Quality News

This subject area is one which, perhaps more than most, relies on the meaning, use and interpretation of words and phrases used to define concepts, and which suffers as a result from a degree of misunderstanding and confusion.

For example, there is huge difference between ‘quality’ management and ‘quality management’. Both terms rely on an understanding of the meaning of both ‘quality’ and ‘management’, which will vary depending on the context in which they are used. Similarly, quality thinking could be ‘quality’ thinking or ‘quality thinking’, ie thinking about ‘quality’ or a ‘better and more effective way of thinking’.
What is quality?

The following responses to this question show how varied our ideas can be:

* ‘a measure of excellence’
* ‘the characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs’
* ‘better than you would, or could, have ever expected’
* ‘what the customer perceives it to be’
* ‘doing the right thing right, every time’
* ‘the degree to which an item or process meets or exceeds the customers’ requirements and expectations’
* ‘how closely a product or service meets its design specification’
* ’surpassing customer needs and expectations throughout the life of the product’
* ‘a product or service free of deficiencies’
* ‘reducing the variation around the target’
* ‘a state of mind’
* ‘the extent to which products, services, processes, and relationships are free from defects, constraints, and items which do not add value for customers’
* ‘never having to say you’re sorry’
* ‘an ever-evolving perception by the customer of the value provided by a product. It is not a static perception that never changes but a fluid process that changes as a product matures (innovation) and other alternatives (competition) are made available as a basis of comparison’
* ‘peace of mind’
* ‘never an accident’
* ‘the inherent features possessed by a product or service’
* ‘when what comes back is the client, not the product’
* ‘no surprises!’
* ‘not achieved by doing different things. It is achieved by doing things differently’
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