Frequently Asked Questions About Quality
What is Quality?
Totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated and implied needs. The term "quality" should not be used as a single term to express a degree of excellence in a comparative sense, nor should it be used in a quantitative sense for technical evaluations. To express these meanings, a qualifying adjective should be used.
The achievement of satisfactory quality involves all stages of the quality loop as a whole. The contributions to quality of these various stages are sometimes identified separately for emphasis: for example, quality due to definition of needs, quality due to product design, quality due to conformance, and quality due to product support throughout its lifetime. In some references, quality is referred to as "fitness for use" or "fitness for purpose" or "customer satisfaction" or "conformance to the requirements." These definitions represent only certain facets of quality.
(Source: ANSI/ISO/ASQ A8402-1994. Quality Management and Quality Assurance—Vocabulary)
What are the differences between the concepts of quality control, quality assurance, quality management, quality planning, and total quality management?
Quality management is all activities of the overall management function that determine the quality policy, objectives, and responsibilities, and implement them by means such as quality planning, quality control, quality assurance, and quality improvement within the quality system.
Quality planning is the activities that establish the objectives and requirements for quality and for the application of quality system elements. Quality planning covers product planning, managerial and operational planning, and the preparation of quality plans.
Quality control is operational techniques and activities that are used to fulfill requirements for quality. It involves techniques that monitor a process and eliminate causes of unsatisfactory performance at all stages of the quality loop.
Quality assurance is the planned and systematic activities implemented within the quality system and demonstrated as needed to provide adequate confidence that an entity will fulfill requirements for quality.
A quality system is the organizational structure, procedures, processes, and resources needed to implement quality management.
Total quality management is the management approach of an organization, centered on quality, based on the participation of all of its members, and aiming at long-term success through customer satisfaction and benefits to all members of the organization and to society.
(Source: ANSI/ISO/ASQ A8402-1994. Quality Management and Quality Assurance—Vocabulary)
What are Deming's 14 points?
The 14 points are the basis for transformation for industry. They apply anywhere, to small and large organizations, to the service industry as well as to the manufacturing. The 14 points are:
- Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service.
- Adopt the new philosophy. We are in a new economic age.
- Cease dependence on mass inspection to achieve quality.
- Constantly and forever improve the system.
- Remove barriers.
- Drive out fear.
- Break down barriers between departments.
- Eliminate numerical goals.
- Eliminate work standards (quotas).
- Institute modern methods of supervision.
- Institute modern methods of training.
- Institute a program of education and retraining.
- End the practice of awarding business on pricetag.
- Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation.
(Source: The Deming Route to Quality and Productivity: Road Maps and Roadblocks, by William W. Scherkenbach, Rockville, MD: Mercury Press, 1991. Distributed by ASQ Quality Press as item P625.)
What are the 7-Basic Quality Tools?
The 7-Basic Quality Tools provide techniques for a structured approach to business problem analysis and solution that is a prerequisite for improvement. They are the pareto diagram, the cause-and-effect diagram, the flowchart, the check sheet, the histogram, the scatter diagram, and graphs and control charts.
(Source: Principles and Practices of TQM, by Thomas J. Cartin, Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press, 1993)
What are the 7 Management and Planning Tools of Quality?
The seven management and planning tools were developed for problem solving when there are little or no data to make decisions. They include the affinity diagram, the relationship diagram, the tree diagram, the matrix chart, the matrix data analysis chart, the arrow diagram, and the process decision program chart.
(Sources: Principles and Practices of TQM, by Thomas J. Cartin, Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press, 1993. The Quality Toolbox, by Nancy R. Tague, Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press, 1995)
What is a work process and how do I construct a process map?
A work process is made up steps, tasks, or activities; it has a beginning and an end. Using inputs, it produces either a tangible product or an intangible service as its output. A process map is a method for visually depicting the steps that make up a task or process. The process map is used to understand the process, identify problem areas, and ultimately improve the process.
(Source: Mapping Work Processes, by Dianne Galloway, Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press, 1994. The Quality Toolbox, by Nancy R. Tague, Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press, 1995)
What steps are involved in a quality improvement process?
A quality improvement process provides a framework that guides you from the initial improvement challenge to successful completion of the effort. A 10-step process would include these elements: identify mission; identify customers and requirements; assess current state; define preferred state, problems, and improvement opportunities; identify barriers and root causes; develop improvement solutions, strategies, tactics, and plans; implement plans; monitor results—recycle if necessary; standardize; conclude project.
(Source: The Quality Toolbox by Nancy R. Tague, Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press, 1995)