Improving the house of quality with maximum difference scaling

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to put forth maximum difference scaling to more accurately identify importance scores for customer requirements, which will also allow need‐based segments to be recognized and utilized within the QFD process.

Design/methodology/approach

An overview of research methods to explore customer requirements are discussed, followed by survey data analysis of customer requirements which compares and contrasts stated importance ratings to maximum difference scaling results.

Findings

The results from this study suggest that maximum difference scaling offers some advantages compared to traditional stated importance ratings, as well as other traditional methods for determining importance ratings. Providing significantly more discriminating power among customer requirements, maximum difference scaling allows researchers to have a more accurate and valid view of the relative importance of customer requirements as well as the ability to form need‐based segments.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of all research methods are discussed, including those limitations of maximum difference scaling.

Practical implications

The method put forth in this article provides practitioners with an improved methodology for determining the importance of customer requirements.

Originality/value

While maximum difference scaling has been proposed and tested in other fields, this is the first article of maximum difference scaling being applied to a QFD project.

Citation

Garver, M.S. (2012), "Improving the house of quality with maximum difference scaling", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 29 No. 5, pp. 576-594. https://doi.org/10.1108/02656711211230535