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What is Quality?
To understand quality, think of it as a broad term that is often used
to encompass many things. ASQ refers to quality as a collection of powerful
tools and concepts that are proven to increase customer satisfaction,
reduce cycle time and costs, and eliminate errors and rework.
Learning institutions often teach quality tools and techniques within
business, engineering, health care, education, service, customer service,
and management curriculums. To help you understand quality and why resources
on the topic are applicable to your institution, consider how these definitions
apply to patron, member, and customer needs.
Quality Management – Oversight and application
of quality principles in a management system used to guide overall operational
process to achieve maximum customer satisfaction at the lowest overall
cost to the organization while continuing to improve the process.
Quality Planning – Establishing and developing
the objectives and requirements for quality and the requirements for
the application of the quality system. According to Juran these steps
should include a quality council, quality policies, strategic quality
goals, deployment of quality goals, resources for control, measurement
of performance, and quality audits.
Quality Control /Quality Assurance (QA/QC) – Two
terms that have many interpretations, but are often used interchangeably
because of the multiple definitions for the words assurance and control.
One definition of quality assurance is all the planned and systematic
activities implemented within the quality system that can be demonstrated
to provide confidence a product or service will fulfill requirements
for quality.
Total Quality Management – Feigenbaum’s
concept of a system that integrates quality development, maintenance,
and improvement of the parts of an organization. It helps a company manufacture
its product and deliver its services economically.
Quality Improvement – Actions taken to increase
the value to the customer by improving the effectiveness and efficiency
of processes and activities throughout the organizational structure.
Six Sigma – Methodology that provides businesses
with the tools to improve the capability of their business processes.
This increase in performance and decrease in process variation lead to
defect reduction and improvement in profits, employee morale, and quality
of product. 1 sigma = 690,000 PPM; 2 sigma = 308,537 PPM; 3 sigma = 66,807
PPM; 4 sigma = 6,210 PPM; 5 sigma = 233 PPM; and 6 sigma = 3.4 PPM.
Introduction
Recommended Books
Recommended Journals
Certification Resources
What is ASQ?
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