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Quality

This section is about measuring quality. Quality can be defined as fitness for use or more measurably as conformance to requirements. This presupposes that there are testable requirements for the product. If products are built correctly the first time then quality is free. The cost of building a product correctly is just the cost of doing business.

Cost of Quality

Every product has a cost of materials, labor and overhead. When the product has to be reworked because it was not built correctly the first time, this is called the cost of quality.

Phil Crosby calls it the price of non-conformance. Quality can be a large component of the cost for companies with "out of control" processes.

Statistical Quality Control

For manufacturing processes such as assembly lines, there is a quantitative analysis called statistical quality control that uses key measurements to determine if the process is under control or not. For this method to be used the process must have at one time been in control.

Quality Improvement

Quality problems always begin with a management style that allows products and services to be delivered that do not conform to a specific recipe or requirements. Quality improvement begins when management believes it has a quality problem and takes steps to change the environment. Quality improves when measurement against standards takes place and negative trends are taken seriously. There are many quality improvement systems to choose from. Each industry has its favorites. Almost all programs suffer from one of; A) management failure to commit or B) too much bureaucracy to be effective. Often, the most that can be gained from these programs is for everyone in an organization (from the top down) to come to the realization that quality is their responsibility and it starts with their output. Continuous improvement is a focus on conforming output streamlining the processing to make it easier.

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