each technical descriptor

Unit Proposed
HOW Observations
(Range/Value) value
Packed size 25 x 13,6 The final size of the product. It must be increased to introduce more
Guides (1 sheet) 25 x 13,6 contents.
Map 1 (1 sheet) cm x cm 25 x 40 A greater size is proposed, breaking with the traditional size for this type of
product, but given an idea of excellence and with more contents. Size is
Map 2 88 x 68 limited by experience.
Total weight 520 The final weight of the product (maps + guides + translations).
Guides 158 A greater weight is proposed because more information is included. Weight
gr
Map 1 295 is limited by experience.
Map 2 45
Fold’s organization
Appreciated value in a customer survey (1= worst, 5 = better). The option
Subjective
5 with greater value is a booklet organization similar to a road guide.
appreciation [1-5]
This organization is adopted.
Number of folds Counts the number of folds of a map.
Map 1 (1 sheet) n 3
Map 2 7
Counts the number of folds before paper rupture. Greater values imply
Resistance to fold Log(n) 2.25 better paper quality and weight.
A paper equivalent to Class IV (Standard UNE 7048-77) is proposed.
Paper treatment for higher rupture resistance and some water-proof
Superficial treatment Yes/No Yes resistance.
Some treatment will be used.
Scale Larger scale allows more detail but also less overview vision and a greater
Map 1 Exxk E25k map size.
Map 2 E100k
Some official topographic maps are well-known and considered of high
Topographic base map Yes/No Yes quality by customers.
An accepted topographic base will be used but updated and complemented.
Depending on data currency update will be considered.
Update rate years 2
Update is programmed in a two year cycle.
Redaction by theme Yes/No Yes The quality of work is sought.

HOW
(Range/Value)
specialist (flora, fauna)
Redaction by theme
specialist (socio cultural)
Translation by specialist
Error level (routes)
Error level (toponimy)
Error level (directory)
Guide size (flora, fauna)
Guide size (socio cultural)
Directory size
Guide size (Routes)
Subjective
Design (key)
Subjective
Design (colors)
Subjective
Design (toponimy)
Subjective
Design (hypsometry)
Interval of contour
Map 1
Map 2
Table 6.- Measurement units of each technical descriptor
Unit Proposed
Observations
value
Out-sourcing with a consolidated university research group working in the
area. Specific quality measurement parameters will be applied.
The quality of work is sought.
Yes/No Yes Out-sourcing with a consolidated university research group working in the
area. Specific quality measurement parameters will be applied
The quality of work is sought.
Yes/No Yes Out-sourcing with an experimented translation group. Specific quality
measurement parameters will be applied.
Error level depends on data sources and updateness.
% 5%
A limiting value is proposed. It implies specific field work.
Error level depends on data sources and updateness.
% 5%
A limiting value is proposed. It implies specific field work.
Error level depends on data sources and updateness.
% 5%
A limiting value is proposed. It implies specific field work.
Greater size implies more information but more weight and final size.
Pages 30
A specific size is proposed by experience.
Greater size implies more information but more weight and final size.
Pages 30
A specific size is proposed by experience.
Greater size implies more information but more weight and final size.
Pages 15
A specific size is proposed by experience.
Greater size implies more information but more weight and final size.
Pages 40
A specific size is proposed by experience.
Appreciated value in a customer survey (1= worst, 5 = better).
4 The design will be evaluated by polling customers. The proposed value will
[1-5]
be met for final design adoption for the product.
Appreciated value in a customer survey (1= worst, 5 = better).
4 The design will be evaluated by polling customers. The proposed value will
[1-5]
be met for final design adoption for the product.
Appreciated value in a customer survey (1= worst, 5 = better).
4 The design will be evaluated by polling customers. The proposed value will
[1-5]
be met for final design adoption for the product.
Appreciated value in a customer survey (1= worst, 5 = better).
4 The design will be evaluated by polling customers. The proposed value will
[1-5]
be met for final design adoption for the product.
Lower or higher values facilitate (more or less) a visual quantitative
m 10 extraction of height.
50 A specific contour interval is proposed by experience.

5. CONCLUSIONS

The bases of the QFD methodology have been presented and an example has been shown for a cartographic product
development by means of the HoQ.

We have developed a HoQ for the definition of a new product in a market with many competitors which do not have
high levels of quality. By means of polling, sixteen main customer expectatives (WHATs) have been considered in
relation to product comfort, contents and portrayal. Twenty six technical descriptors (HOWs) have been deployed in
order to take into account user’s expectations. The main characteristics derived from the HoQ for the new product are:
two maps are used for giving a detailed and a general view of the area, a complete three-language guide is included,
with specific chapters for flora & fauna, geology, socio-cultural aspects and a route guide with proposed trips, as well as
a directory of tourist services. The technical descriptors establish the specifications of each product aspect.

The FQD methodology is somewhat difficult but it gives a very good approximation for the market situation from the
customer’s and technician’s point of view. The construction of the HoQ gives us the opportunity to dialogue between
the different company departments, to better know the technical aspects of the product that concern other members of
our company, and to have a better understanding of our competitors and the expectations of the customer. It is an
enriching experience for the working team, and much more so if after the construction of a common and consensuated
house, the product succeeds in the market.

The QFD presents all the elements that an organization considers to improve or introduce a product in a competitive
environment and for this reason it includes an important dose of the expertise and perspectives of the organization itself.

The main problems pointed out for this methodology are the issues of tedium and time cost. To this day, many teams
still report that they find the process unbearably time-consuming.
 +++ +
++++
+

+
+ +++
+ + + + + + ++ + +++ +
Goal

+
+

+
+
+
+

+
+
+
+

+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-

-
-
-
Redaction by specialist (socio cultural)
Redaction by specialist (flora, fauna)
Fold’s organization appreciation

Translation by theme specialist

Guide size (socio cultural)

Requirement weight (%)

Guide size (flora, fauna)

Topographic base map

Error level (toponimy)

Error level (directory)

Design (hypsometry)
Superficial treatment

Error level (routes)

Interval of contour
Design (toponimy)
Resistance to fold

Design (colours)
Number of folds

Directory size

Design (key)
Customer rating

Total weight

Update rate
Packed size

Guide size
(1-low, 5-high)

Scale
Customer requirements P1 P2 P3 P4

Size 4,75 2,1 3,4 3,6 1,9

Comfort/support

Weight 4,75 2,8 4,0 3,5 2,6

Limited rupture and wear 6,75 3,7 2,3 2,9 4,5
Few folds 5 2,6 3,6 4 2,9
Easiness to fold 5 2,7 2,9 3,6 3,4
Topographic base 8,5 3,9 2,8 3,4 4,3
Routes 5 2 0 2 4
Flora and fauna guide 6,75 0 0 1 1
Contents

Socio cultural guide 6,75 0 0 0 2

Tourist directory 7 0 0 2 4
Idioms 7,5 1 0 2 0
Scale 7,5 3,2 3,2 2,9 3,6
Key (symbols) 6 3,8 3,0 3,4 4,2
Portrayal

Key (colours, evocative) 6,25 3,7 2,9 2,9 4,1

Relief 6 4,2 1,5 2,6 4,3
Toponomy 6,5 4,1 2,6 3,6 4,6
P1
11,5
45 18 2 5 N 100 N N N N N = = = 0 0 0 0 3,8 3,7 4,2 4,1 40
22,0
Competence technical P2 10 ,0 = 9 (high)
24,5 40 12 2 2 N 135 N N N N N = = = 0 0 0 0 3 2,9 1,5 2,6 100
evaluation P3 10,5
50 12 2 4 N 100 N N N N N = = = 1 0 1 0 3,4 2,9 2,6 3,6 100 = 6 (medium)
24,5

P4 11,5 = 3 (low)
21,0 340 30
1 5 N 40 N N N Y N 15 = 20 1 25 9 0 4,2 4,1 4,3 4,6 20

Proposed value
25,0 3 25 10
520 5 2.25 Y Y 2 Y 5 5 5 5 5 30 30 15 40 4 4 4 4
13,6 7 100 50
+ = strong redundance
Measurement units
cm
gr n sub n YN k YN yr YN YN YN % % % pg pg pg pg sub sub sub sub m
cm
+ = low redundance
Technical dificulty (1-low, 5-high) 5 5 3 5 1 1 1 1 4 2 2 2 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1

Importance 287 287 106 173 61 61 219 254 77 87 87 68 65 59 63 217 210 143 153 133 128 77 73 54

Cost
Person in charge

Figure 3.- House of Quality

The QFD is a systematic means of ensuring that customer requirements are actually translated into relevant technical
descriptions throughout each stage of product development. Therefore, meeting or exceeding customer demands means
more than just maintaining or improving product performance. It means designing and manufacturing products that
delight customers and fulfil their unarticulated desires. Companies moving into the 21st century will be enterprises that
foster the needed innovation in order to create new markets, and this is applicable to commodities production and to the
geomatic sector as well.

6. REFERENCES

ARIZA, F.J. (2002). Control de Calidad en la Producción Cartográfica. Ra-Ma.

CUATRECASAS, L. (2001). La Gestión integral de la calidad. Implantación, control y certificación. Ed. Gestión 2000.
MERLI, G. (1993). Eurochallenge. the TQM approach to capturing global markets. IFS, LTD
ZAÏDI, A. (1990). QFD Quality Function Deployment. Technique et Documentation Lavoisier.
AKAO, Y. (1990). Quality Function Deployment. Productivity Press, Cambridge, MA
AKAO, Y., MIZUNO, S. (1978). Facilitating and Training in Quality Function Deployment. Methuen, MA: GOAL/QPC.
MIZUNO, S. AND Y. AKAO, ED. (1994). QFD: The Customer-Driven Approach to Quality Planning and Development,
Asian Productivity Organization, Tokyo, Japan.
KING, B. (1989). Better Products in Half the Time: Implementing quantity Function Deployment in America.
GOAL/QPC, Methuen, MA.
HAUSER, J.; CLAUSING, D. (1988). The House of Quality. Harvard Business Review. May – June, 3: 63 – 73.