Herramienta Casa de la Calidad como Factor de Fortalecimiento en las Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas

Currently, there are barriers that hinder the development of small businesses, one of which is the insufficient quality of the products they generate, which translates into low levels of competitiveness. The case study demonstrates the applicability of the Quality House tool in small businesses, specifically in the Association of Small Producers of Sweets and Preserves “La Natividad de Chumblin” in Azuay, Ecuador. The objective was to contribute to strengthening the quality management of chamburo preserves and their positioning in the market. The House of Quality methodology was applied within the framework of Quality Function Deployment, developing three main phases: identification of quality variables using the Delphi method, quality assessment based on consumer perception, and competitive analysis, aimed at comparing the results obtained with the practices and standards present in the market. Recommendations were made, particularly regarding areas for improvement identified during the process that directly contributed to the achievement of the objective. Keywords: quality, small producers, food preservation.