(5) A Quality Function Deployment Analysis of School Customer Needs for Meeting the Goals of Blueprint 2000

Abstract: In providing leadership for Blueprint 2000 School Advisory Councils, school principals must employ group communication and decision-making skills. In this study a planning procedure called Quality Function Deployment (QFD) was modified for use with school administrators. Six cross-school teams of principals from Palm Beach County used QFD to generate the top priority needs of school customers (e.g., students, parents, teachers) for Blueprint 2000 goals I through 6. Burton and Merrill’s taxonomy of needs sources and Kaufman’s Organizational Elements Model (OEM) were used to classify and analyze the perceived needs identified by the principals. Results indicated that school leaders were adept at using the QFD process and that assuming the perspective of the customer enabled principals to identify needs beyond those typically identified for school improvement. Furthermore, several interesting patterns of needs were observed across the categories of both the Burton and Merrill and the Kaufman systems, suggesting that both analysis procedures can provide School Advisory Councils with valuable insights for their needs analysis and eventual needs assessment activities.

Citation: Kushner, S. N., Carey, L. M., Carey, J. O., & Jensen, M. M. (1993). A quality function deployment analysis of school customer needs for meeting the goals of blueprint 2000. Florida Journal of Educational Research, 33(1), 48-70.

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