The Psychology of Quality and More

A Toolbook for Quality Improvement and Problem Solving (contents)

Matrix Data Analysis Chart (MDAC): Examples

The Quality Toolbook > Matrix Data Analysis Chart (MDAC) > Examples

When to use it | How to understand it | Example | How to use it | Practical variations

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Example

A toy store was aiming to increase sales while improving the satisfaction of its customers with the toys that it sold. As a part of this, it employed a market research company to measure both the initial appeal (which related to actual purchase) and the longer term satisfaction (which related to company image) of a range of toys for boys aged 5 to 10, both being scored on a one-to-ten scale. This limited sector was chosen to prevent excessive complexity and confusion in the analysis.

These were plotted on a matrix to identify the best toys to promote and to find possible ways of improving other toys. The axes were crossed at their mid-points to form value quadrants, as illustrated below.

As a result, improved packaging and promotion was sought for the better construction toys, in order to increase initial appeal, some bottom end toys were dropped, and the results of the survey were published in a form which customers could easily understand. The result was an increase in the reputation of the store as putting customer interests first, as evidenced by the increase in complimentary letters.

Fig. 1. MDAC example

Other examples

• A vineyard, aiming to increase the consistency of the quality of its wines measures a 'quality rating' along with a range of different other factors, such as grape, additives, storage, etc. It then uses MDACs to isolate clusters of factors that contribute to its finest wines.
• A pharmaceutical combine examines the pain-killing drugs of its subsidiaries in terms of the cost to product and general efficacy. Products which are high cost but are not of highest efficacy are dropped. Low-cost drugs of reasonable efficacy are promoted, and high-cost drugs have a project initiated to reduce production cost.
• A production unit, looking for alternative materials to build a more durable gear casing, compares key attributes of available materials using cost and durability.

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