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House of Quality Matrix

A House of Quality Matrix, aids in determining whether a product meets customer needs. Although quite intricate, it is capable of storing a large amount of information and comparing large amounts of data. Its structure resembles that of a house. The product requirements are compared with customer requirements in a central matrix. Above the product requirements is the "roof", a triangular section of matrix determining whether product requirements support each other or have a more negative correlation, resulting in a tradeoff. To the right of the central matrix is a section for customer rating of each customer requirement of the product as compared to similar products from competing companies. Below the central matrix, there is one row for a rating of organizational difficulty of each product requirement. Below that row are the technical details of each product requirement, compared to those of competitors.

Typical Uses

Best Practices

• Identify a product. Choose a product on which to focus the House of Quality Matrix.
• Choose a template. It is best to use a template for this diagram because of its complexity. SmartDraw offers a House of Quality Matrix template that is quick and easy to use.
• Obtain customer opinion. Whether through surveys, opinion polls, or interviews, it is crucial to gather customer opinion of the product. It is important to know what they expect or want from your product and how important each aspect is to them.
• Fill in the required information. The section on the far left of the matrix is reserved for customer and product requirements. On the far right should be what the competition provides. Along the top should be a list of the product's capabilities meant to fulfill customer needs. In the bottom section should be the targets the company must acquire for the product, long term goals, and the product's standing amongst the competition. Begin by filling in the titles of each row and column.
• Fill out the matrix. The middle section is used to show how much your product is meeting the needs of your customer. Choose three symbols to indicate that an aspect of the product meets the customer's requirement strongly, moderately, or weakly. Use them to fill out the middle section. For the roof section, use a plus to show a positive correlation and a minus to show a negative correlation between two product requirements. Use numbers one through five for the right and bottom sections, with one being low or easy and five being high or difficult.
• Create a key. Create a key that tells what each of the symbols stand for. The SmartDraw template already has symbols and a legend.
• Draw Conclusions. Use your matrix to determine the aspects of the product that should be improved in a cost-effective manner. Also use it to set goals and plan for the future.