Implementing QFD for Improving Quality in Education

Abstract In these times of changing student demographics, diminishing government funding, and dramatically increased competition, educational institutions in the United States have discovered the need for implementing the principles of total quality management. With resources becoming more limited, efficiency and effectiveness in meeting the needs of the customer becomes more critical. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the quality function deployment (QFD) method can be used to measure customer satisfaction in educational institutions. Specifically, this paper reviews TQM concepts in an educational context, briefly summarizes the application of these concepts at several institutions, and demonstrates the QFD principles as utilized to review the MBA program at Grand Valley State University. By using the QFD method as a model, this paper demonstrates how a complex process can become manageable.