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What is Quality

Quality of a product or service is the extent to which it incorporates features and characteristics that allow the customer to use it - at satisfying their needs. Quality can also be defined as being fit for the intended purpose, or "fit for purpose". Another simple definition for quality is "conformance to requirements".[1]



Quality is both a perspective and an approach to increasing customer satisfaction, reducing cycle time and costs, and eliminating errors and rework using a set of defined tools such as Root Cause Analysis, Pareto Analysis, etc. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines “Quality” as “the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills a requirement,” and “requirement” as “a need or expectation that is stated, generally implied or obligatory.” Examples of requirements include:

  • Customer specifications such as reliability, availability, accuracy, and delivery dates.
  • Value for goods and services purchased such as ROI and productivity gains.
  • Various ISO standards relating to Quality including ISO 9001, IATF 16949, and ISO 13485.
  • Statutory requirements such as the Food Safety Modernization Act, FDA code of federal regulations, Canadian Standards Association, Underwriters Laboratories, EU directives, and the Occupational Health & Safety Act.
  • Various industry requirements.

Quality is not a program or a discipline. It doesn’t end when you have achieved a particular goal. Quality needs to live in the organization as the Culture of Quality in which every person experiences and understands the need for dedication to its values. Quality is a continuous race to improvement with no finish line. At a more general level, Quality is about doing the right thing for your customers, your employees, your stakeholders, your business, and the environment in which we all operate. From the level of the individual employee all the way up to the level of our planet, Quality is about maximizing productivity and delighting customers while protecting people and resources from the harm that results from shoddy processes and careless oversight. Quality is an approach that should be the goal of every organization from business and manufacturing to healthcare, government, and not-for-profits.


Dynamic Process of Achieving and Improving Quality[2]

Debanjan Mitra, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Marketing at the University of Florida, a quality guru, noticed that across many disciplines, there were different perspectives on what quality was all about. To understand the meaning of quality from the marketing perspective, which is his interest, he investigated over 300 journal articles in different fields. He found that there were five stages of the dynamic process of achieving and improving quality:

  • Organizational antecedents – creating an organization whose capabilities can support achieving world-class quality in products and services
  • Operational antecedents – designing quality into products, managing processes to achieve quality
  • Production quality – meeting specifications for features, reliability and performance; adequately addressing aesthetics and customer taste preferences to create demand
  • Customer consequences of quality – whether and how customers perceive quality, and how this impacts retention
  • Market consequences of quality – in terms of market share, as well as the impact of quality and quality improvement on its contribution to profitability and global competitiveness

Mitra’s Model (2003), incorporates the many implied aspects of the ISO 9000 para 3.1.5 definition of quality. Nicole Radziwill is Senior VP of Quality & Strategy at Ultranauts simplified his model in the illustration below:


Mitra Model source: Nicole Radziwill


Notable Definitions of Quality[3]

The definition of "quality" has changed over time, and even today some variance is found in how it is described. However, some commonality can still be found. The common element of the business definitions is that the quality of a product or service refers to the perception of the degree to which the product or service meets the customer's expectations. Quality has no specific meaning unless related to a specific function and/or object. The business meanings of quality have developed over time. Various interpretations are given below:

  • American Society for Quality: "A combination of quantitative and qualitative perspectives for which each person has his or her own definition; examples of which include, "Meeting the requirements and expectations in service or product that were committed to" and "Pursuit of optimal solutions contributing to confirmed successes, fulfilling accountabilities". In technical usage, quality can have two meanings:
    • a. The characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs;
    • b. A product or service free of deficiencies."
  • Subir Chowdhury: "Quality combines people power and process power."
  • Philip B. Crosby: "Conformance to requirements." The requirements may not fully represent customer expectations; Crosby treats this as a separate problem.
  • W. Edwards Deming: concentrating on "the efficient production of the quality that the market expects, "and he linked quality and management: "Costs go down and productivity goes up as improvement of quality is accomplished by better management of design, engineering, testing and by improvement of processes.
  • Peter Drucker: "Quality in a product or service is not what the supplier puts in. It is what the customer gets out and is willing to pay for."
  • ISO 9000: "Degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements." The standard defines requirement as need or expectation.
  • Joseph M. Juran: "Fitness for use." Fitness is defined by the customer.
  • Noriaki Kano and others, present a two-dimensional model of quality: "must-be quality" and "attractive quality." The former is near to "fitness for use" and the latter is what the customer would love, but has not yet thought about. Supporters characterize this model more succinctly as: "Products and services that meet or exceed customers' expectations."
  • Robert Pirsig: "The result of care."
  • Six Sigma: "Number of defects per million opportunities."
  • Genichi Taguchi, with two definitions:
    • a. "Uniformity around a target value." The idea is to lower the standard deviation in outcomes, and to keep the range of outcomes to a certain number of standard deviations, with rare exceptions.
    • b. "The loss a product imposes on society after it is shipped." This definition of quality is based on a more comprehensive view of the production system.
  • Gerald M. Weinberg: "Value to some person".


Quality Frameworks

A number of scholars in the quality field have developed lists of dimensions that define quality for a product and/or a service. David Garvin developed a list of 8 dimensions of product quality. Evans and Lindsay provide a list of 8 dimensions of service quality. These are general lists and serve as good starting points. But, current research indicates that in terms of service quality, the dimensions are different for different industries. So Evans and Lindsay's list may not apply equally well to, for example, health care services and food services. Parasuraman, et. al. developed a general list of 5 service dimensions that they tested in 4 types of service industry, but the applicability of these dimensions in other industries is unknown.<Dimensions that define Quality [shsu.edu</ref>

Garvin proposes eight critical dimensions or categories of quality that can serve as a framework for strategic analysis: Performance, features, reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability, aesthetics, and perceived quality.

  • Performance: Performance refers to a product's primary operating characteristics. For an automobile, performance would include traits like acceleration, handling, cruising speed, and comfort. Because this dimension of quality involves measurable attributes, brands can usually be ranked objectively on individual aspects of performance. Overall performance rankings, however, are more difficult to develop, especially when they involve benefits that not every customer needs.
  • Features: Features are usually the secondary aspects of performance, the "bells and whistles" of products and services, those characteristics that supplement their basic functioning. The line separating primary performance characteristics from secondary features is often difficult to draw. What is crucial is that features involve objective and measurable attributes; objective individual needs, not prejudices, affect their translation into quality differences.
  • Reliability: This dimension reflects the probability of a product malfunctioning or failing within a specified time period. Among the most common measures of reliability are the mean time to first failure, the mean time between failures, and the failure rate per unit time. Because these measures require a product to be in use for a specified period, they are more relevant to durable goods than to products or services that are consumed instantly.
  • Conformance: Conformance is the degree to which a product's design and operating characteristics meet established standards. The two most common measures of failure in conformance are defect rates in the factory and, once a product is in the hands of the customer, the incidence of service calls. These measures neglect other deviations from standard, like misspelled labels or shoddy construction, that do not lead to service or repair.
  • Durability: A measure of product life, durability has both economic and technical dimensions. Technically, durability can be defined as the amount of use one gets from a product before it deteriorates. Alternatively, it may be defined as the amount of use one gets from a product before it breaks down and replacement is preferable to continued repair.
  • Serviceability: Serviceability is the speed, courtesy, competence, and ease of repair. Consumers are concerned not only about a product breaking down but also about the time before service is restored, the timeliness with which service appointments are kept, the nature of dealings with service personnel, and the frequency with which service calls or repairs fail to correct outstanding problems. In those cases where problems are not immediately resolved and complaints are filed, a company's complaints handling procedures are also likely to affect customers' ultimate evaluation of product and service quality.
  • Aesthetics: Aesthetics is a subjective dimension of quality. How a product looks, feels, sounds, tastes, or smells is a matter of personal judgement and a reflection of individual preference. On this dimension of quality it may be difficult to please everyone.
  • Perceived Quality: Consumers do not always have complete information about a product's or service's attributes; indirect measures may be their only basis for comparing brands. A product's durability for example can seldom be observed directly; it must usually be inferred from various tangible and intangible aspects of the product. In such circumstances, images, advertising, and brand names - inferences about quality rather than the reality itself - can be critical.

A variety of approaches has been applied to explain the multidimensional nature of service quality. Parasuraman, et al (1988, p.23) proposed 5 service quality dimensions which are representing SERVQUAL Dimensions. (1) Tangibles: Physical facilities, equipment, and appearance of personnel (2) Reliability: Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately (3) Responsiveness: Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service (4) Assurance: Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence (5) Empathy: Caring, individualized attention the firm provides its customers

These dimensions were developed and tested in many of service industries and proved be applicable at many of them.

Mowen (1995, p. 56) proposed eight dimensions of service quality (1) Performance: The absolute level of performance of the good or service on the key attributes identified by customers. (2) Number of attributes: The number of features/attributes offered

Evans & Lindsay (1999)

Evans and Lindsay (1999, p.52) proposed 8 dimensions of service quality:

(1) Time; Customer waiting time. (2) Timeliness; On-time completion. (3) Completeness; Customers get all they ask for. (4) Courtesy; Treatment by employees. (5) Consistency; Same level of service for all customers. (6) Accessibility and convenience; Ease of obtaining service. (7) Accuracy; Performed correctly every time. (8) Responsiveness: Reaction to special circumstances or requests.


Measuring Quality[4]

  • Quality is specification driven – does it meet the set performance requirements
  • Quality is measured at start of life – percent passing specification acceptance
  • Quality effectiveness is observable by number of rejects from customers

The quality characteristics of a product or service are known as the ‘Determinants of Quality’. These are the attributes customers look for to decide if it is a quality product or service.

  1. Defining Quality Mango
  2. A Dynamic Model of Quality Improvement Nicole Radziwill
  3. Notable Definitions of Quality Wikipedia
  4. Measuring Quality LRS