What Is Quality?
What is Quality?
Hoyer & Hoyer state that quality standards and customer expectations, in various guises, have been in existence for many centuries. However international quality standards, the formal study and implementation of “Quality” are the preserve of the 20th & 21st centuries. Consumers in the last 20-30 years have become finely tuned to the existence, value and need for quality but do they actually know what it is? Hoyer & Hoyer identified 8 quality guru’s and summarise their definition’s of quality. The 8 definitions fall into two categories i.e. Level 1 (measure the attributes against spec’s) and Level 2 (satisfy the customer). Philip Crosby’s definition of quality is from the level 1 category and can be summarized as “conformance to requirements”. Crosby’s keys points to consider are: define quality, turn that definition into measureable attributes and finally measure these attributes. Crosby’s definition lacks clarity when considering if all units that conform to the spec. are of equal quality. Deming does his best to avoid a simple definition but it is clear he believes in a management style and strategy that has quality at its heart. He is from the level 2 side of the house and is best defined in terms of customer satisfaction, multidimensional variables and multiple levels of quality. Armand V. Feigenbaum is consistent in his belief that quality is allied to satisfying the needs and expectations of customers. Feigenbaum’s theory states that quality is dynamic i.e. customers have changing needs & expectations and similar to Deming quality is multidimensional. Feigenbaum’s theory is weak on the process of translating customer’s needs to product or service attributes. Kaoru Ishikawa states that quality is the pursuit of satisfied consumers and as cost is directly related to consumer satisfaction by inference cost is a key facet of quality. He adds that meeting national standards or spec’s is not sufficient as they cannot keep pace with consumer
Hoyer & Hoyer state that quality standards and customer expectations, in various guises, have been in existence for many centuries. However international quality standards, the formal study and implementation of “Quality” are the preserve of the 20th & 21st centuries. Consumers in the last 20-30 years have become finely tuned to the existence, value and need for quality but do they actually know what it is? Hoyer & Hoyer identified 8 quality guru’s and summarise their definition’s of quality. The 8 definitions fall into two categories i.e. Level 1 (measure the attributes against spec’s) and Level 2 (satisfy the customer). Philip Crosby’s definition of quality is from the level 1 category and can be summarized as “conformance to requirements”. Crosby’s keys points to consider are: define quality, turn that definition into measureable attributes and finally measure these attributes. Crosby’s definition lacks clarity when considering if all units that conform to the spec. are of equal quality. Deming does his best to avoid a simple definition but it is clear he believes in a management style and strategy that has quality at its heart. He is from the level 2 side of the house and is best defined in terms of customer satisfaction, multidimensional variables and multiple levels of quality. Armand V. Feigenbaum is consistent in his belief that quality is allied to satisfying the needs and expectations of customers. Feigenbaum’s theory states that quality is dynamic i.e. customers have changing needs & expectations and similar to Deming quality is multidimensional. Feigenbaum’s theory is weak on the process of translating customer’s needs to product or service attributes. Kaoru Ishikawa states that quality is the pursuit of satisfied consumers and as cost is directly related to consumer satisfaction by inference cost is a key facet of quality. He adds that meeting national standards or spec’s is not sufficient as they cannot keep pace with consumer
References: Hoyer R.W & Hoyer B.Y Kennedy R. Juran J.M. & Gryna F.M. Foster T.R.V. What is Quality? Quality Progress. July 2001 pp 53-62. Quality = Doing the Right Things Right Quality Planning and Analysis. 2nd Ed. How to be better at…customer care. 5