Overview
ISO 16355-1:2021 - Application of statistical and related methods to new technology and product development process - Part 1: General principles and perspectives of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) - defines the principles, concepts and information flow for applying QFD in product and technology development. It describes the QFD process, purpose, users, and common tools without prescribing management-system requirements. The standard supports integration of QFD with statistical and engineering methods across hardware, software, service and system organizations.
Key topics and technical themes
This part of ISO 16355 systematically covers practical QFD topics, including:
- Basic concepts of QFD: theory, spirit, display of information and the meaning of “function.”
- Integration with product development: QFD support for development flows and organizational QFD flowcharts.
- Types of QFD projects and applicable methods and tools.
- Cross-functional QFD teams: core membership, subject-matter experts and leadership.
- QFD voices: voice of business, voice of customer (VOC) and voice of stakeholder (VOS); sources and translation into customer needs.
- Structuring information sets, prioritization, and quantification methods for needs and technical responses.
- Translation and transfer of priorities and metrics between information sets (function, parts, manufacturing/process).
- Deployment by dimensions: quality, technology, cost, reliability, safety, lifestyle/emotional quality (and security - see ISO 16355‑7).
- Engineering activities aligned with QFD: solution concept engineering, parameter/tolerance design, design optimization, prototyping, testing/validation, build planning and start‑up.
- Downstream considerations: packaging, logistics, channel management, consumer information and operating instructions.
Note: ISO 16355-1 describes methods and perspectives; it does not set organizational policy or management-system requirements.
Practical applications
ISO 16355-1 is valuable for teams who need to translate customer needs into technical specifications and development plans. Typical uses:
- Converting VOC into prioritized product functions and measurable targets.
- Guiding cross-functional collaboration across marketing, R&D, engineering, manufacturing, procurement, quality, IT, service, packaging and logistics.
- Structuring deployment of quality, cost, reliability and safety requirements into part-level and process-level designs.
- Informing design optimization, prototyping, testing and build-start activities.
- Applying statistical and related methods to validate requirement translations and design choices.
Who should use it
- Product managers, systems engineers, design and manufacturing engineers
- R&D teams, quality and reliability engineers
- Marketing, sales, procurement and supply‑chain professionals
- Regulatory, testing and consumer-support functions in hardware, software and service organizations
Related standards
- Other parts of the ISO 16355 series (see ISO 16355‑7 for security deployment) - for deeper or complementary guidance on specific deployment dimensions and methods.
Keywords: ISO 16355-1:2021, QFD, Quality Function Deployment, voice of customer, VOC, product development, design optimization, prototyping, prioritization, deployment.