Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence 10th Edition by James Evans ,William Lindsay

Exercise 11

This case is based on an application of QFD at Tennessee Technological University to their Research Resources Center (RRC), an internal service system. Originally created as a support facility for faculty and student research, the RRC has grown to offer many more services, including test preparation, manuscript preparation, resumes, flyers, brochures, faxing, copying, typing, and computer applications. The RRC is staffed weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with highly experienced support personnel. Jody, the head coordinator of the RRC, is proficient in specialty computer applications. She has a workstation at her disposal loaded with word-processing, graphics, and desktop publishing software. Peripherals such as a laser printer, color printer, and a full-page scanner allow her to generate high-quality output. Candy specializes in word processing, and Marie specializes in copying, collating, and stapling or binding. All three are proficient in most of the RRC functions.
Jobs can be classified as student, teacher, or rush. Most jobs are single-task oriented and can be completed by one RRC professional. The professional may be dependent on student workers to process job orders accurately and place them in the appropriate incoming jobs bin. Some jobs, however, are dependent on the other employees' functions. For instance, Candy types the tests, and Marie makes the copies and packages the final product. In these instances, Marie functions as an internal customer. She becomes dependent on another professional employee to accomplish her job.
Students involved in scholarship and work study programs are also employed part time to support RRC personnel. The RRC, functioning as a unit of the College of Business, is bound by the same regulations as other university offices: It has little control over the student employment selection process.
The responsibilities of the students include taking work orders and assisting customers in low-tech functions, such as making copies and finding research materials. No formal training is provided. The student workers are briefly informed of the RRC's functions and told to be courteous to customers. When student workers have questions, they ask one of the professionals. The student workers are primarily used as an interface between RRC professionals and customers.
A security issue is associated with some of the documents that the RRC processes. Some faculty members choose to have the RRC type and print their tests. In these instances, student workers cannot be involved in any process related to the test. The order is taken by one of the professionals, the job is executed, and the final product is locked in a file cabinet in a room where student workers are not allowed. Additionally, some student documents may not be handled by student workers. Project papers submitted for typing should not be viewed by a student worker who, by chance, may be in the same class and have the same assignment.
FIGURE 7.31 RRC Old Layout

Source: Reprinted with permission from R. Nat Natarajan, Ralph E. Martz, and Kyouske Kurosaka, "Applying QFD to Internal Service System Design," Quality Progress , February 1999, 65-70.
FIGURE 7.32 RRC House of Quality

Source: Adapted from R. Nat Natarajan, Ralph E. Martz, and Kyouske Kurosaka, "Applying QFD to Internal Service System Design," Quality Progress , Vol. 31, No. 2, February 1999, pp. 65-70.
Because of limited space in the RRC, little distinction can be made between back office and front office. A counter is set up to the right of the door as customers walk in. All workers are stationed behind this counter. As customers need assistance, they are met at the counter by student workers who assist them. If a customer requires a job, then the appropriate work-order forms are filled out. During this time, the customer is in full view of the operations. Some frequent customers prefer to relay their job orders directly to the professionals. As a result of the customized nature of many of the jobs, this direct contact is sometimes appropriate. Some customers, however, prefer to do business with certain RRC representatives, which means that RRC professionals occasionally have to leave the work they are doing to serve the customer.
The area to the left of the counter is available for customer use (see Figure 7.31). Four large tables are centrally located for faculty members and students to use for study purposes. The waiting area is merely the area between the counter and these tables. Service lines are not structured, and service personnel attempt to serve customers on a first-come, first-served basis. When customers have work orders that can be completed quickly, they may choose to wait at the counter. Occasionally, a queue develops in front of the service counter.
QFD was used to analyze where a concerted effort might increase the RRC's quality level as perceived by the customer. Customer requirements were grouped along the five dimensions of service quality (in rank order of importance): reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. These categories were further broken down into secondary requirements as shown in the House of Quality (Figure 7.32).
Do you agree with the relative importance of measures of the voice of the customer in Figure 7.32? Explain why these rankings are reasonable, or provide counterarguments for a different ranking.