Using Quality Function Deployment to Improve Academic Advising Processes
Quality Function Deployment (QFD), a set of concepts and tools often used in manufacturing engineering to link consumer needs with product design, can be used to improve academic advising systems and processes. QFD promotes a structured and logical examination of students' advising needs and a rigorous examination of the relationship of these needs to the design of advising systems, processes, methods, and tools. Because its conceptual base is radically different from the disciplines underpinning advising theory, QFD can offer advising leadership useful insights and avenues for advising improvement.
Contributor Notes
The authors are indebted to the engineering team of Professors Walt Goodman (Entomology), Jack Gorski (Biochemistry), Ray Guries (Forestry), Bruce Jones (Agricultural and Applied Economics), and Bill Tracy (Agronomy). The authors thank Jack Gorski, Ray Guries, Maury Cotter, Chris Lee, and Janet Vandevender for comments on an earlier draft.
Richard Barrows is Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics and Associate Dean, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison and is responsible for the College's instructional programs. His research interests are in natural resource economics, especially land law and land use in the U.S. and Africa. For more information regarding this article, please contact Dr. Barrows at 116 Agricultural Hall, 1450 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53806-1562 or via the Internet at richard.barrows@mail.edmin.wisc.edu.
Bruce Murray is Professor of Landscape Architecture and Assistant Dean in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, with special responsibility for advising programs. His research interests include siting of power plants and electrical power lines and public participation in community development.