Mario Fargnoli

Uncovering differences and similarities among quality function deployment-based methods in design for X: Benchmarking in different domains

ABSTRACT The ability for a product or a service to meet customer needs and requirements efficiently before its market launch is a key-point in design and development activities. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) represents one of the most powerful design methods to achieve such a goal. This study investigates the QFD-based methods proposed in the last two decades, whose use in different ambits of Design for X (DfX) is reported to be effective. We selected most common QFD-based methods, analyzing how designers can implement and coordinate them in design activities effectively throughout their application to an identical case study.

Knowledge Management integration in Occupational Health and Safety systems in the construction industry

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is still a critical problem in the construction industry characterised by many Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The role of knowledge in improving safety performances has been deeply investigated, suggesting the integration of Knowledge Management (KM) issues in the traditional approach to OHS management systems. On these considerations, a KM tool, specifically designed for SMEs in the construction field, was developed. Its architecture extends the document and content management features allowing users an easy aggregation and capitalisation of information from different sources, facilitating the creation of corporate memory throughout different companies.

Hazard function deployment: a QFD-based tool for the assessment of working tasks – a practical study in the construction industry

Despite the efforts made, the number of accidents has not significantly decreased in the construction industry. The main reasons can be found in the peculiarities of working activities in this sector, where hazard analysis and safety management are more difficult than in other industries. To deal with these problems, a comprehensive approach for hazard analysis is needed, focusing on the activities in which a working task is articulated since they are characterized by different types of hazards and thus risk levels. The study proposes a methodology that integrates quality function deployment (QFD) and analytic network process methods to correlate working activities, hazardous events and possible consequences. This provides more effective decision-making, while reducing the ambiguity of the qualitative assessment criteria. The results achieved can augment knowledge on the usability of QFD in safety research, providing a basis for its application for further studies.

The Optimization of the Design Process for an Effective Use in Eco-Design

Nowadays the importance of the environmental sustainability of industrial products has become significant because of the ever-stricter environmental legislation in the field, and thanks to the higher awareness of customers concerning environmental problems. The development of sustainable products leads engineers to take into considerations environmental aspects in concurrency with traditional technical and economical aspects since the beginning of design activities. It is clear, then, the importance of using a suitable design framework for the products’ development. The output of the study consists of the development of easy-to-use guidelines, which is able to indicate in practice to designers the addresses that can be followed for a more effective action.

Integrating QFD for product-service systems with the Kano model and fuzzy AHP

The paper proposes a systematic procedure for the development of Product-Service Systems (PSSs) by focusing on the analysis of customer requirements, and the selection of those that can practically enhance the offerings’ value. With this goal in mind, the Quality Function Deployment for Product Service Systems (QFDforPSS) method was augmented by means of the Kano model to filter the customers’ needs and transform the attractive ones into Receiver State Parameters (RSPs), as the cornerstone of QFDforPSS. Then, to properly assess these parameters and their inherent uncertainty, the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) method was also integrated into the procedure. To validate the proposed procedure, it was implemented in a case study in the medical devices sector, in collaboration with a haemodialysis equipment manufacturer, which operates in a regulated market of product-oriented services.

PSS modularisation: a customer-driven integrated approach

The shift from product ownership to integrated solutions (Product-Service Systems (PSSs)) is expected to lead to a higher customer satisfaction in many cases compared to providing products and services separately. PSS providers are required to add more value to the products they offer, as well as to augment and diversify the services related to these products. To deal with this complex task, this paper proposes a practical methodology to support manufacturers in designing services related to the proper functioning of their products fulfilling customers’ needs and expectations. This approach is based on the synergic use of Quality Function Deployment for PSS (QFDforPSS), Axiomatic Design (AD) and the service blueprint tools, providing a correlation between the customers’ expectations, the PSS components and the PSS modules. The methodology was verified by means of a service modularisation for PSS at a company operating in the biomedical sector. While the proposed approach needs to be validated through further studies in different contexts, its positive results in reducing both the risk of overdesigning and the possibility of creating design conflicts can contribute practically to the scientific knowledge on the development of integrated solutions.

A practical ANP-QFD methodology for dealing with requirements’ inner dependency in PSS development

Abstract In recent years, numerous researchers have investigated the implementation of Product-Service System (PSS) in the industry as a means of enhancing companies’ performances, representing a win-win solution for both companies and customers. Nevertheless, the elicitation of the customer needs and expectations through the assessment of the mutual interactions between the product’s and the service’s elements has been scarcely addressed. To accomplish this, the paper proposes a methodology based on the analysis of the market demand and customer requirements by means of the Quality Function Deployment for Product Service System (QFDforPSS) and the Analytic Network Process (ANP) methods. To verify the proposed methodology, it was applied to a case study in the medical devices sector, in collaboration with a provider of medical imaging equipment. Practical results showed that the proposed methodology allowed engineers to make the assessment of the PSS requirements comparable and homogenous, providing an accurate evaluation of their mutual interactions, as well as of those factors that are hidden to the customers and have an indirect effect on its satisfaction. Although the proposed approach needs to be validated through further studies in different contexts, it can be valuable for theory development and also for practitioners in the PSS field.