Mr. Philip Crosby created a chart titled “The Absolutes of Quality”.
|
1980’s Conventional Wisdom |
|
Reality |
| Goodness |
Definition of quality |
Conformance to requirements |
| Appraisal |
System to create quality |
Prevention |
| Quality levels |
Performance Standard |
Zero defects |
| Indexes or process levels |
Measurement |
Price of Non-conformance |
Definition of Quality
In the 1980’s “quality” was more of a feeling then a measureable element. Quality was a superior product as far as features. It might be a nicer finish to a piece of furniture or an accessory on a car. The idea that quality was conformance to requirements was a radical change. With the advent of ISO 9001, meeting the customer requirements became a “given” as the definition for quality.
System to Create Quality
Prevention is the current system prosperous companies use to produce a product the conforms to customer requirements. The majority of executives and managers understand the concept that the system must create 100% conforming product. Not that long ago, the method of producing a quality product was t o make a bunch of widgets and sort out the defective parts. Yes there was an army of inspectors at every plant. There was even a television ad for a brand of underwear that told people it wasn’t a quality product until inspector 12 said it was.
Quality Performance Standard
Of course 100% inspection was cost prohibitive so companies used inspection tables. The most well known was MIL-STD 105. First the manufacturer and the customer agreed as to the acceptable percentage of defects in the shipment. They would use the MIL STD 105 to determine a samples size and how many defects they could find and still ship the product. Now if current companies found a single defect in a sample, the product would be quarantined, a root cause analysis started, and a corrective and preventive action implemented.
Measurement of Quality
Measuring the Cost of Quality was unheard of in the 1980’s. Inspection and scrap were a cost of doing business and were built into the price of the product. Today, most companies track both the cost of conformance and the cost of non-conformance. If they are following ISO 9001 they also have a system to generation projects to reduce the total cost of quality.
Quality Today
So here is a question: Does your company track the cost of quality?
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