Product evaluation and development process using a fuzzy compromise-based goal programming approach

Issue title: Fuzzy theory and technology with applications

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Tolga, Ethem | Alptekin, S. Emre

Affiliations: Galatasaray University, Department of Industrial Engineering, Ciragan Cad. No. 36 Ortakoy 34357 Istanbul, Turkey

Note: [] Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 212 227 4480 (427); Fax: +90 212 259 5557; E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: Quality function deployment (QFD) is a product/service design and improvement tool used to achieve higher customer satisfaction. Basically, QFD is a transformation of vague and imprecise customer needs into measurable product/service attributes. This article integrates compromise programming based goal programming into the QFD process to determine to what extent the product/service attributes should be improved. The fuzzy set theory is applied to the model to deal with the imprecise nature of data. Differing from existing QFD applications, our proposed methodology applies analytic network process (ANP) to evaluate the inner dependencies among customer needs, among product attributes and also the relationships between them. Furthermore, it determines the best product/service in the market as the goal employing compromise programming. Finally, the methodology ends with the goal programming method which consists of this predefined goal and the product/service provider's budget limitation. The aim is to improve the performance values of the selected product/service according to the best one. A real-world application on e-learning products provided by the higher education institutions in Turkey illustrates the applicability of our proposed methodology.

Keywords: Quality function deployment, analytic network process, fuzzy compromise programming, goal programming, e-learning

Journal: Journal of Intelligent & Fuzzy Systems, vol. 19, no. 4-5, pp. 285-301, 2008