3 Most Important Perspectives on What Quality is

Quality has many definitions, some of which can be subjective and conditional. From a business or customer’s perspective, quality is an expectation that a product or service satisfies. Otherwise, customers will stop buying when they realise the quality has decreased. 

Implementing quality in production and marketing is important for a business. 

Think about it. 

Why would the world’s most iconic brand, Levi’s, say, ‘Quality Never Goes Out of Style’?   

The company uses this marketing slogan to define that it produces durable products that customers love. In the background of their operations, they have established safety and compliance standards such as the Restricted Substances List (RSL), which are not used in manufacturing. 

Levi’s products also undergo stringent tests on the fibre, fabric, production quality, and environmental and social responsibility in the supply chain. 

So, what attributes could define the ‘quality’ of a brand like Levi’s here?

• Durability
• Customer satisfaction 
• Safety and compliance standards 
• Environmental and social responsibility 

Based on these conditions, we can ascertain that brands like Levi’s use certain criteria to define quality. They use it to establish brand reputation, meet changing industry standards, meet customer requirements, etc. 

The deeper question, then, how did Levi’s devise this understanding of quality? At what organisational level are they focusing on quality? 

Let’s understand more about the meaning of quality from a business and organisational POV. 

Definitions of Quality

Quality, in its basic definition, means how good something is. 

But there is a lot to it. Some key definitions through quality experts in the last 20th century are mentioned below. 

Quality Means Fit for Purpose

A business selling products or services often describes quality as ‘fit for purpose’. This is a practical definition from Joseph Juran (father of Customer Satisfaction and Quality Management). 

It tells us that a product or service should be designed or developed to meet the customer's needs or wants. Quality as fit for use also means it meets customer requirements. 

Juran, in his book, Quality Control Handbook (1951), explains how quality can be achieved. 

He mentions the quality trilogy. Quality planning, quality control, and quality improvement - the basics of TQM (Total Quality Management). 

Quality planning entails preparing to achieve the company's objectives by identifying both internal and external customers and discerning their requirements.

Following that, products and services are developed to fulfil these identified needs. 

Quality control is the process deployed during operations to ensure the attainment of company goals. Statistical process control techniques serve as the primary tools for maintaining oversight.

Quality improvement aims to reach superior performance levels beyond existing standards. This process involves surpassing existing limitations and attaining unprecedented levels of quality and efficiency.

Quality Means Conformance to Requirements

Another definition of quality comes from Philip Crosby. In his book Quality Is Free (1979), he says quality is ‘conformance to requirements’. 

In his interview with Industry Weekly, he explains quality is adherence to requirements, which needs to be defined carefully once they are understood from the customer’s end. It is not just adding extra features, just so that it ‘delights the customer’, according to Juran. 

Crosby also defines 4 Absolutes of Quality. 

1. “Quality is defined as conformance to requirements, not as 'goodness' or 'elegance'.”
2. “The system for causing quality is prevention, not appraisal.”
3. “The performance standard must be Zero Defects, not "that's close enough".”
4. “The measurement of quality is the Price of Nonconformance, not indices.”

Underlying these four points is the top level management that must set the requirements straight. They must define the requirements to employees who will then follow. If there are mistakes, there is always room for improvement. 

But mostly when speaking of quality with regard to Six Sigma, the focus should be on prevention. That’s why you will find terms such as Zero Defects that Motorola perfected in the 1980s. 

Uniformity and Dependability

Edward Deming, who was instrumental in reviving industrialism in Japan after the Second World War, defines - 

“Good quality means a predictable degree of uniformity and dependability with a quality standard suited to the customer.”

 This standard is a result of his 14 principles outlined in his book Out of The Crisis (1982), where again, it is the responsibility of the organisation. 

By following these principles, quality can be achieved. 

1. There should be an organisation-wide purpose for improvement that applies to everyone from employees to suppliers to customers. 
2. The management should settle for anything less in terms of work - whether it is incompetent labour or creating defective products. 
3. Quality should be controlled using statistical methods (this was because Deming worked with Shewart who created the control chart, to be later introduced as on the key 7 QC tools). 
4. Even when an organisation is purchasing new tools, it should not be just spending on them. The objective, according to Deming, should be to reduce operational costs when purchasing tools. 
5. The Deming cycle, involving plan, do, check, act, is a systematic approach to identifying opportunities for improvement, testing theories, analysing results, and implementing changes. This should be implemented. 
6. All employees must be provided with on-the-job training. 
7. Supervision in the organisation should inspire leadership among employees. 
8. Employees should be encouraged to ask questions. 
9. Different departments - from material procurement to sales, should work together as a team. 
10. Quality improvement is better achieved by focusing on systemic issues rather than placing blame on individuals.
11. Management should understand the capabilities of processes and work towards continuous improvement, instead of quantity. 
12. It is important to make the work environment a place where employees feel valued, and motivated to work. 
13. The organisation should hire employees who focus on learning. 
14. Transforming into an organisation requires everyone’s effort. 

You may also read on organisational behaviour as a concept. 

More than the definition of quality, these are three perspectives on how quality is achieved in an organisation. Deming’s 14 principles have had lasting influence in the 21st century too, Besides Sony and Toyota, Western companies such as Lockheed Martin used these core principles to save $225 million annually (Worximity).