Fourth, it can be difficult to present the findings from the HOQ
to other people who are not familiar with the method. The figure is
very large and contains a great amount of data that makes it difficult
to interpret without losing the overview. Next to that, the case
of the European filled chocolates shows that data, such as overall
acceptance, can get lost in the HOQ. Moreover, the HOQ is only a
first step in a time-intensive procedure for product development
or improvement. It does not give clear solutions to the engineers,
R&D people or marketing people. It only gives an indication of
which points upon which they need to focus when they perform
an in-depth analysis.
Fifth, filling in the planning matrix can be subjective and vague
when it is only based on literature or experience from the persons
who are constructing the HOQ. Park et al. (2012) recommend to
use fuzzy set theory in order to get a more objective approach. This
methodology is briefly described by Park et al. (2012) and more
thoroughly explained by Kwong et al. (2007). Further research on
this topic is necessary, as this methodology is quite technical and
would require good knowledge and skills from the persons constructing
the HOQ within a food company