A 'Critical to Quality Tree'

What is it? And how do you use it?

Focusing on the voice of the customer a Critical to Quality Tree, or CTQ for short, is a defined way to document the needs, wants, or requirements of your customers, ideally from their perspective.

Determining whether your product or service is deemed as good value, perceived as high quality, or critically, suitable for future purchases by your client base is a measurement that any manufacturer is doubtlessly keen to know. The CTQ can help give you that insight.

Starting by identifying the key parameters as they relate to what is most important to the customer, the recommendation is to assess the end-product requirements along with the actual process parameters, following which, a six sigma leader can monitor, control, and work to continuously improve upon them.

Fundamentally, by listing each of the customer's needs, ideally in their own words, and then narrowing that offered information further by asking specific questions, you can drive the insight towards items that can be measured. And with measurement comes the opportunity to improve and track that improvement.

Every customer has needs and requirements, and in order to successfully deliver and meet those goals, something as objective as a CTQ can go a long way to helping establish a solid, collaborative and sustainable business relationship.

Utilizing CTQs with their customers, and taking full advantage of the numerous leansixsigma black belts on their team, ADIS Tachov s.r.o. are true leaders in striving toward perfection in each aspect of their production and delivery. As injectionmolding experts serving the auto market, their understanding and experience of the industry is second to none.