Quality
ISO 9000:2000
“The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils requirements”
IEEE STD 610.12-1990
“The degree to which a system, component or process meets specified requirements,
The degree to which a system, component or process meets customer or user needs or expectations.”
What is quality?
Quality essentially lies ‘in the eyes of the beholder’. What may be high quality for one customer may not be high quality for another. A customer will consider a product or service as ‘high quality’ if it meets (or exceeds) what he/she wants from that product or service. Any organization that wants to deliver quality products and services needs to understand what would be considered as quality by its customers.
There are five perspectives of quality:
- transcendent (I know it when I see it),
- product-based (process desired features),
- user-based (fitness for use),
- development and manufacturing-based (conforms to requirements), and
- value based (at an acceptable cost).
Each of the above must be considered as important to the customer.
Peter R. Scholtes introduces the contrast between effectiveness (doing the right things) and efficiency (doing things right). Quality organizations must be both effective and efficient.
Patrick Townsend examines quality in fact and quality in perception. Quality in fact is usually the supplier’s point of view, while quality in perception is the customer’s. Any difference between the former and the later can cause problems between the two. An organization’s quality policy must define and view quality from their customer’s perspectives. If there are conflicts, they must be resolved.
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Quality In Fact |
Quality Perception |
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- Doing the right thing
- Doing it the right way.
- Doing it right the first time.
- Doing it on time. |
- Delivering the right product.
- Satisfying our customer’s needs.
- Meeting the customer’s expectations
- Treating every customer with integrity, courtesy and respect |
COST OF POOR QUALITY
The cost of poor quality has been quoted by various sources as being between 15 percent and 50 percent of the cost of doing business. Recent studies have shown that the cost of poor quality may be as high as 20 percent of gross sales for manufacturing and 30 percent of gross sales for the service sector. Poor quality cost any organization many of its scarce dollars.
THE QUALITY-PRODUCTIVITY CONNECTION
Townsend states, “Increase in quality in fact can lead directly to increases in productivity. Emphasis on quality, in manufacturing operations, through the use of statistical quality control, can lead to the conversion of the ‘hidden factory’. The hidden factory produces scrap, rework, repair, sorting, and customer complaints.” The way to improve productivity is to reduce rework and scrap (i.e. improve the quality of processes). Expense reduction is another by-product of quality improvement. At most of the times the objective of Cost Control automatically acts upon as the processes move towards improved quality.
EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT
Employee involvement is another cornerstone of any quality program. Teams are the device sued to assure communication and cooperation between management and the rest of the employees. Through team, all employees will be allowed to participate and contribute to the improvement of processes. Employees will be asked to share the responsibility for innovation and quality. If an organization is not functioning as a team it is probably inefficient, ineffective and not satisfying its customers.
Notes by Pavan