Employing the quality function deployment (QFD) method to support knowledge management in innovation process planning

Abstract

This article proposes the use of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) matrix diagram to one of the stages of the innovation process planning. The purpose of this approach is to support knowledge management, specifically the codification of tacit knowledge. Innovation processes are usually carried out by multidisciplinary teams in which arrangements are often problematic due to communication problems. An example of the choice of an innovative solution in a manufacturing company shows the extent to which the use of the QFD method diagram helps to share knowledge in order to take decisions related to planning the goal of the innovation process. We proposed the modification of QFD matrix to include the scale of risk characterizing each of analyzed solutions.