Five Ways of Looking at Quality Definitions David M. Dilts, Professor of the Faculty of Science at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo Ontario, Canada made a list of quotations according to 5 different targets:
1. Customer - based
"Quality consists of the capacity to satisfy wants."(C.D. Edwards, "The Meaning of Quality", in Quality Progress Oct.1968)
"Quality is fitness for use." (J.M. Juran, ed. Quality Control Handbook 1988)
2. Manufacturing - based
"Quality is the degree to which a specific product conforms to a design or specification"
(H.L. Gilmore: Product Conformance Cost. Quality progress June 1974)
"Quality [means] conformance to requirements." (P.B. Crosby: Quality Is Free)
3. Product - based
"Quality refers to the amount of the unpriced attributes contained in each unit of the priced attribute." (K. B. Leifler: Ambiguous Chamges in Product Quality, American Economic Review Dec.1982)
4. Value - based
"Quality is the degree of excellence at an acceptable price and the control of variability at an acceptable cost." (R. A. Broh: Managing Quality for Higher Profits, 1982)
5. Transcendent
"Quality is neither mind nor matter, but a third entity independent of the two, even though Quality cannot be defined, you know what it is." (R. M. Pirsig: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance)
Quality in different areas of society
|
Area |
Examples |
|
Airlines |
On-time, comfortable, low-cost service |
|
Health Care |
Correct diagnosis, minimum wait time, lower cost, security |
|
Food Services |
Good product, fast delivery, good environment |
|
Postal Services |
Fast delivery, correct delivery, cost containment |
|
Academia |
Proper preparation for future, on-time knowledge delivery |
|
Consumer Products |
Properly made, defect-free, cost effective |
|
Insurance |
Payoff on time, reasonable cost |
|
Military |
Rapid deployment, decreased wages, no graft |
|
Automotive |
Defect-free |
|
Communications |
Clearer, faster, cheaper service |