About QFD Institute Training

The aim of the QFD Institute's QFD Belt® Program is to produce project team members, professionals in quality, design and business, facilitators, and educators who posses a strong, up-to-date, solid QFD foundation and best QFD practices.

We emphasize on the Voice of Customer discovery of unspoken true needs beyond what was stated by the customer, sound QFD deployments, and use of the latest tools and valid math that are in compliant with ISO 16355.

The intent is to produce practitioners who are capable of applying QFD thinking and tools correctly and effectively in their profession for successful development of new products, services, and business processes, and by doing so, to foster the next generation of QFD practitioners.

System of Training

The QFD Institute’s QFD Belt® Certificate system has been developed to encompass six levels of proficiency. It draws upon valuable traditions from Drs. Akao and Mizuno's Comprehensive QFD and new advancements incorporated in recent years, retaining the best that was created by the two co-founders while embracing the demands of today's business reality. This is the only QFD curriculum sanctioned and authorized by Dr. Akao outside Japan.

The QFD Belt® Certificates system emphasizes mastery proven through competent application. The training graduates are expected to apply what was learned in the classroom on real projects and are encouraged to keep up with future enhancements through QFD Belt® Update continuing education.

Learning Path

The QFD Institute provides two (2) distinct pathways of QFD learning:

1. In-house / Private QFD Training

Each in-house QFD program will have custom-tailored training materials and a custom-tailored QFD process that addresses the unique needs of each organization and project. Your associates will be trained on this custom-tailored QFD process. The private setting allows candid discussions of internal issues and project needs that are essential to a successful project outcome and organizational culture change.

Students completing an in-house QFD Belt® program earn a provisional QFD Belt® certificate upon successful completion of the training. Some earn a full status QFD Belt® immediately or shortly upon the completion of the in-house custom training, as they typically progress to creating several QFD work objects during the training.

A custom-tailored QFD process has proven to be the most effective mode to prepare students for skillful utilization of the power and flexibility of an optimized QFD process. To inquire or schedule an in-house training, please contact us (Tel-Fax +1 206-203-3575).

  • In-house QFD White Belt®

  • QFD Technical Diagnosis

  • In-house QFD Gold Belt®

  • In-house QFD Green Belt® training

  • In-house QFD Black Belt® training

  • In-house QFD Master Black Belt® training

2. Public QFD Training

The public QFD Green Belt® Certificate Training is often a good starting point for those who are new to QFD. It also offers an excellent opportunity for corporate trainers and project planners to explore future in-house training possibilities before making a commitment. It is also an advisable refresher for those who had learned classical QFD many years ago.

Public QFD Belt® Training use a generic QFD process and curriculum. All QFD Institute's public trainings go through rigorous bi-annual reviews and reflect the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art QFD information and teaching method. Students earn a provisional QFD Belt® upon completion of it.

A public QFD Green Belt® Training using generic training materials may be scheduled also for your company/team when you have six (6) or more employees to train. This may work if the company wants to train its employees on the general Modern QFD methods but does not yet have a specific project to work on. However, if you wish specific product or development issues addressed, the custom-tailored In-house QFD Training (above) is strongly recommended.

Integrity of Certificates

The QFD Institute's QFD Belt® program aims to deliver the highest possible standards of QFD training in the world. At all times in developing the training curricula and materials, emphasis is placed on the current best QFD practice and efficient execution.

In teaching QFD, emphasis is placed on transmission of the best available QFD expertise and hands-on practice of QFD tools that students will be able to apply to an actual project during the class or immediately when returning to work.

In determining a student's eligibility for a change in their QFD Belt® status (from a provisional status to full status), emphasis is placed on mastery demonstrated through sound application, in addition to completion of the training.

In both in-house and public QFD Belt® trainings, students initially receive a provisional QFD Belt® Certificate upon successful completion of it. Full status is earned upon successful review of the students' QFD project using their tailored QFD process, submitted within a specified time frame.

Certificate holders are additionally advised to attend the periodic QFD Green Belt® Update course and QFD Black Belt® Update course in order to keep their skills at the cutting edge and their Certificate status current.

This assures the integrity of The QFD Institute's QFD Belt® Certificate and the highest possible standards in QFD education that The QFD Institutes strives to deliver.

Consistency in Training Quality

The rigorous process demanded of its QFD Belt Certificate program ensures that The QFD Institute's training graduates and facilitators teaching under its approval are in compliance with the principles of The QFD Institute.

The QFD Institute's instructors have trained nearly 1,400 QFD Green Belts® and QFD Black Belts® spanning 18 countries since 2000* (*data as of Oct 2004).

The QFD Institute permits only full status QFD Black Belts® who have successfully completed the "train-the-trainer training" or higher to teach the QFD Green Belt® training, and only full status QFD Master Black Belts® who have completed the same or higher to teach the QFD Black Belt® training.

Each Certificate holder and his/her QFD Belt® status (both Provisional and Full Status) is recorded in the official QFD Belt® database. Individuals' QFD Belt® status may be verified through the QFD Institute office.