Exploring the Meaning of Quality
Chapter 6
Achieving Quality Through Continual
Improvement
Claude W. Burrill / Johannes Ledolter
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999
Prepared by Dr. Tomi Wahlström,
University of Southern Colorado
Chapter 6
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Deming’s Meaning of Quality
• What is quality? What would someone mean by
the quality of a shoe? Let us suppose that it is a
man’s shoe that he is asking about. Does he mean
by good quality that it wears a long time? Or that
it takes a shine well? That is feels comfortable?
That it is waterproof? That the price is right in
consideration of whatever he considers quality?
Put another way, what quality-characteristics are
important to the customer? - Deming
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Meaning of Quality
• Quality concepts apply to products and to services
• Quality has many “scales” or “characteristics”
• Quality should be aimed at the needs of the
customer
• Quality means meeting the product quality
characteristics that are important to the customer
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Juran’s Definition of Quality
• An essential requirement of… products is that
they meet the needs of those members of society
who will actually use them. This concept of
fitness for use is universal…The popular term for
fitness for use is quality, and our basic definition
becomes quality means fitness for use. - J. M.
Juran
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Feigenbaum’s Definition of
Quality
• Product and service quality can be defined as: The
total composite product and service characteristics
of marketing, engineering, manufacturing, and
maintenance through which the product and
service in use will meet the expectations of the
customer - A. V. Feigenbaum
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Crosby’s Definition of Quality
• Quality is conformance to
requirements - P. Crosby
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Ishikawa’s Definition of Quality
• Narrowly interpreted, quality means quality of product
• Broadly interpreted, quality means quality of work, quality
of service, quality of information, quality of process,
quality of division, quality of people, including workers,
engineers, managers, and executives, quality of system,
quality of company, quality of objectives, etc. To control
quality in its every manifestation is our basic approach
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ISO Definition of Quality
• Quality is the totality of features and
characteristics of a product or service that
bear on its ability to satisfy stated or
implied needs
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Working Definition of Quality
• Quality meets requirements
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Quality is binary
Quality focuses on requirements
Requirements must be in writing
Requirements must be verifiable
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Tenets of Quality
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Quality is directed at customer satisfaction
Quality means “meets requirements”
Quality applies to every product
Quality is a profitable investment
Quality requires changing an organization’s
culture
• Quality requires top management leadership
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Tenets of Quality Cont.
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Quality is everybody’s job
Quality equates to “good business practice”
Quality requires a focus on people
Quality is achieved through process improvement
Quality improvement is forever
Quality must be a fundamental long-term goal
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Couple of Quotes
• If a company follows the principle of “quality first,” its
profits will increase in the long-run. If a company pursues
the goal of attaining a short-term profits, it will lose
competitiveness in the international market, and will lose
profit in the long run. - Ishikawa
• The secret of Japan’s success is an unrelenting, some might
say fanatical adherence to what amounts to a de facto
national policy. That policy is quality first. - Dana M.
Cound “A Call for Leadership”
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Questions?
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Copyright© 1999 John Wiley & Sons Inc. All rights reserved.
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contained herein.
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