Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a quality management method[1]​ based on transforming user demands into design quality, implementing functions that provide the most quality, and implementing methods to achieve design quality in subsystems and components, and ultimately to specific elements of the manufacturing process.

It is applied in a wide variety of services, consumer products, military needs (such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter),[2]​ and new technology products. The technique is also used to identify and document competitive marketing strategies and techniques. It is considered a key design practice for Six Sigma.[3] It is also implicated in the ISO 9000:2000 standard, which focuses on customer satisfaction.

The results of this technique have been applied in Japan within the deployment of high-impact controllable factors in strategic planning and Strategic Management (also known as Hoshin Kanri), Hoshin Planning,[4]​ or policy deployment).

Acquiring market needs by listening to the Voice of Customer (VOC), classifying needs, prioritizing them numerically (using techniques such as the Hierarchical Analytical Process) are the initial tasks of QFD. Traditionally, going to the Genba ("the real place", where customer value is created) is where these customer needs are evidenced and compiled.

While there are several books and articles on this methodology, there is a relative paucity of example matrices available, because they are highly proprietary due to the high density of product or service information.

It was originally developed for manufacturing industries, with interest in using QFD-based ideas in software development with work pioneered by R. J. Thackeray") and G. Van Treeck,[5]​[6]​ for example object-oriented programming and use case handlers in software development.[7]​.

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