How to Integrate SWOT and QFD in an Organization

Introduction SWOT is an acronym for Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats. Strengths and Weaknesses are internal while Opportunities and Threats are external attributes of an organizational environment (Ghazinoory et al., 2011). QFD stands for Quality Function Deployment, a strategic management technique for transforming the consumer needs into quality design products.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How to Integrate SWOT and QFD in an Organization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are four houses of quality in QFD. They include Product planning matrix, Part deployment matrix, Process-planning matrix, and Production control matrix (Kumar et al., 2006). Production planning matrix deals with identification of customer needs and market competitors. Part deployment and process planning matrices deal with production control mechanisms. Production matrix deals with control of the final products. The contr ols of the final product include quality and quantity controls (Kumar et al., 2006). The quality of the products should meet the expectations of consumers. The quantity of the outputs should be sufficient to meet the market demand and supply. The audience In this paper, the target audience is customers who consume organizational products. According to Bobrek and Sokovic (2006), the main concern of customers is satisfaction of their needs at affordable prices. Therefore, business organizations must strive for survival by ensuring that all customer concerns are satisfied. Problem The main problems faced by organizations in this context include identification of customer needs and market competitors. SWOT analysis is used by the organization in assessing its strengths and weaknesses against available opportunities and market threats. In this context, the strengths of the organization in question could be its brand position on the market, product differentiation, and quality customer se rvice. Threats are market competitors and new market entrants (Ghazinoory et al., 2011). The threats could come from competitive brand qualities and prices of market rivals. The first house of QFD can help organizational managers in identifying market competitors. In this regard, the organization is supposed to carry out market scanning to establish the existing competitors. Upon identification of market rivals, the organization in question should embark on competitor analysis. Competitor analysis identifies the strengths and weaknesses of market rivals (Kumar et al., 2006).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Recommendation In order to integrate SWOT analysis and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) effectively to gain a competitive advantage, the organization should use production planning matrix to identify competitors and consumer needs(Kumar et al., 2006). Then SWOT analysis s hould be employed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of market competitors. The organization should use weaknesses of competitors as an opportunity for business growth. Quality Function Deployment is essential in designing consumer products that meet market expectations. Part deployment, process planing and production control matrices ensure that high quality products are produced at minimum costs. The strategies an organization should employ in lowering production costs include the use of technology in production processes and use of cheaper production materials. Automation of production processes reduces human labour force, which in turn reduces labour costs. Automation also ensures high production rate and high output quality. Conclusion The employment of QFD allows the organization to produce high quality products at low production costs. The high quality products are critical in gaining a competitive advantage against competitors. The low production cost allows the organi zation to set lower prices, which serve as a competitive advantage against the market rivals. The outcome of high quality products at a lower price should be a rise in the volume of sales and profit margins. References Bobrek, M., Sokovic, M. (2006). Integration concept and synergetic effect in modern management. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 175, 33-39. Ghazinoory, S., Mansoureh, A., Mandana, A.M. (2011). Swot Methodology: A State-of-the-Art Review for the Past, A Framework for the Future. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 12(1), 24-48.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How to Integrate SWOT and QFD in an Organization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Kumar, A., Jiju, A., Dhakar, T. (2006). Integrating quality function deployment and benchmarking to achieve greater profitability. Benchmarking:An International Journal,13(3) , 290-310. This essay on How to Integrate SWOT and QFD in an Organization was written and submitted by user Camryn Campos to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.