House of quality

You can determine the importance of each product attribute by multiplying the values specified in step 6 with the weight specified in step 2 and then adding all the values. You now have an overview of the importance of each feature because you’ve already defined how closely each feature relates to customer requirements. This will help you with further product development. Enter the sum of each column in the bottom row of the matrix to build the foundation of your house of quality.

Experience shows that it’s helpful to specify a relative value in addition to the absolute value. In this case, you record a percentage, meaning you offset the possible maximum value against the actual result.

In our example, we would multiply the value 5 for the motor power by weight 5 (25). Next, multiply the value 5 by the weight 3 (15). Then add the two values to the absolute value (40). Since the maximum value in our example is 145, the resulting values in the graphic below show the relative importance of motor power, blade systems, housing design, and controls: