Voice of the Customer and Quality Function Deployment

Programme Summary

Translate customer insight into measurable design and service priorities. Participants gather and organise needs, distinguish stated preferences from underlying requirements and build a focused quality function deployment matrix. Practical exercises link customer importance with technical characteristics and tradeoffs, helping teams make transparent decisions while avoiding unsupported scoring, excessive complexity or specifications disconnected from actual customer use.

Training Objectives

1 Capture customer needs with usable evidence; 2 Translate needs into measurable technical characteristics; 3 Structure priorities and relationships transparently; 4 Examine design tradeoffs and competing requirements; 5 Support cross functional agreement on quality targets.

Learning Outcomes

1 Organise customer statements into need categories; 2 Define measurable critical quality characteristics; 3 Construct a focused relationship matrix; 4 Identify important technical tradeoffs and priorities; 5 Present a justified set of quality targets.

Target Audience

Product Managers; Quality Planning Engineers; Service Designers; Customer Insight Analysts; Development Engineers.

Target Industries

Consumer Products; Industrial Equipment; Healthcare Services; Logistics Services; Digital Services; Hospitality Services.

Course Contents

• Module 1 Customer Insight and Decisions: Customer segments uses and operating contexts; Voice of customer sources and limitations; Needs versus requested technical solutions.
• Module 2 Gathering and Structuring Needs: Interviews observations complaints and surveys; Affinity grouping and clear need statements; Sampling bias and conflicting customer expectations.
• Module 3 Prioritising Customer Requirements: Importance evidence and segment differences; Baseline performance and competitive comparisons; Transparent weighting and uncertainty in scores.
• Module 4 Technical Characteristic Development: Measurable responses to customer needs; Targets units and verification methods; Controllable design and service parameters.
• Module 5 Relationship Matrix Construction: Need to characteristic relationship strength; Evidence behind ratings and assumptions; Identifying uncovered needs and weak links.
• Module 6 Tradeoffs and Technical Priorities: Correlations and competing design effects; Feasibility cost risk and development constraints; Priority calculations and sensitivity review.
• Module 7 Deployment and Review: Translating targets into design and process actions; Ownership verification and controlled updates; Maintaining customer relevance through development.
• Module 8 Customer Translation Workshop: Building a focused quality deployment matrix; Testing assumptions and technical priorities; Presenting evidence based quality targets.

Assessment

• 40 single best answer questions, including applied scenarios; one mark per question.
• 60 minute invigilated digital examination with identity verification. Approved accessibility adjustments preserve the assessed competence.
• Supplied reference pack and calculator permitted; external internet and AI prohibited.
• Individual applied assessment (30 minutes): Convert supplied customer feedback into a focused quality deployment matrix and justify technical priorities, targets and unresolved tradeoffs.
• Assessment criteria: Faithful measurable customer requirement translation; Transparent relationships and priorities; Practical targets and tradeoff reasoning.
• Pass each component separately: 30/40 written marks (75%) and at least 70% on the applied task.
• Individual results and feedback are provided. One reassessment may follow coaching under the published enrolment terms.

Certification

• Successful learners receive a TQCSI Arabia digital Certificate of Successful Completion.
• The certificate records the learner name, exact programme title, teaching hours, completion date and unique verification reference.
• Verified identity, full attendance and separate written and applied passes are required; all mandatory critical criteria must be met.
• Proposed issue target: within 30 calendar days of approved results and settlement of applicable fees.
• Records customer requirement translation and quality deployment skills; design approval and market validation remain separate decisions.
• Attendance confirmation may record completed hours for unsuccessful learners; it does not certify successful completion.

Programme Profile

Number of daysNumber of daysNumber of days

222

Total teaching hoursTotal teaching hoursTotal teaching hours

12 hours; breaks, pre course work and formal final assessments excluded.12 hours; breaks, pre course work and formal final assessments excluded.12 hours; breaks, pre course work and formal final assessments excluded.

Delegates allowedDelegates allowedDelegates allowed

Maximum 20 delegates.Maximum 20 delegates.Maximum 20 delegates.

Training prerequisitesTraining prerequisitesTraining prerequisites

Experience in product, service or quality development is recommended. Basic familiarity with customer research and specifications is helpful.Experience in product, service or quality development is recommended. Basic familiarity with customer research and specifications is helpful.Experience in product, service or quality development is recommended. Basic familiarity with customer research and specifications is helpful.

Pre course assignment and assessmentPre course assignment and assessmentPre course assignment and assessment

Review a fictional customer feedback pack for 25 minutes and separate needs from suggested solutions.Review a fictional customer feedback pack for 25 minutes and separate needs from suggested solutions.Review a fictional customer feedback pack for 25 minutes and separate needs from suggested solutions.

End of course assessmentEnd of course assessmentEnd of course assessment

40 question written exam (60 minutes) and individual applied task (30 minutes).40 question written exam (60 minutes) and individual applied task (30 minutes).40 question written exam (60 minutes) and individual applied task (30 minutes).

Passing criteriaPassing criteriaPassing criteria

75% written and 70% applied, passed separately; full attendance.75% written and 70% applied, passed separately; full attendance.75% written and 70% applied, passed separately; full attendance.