QFD applied to software development: prioritization of customer requirements in a matrix of functions

Abstract

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a method extensively used in product development in a wide range of industries. One of the applications is for software development. In this paper, we seek to demonstrate a QFD application to assist a better understanding of customer requirements, thereby facilitating the development of software. The application was based on existing information used in the development of a software application for capturing images obtained from radiological equipment without the use of QFD. The comparison between the development with and without QFD not only had positive results, such as a better understanding of the customer’s requirements, but also negative ones, such as the low priority given to essential functions of the software. A point of distinction of this paper in relation to other ones that apply QFD in software development is the construction of a function matrix. We conclude that the use of QFD is adaptable to software development by providing support for the identification of development priorities, organization, and documentation of requirements.