Yoji Akao (赤尾 洋二,Akao Yōji, 1928 – October 24, 2016) was a Japanese planning specialist recognized as the developer ofHoshin Kanri (astrategic planning methodology). With the lateShigeru Mizuno, he developedQuality Function Deployment (a groupdecision making technique). Akao and Mizuno also co-founded the Quality Function Deployment Institute: a non-profit organization dedicated to dissemination and advancement of QFD.^[1]

Akao received a Ph.D. in 1964 from theTokyo Institute of Technology.^[2]

Akao authored or co-authored several books:

• Quality Function Deployment: Integrating Customer Requirements Into Product Design (1991)
• Hoshin Kanri: Policy Deployment for Successful TQM (Corporate Leadership) (1990)
• QFD: The Customer Driven Approach to Quality Planning and Deployment (co-authored with Shigeru Mizuno) (1994)

• Deming Prize: 1978
• Quality Control Literature Prize: 1960 and 1978

• QFD Institute: Who is Dr. Akao?

• 1928 births
• Japanese business theorists
• 2016 deaths
• Quality
• Quality experts
• Tokyo Institute of Technology alumni

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• Articles containing Japanese-language text