Quality & Elements of Quality

Introduction :Quality, in engineering and manufacturing has a interpretation as the noninferiority or superiority of something. Quality is also defined as fitness for purpose. The quality of a product or service refers to the perception of the degree to which the product meets the end users expectations. Quality has no specific meaning unless related to a specific function or object. 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 defeciencies.

According to American Society for Quality (ASQ) - costs go down and productivity goes up as improvement of quality is accompalished by better management of design, engineering testing and by improvement of processes . Quality is a perpetual, conditional and subjective attribute and many be understood differently by different people for eg. consumers focus on the specification quality and producers focus on conformance quality.

Managing quality is fundamental to any activity and having a clear understanding of the five aspects, measuring performance and taking action to improve is essential to an organisations survival and growth. In the manufacturing industry, it is commonly stated that quality drives productivity. Improved

productivity is a source of greater revenues, employment, opportunities and technological advances. The best way to think about quality is in process control. If the process is under control, inspection is also not necessary. Quality is conformance for manufacturing and pride for craftsmen. Quality is opportunity for marketing and a challenge for engineering.

The dimensions of quality refer to the attributes that quality achieves in operations management.

Quality supports dependability. Dependability supports speed. Speed supports flexibility. Flexibility supports cost.

Quality <-> Dependability <-> Speed <-> Flexibility <->Cost

The emergence of tools like Asset Optimisation and 6 sigma is an interesting development in the application of quality principles in business. Quality is perceived differently by different people. Yet, everyone understands what is meant by quality. In a manufactured product, the end user recognises the quality of fit, finish, appearance, function, and performance, also the quality of service may be rated based on the degree of satisfaction by the end user receiving the service.

Definition of Quality by different philosophers :-

There are many definitions of quality available in the literature. A definition attributed to quality guru Crosby states the following:-

Quality is conformance to requirements.

The preceding definition assumes that the specifications and requirements have already been developed. The next thing to look for is conformance to these requirement. Another frequently used definition comes from Juran:-

Quality is fitness for use.

This definition stresses the importance of the customer who will use the product. W. Edwards Deming defined quality as folows:-

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

These philosophers, each of them stressed the importance of quality and the pivotal role management must play in the implementation of quality improvement.

Elements of Quality :-

Quality is an important aspect of successful project management. There are many elements of quality that must be considered throughput any production environment. These elements include controls, competence and personnel. All three of these elements must be functioning properly in order for total quality to be successful.

Aspects of Quality :-

There are five aspects of quality which are as follows:-

Production :- producing something. Checking :- confirming that something has been done correctly. Quality Management :- directing an oraganisation so that it optimises its
performance through analysis and improvement.

Quality Control :- controlling a process to ensure that the outcomes are

predictable.

Quality Assurance :- obtaining confidence that a product or service will be

satisfactory.

Quality Assurance,Quality Manangement,Quality Control :-

The terms quality assurance quality management quality control are often used interchangeably to refer to ways of ensuring the quality of a service or product. The terms, however, have different meanings.

Assurance :- The act of giving confidence, the state of being certain or the act
of making certain.

Quality Assurance :- The planned and systematic activities implemented in a

quality system so that quality requirements for a product or service will be fulfilled.

Control :- An evaluation to indicate needed corrective responses; the act of

guiding a process in which variability is attributable to a constant system of chance causes.

Quality Control :- The observation techniques and activities used to fulfill

requirements for quality.

Quality Management :- Coordinated activities to direct and control an

organization with regard to quality.

Quality Management System :- Management system to direct and control

an organization with regard to quality.

Dimensions of Quality :-

1. Performance Basic operating characteristics. 2. Features Extra items added to basic features. 3. Reliability Probability product will operate over time. 4. Conformance Meeting pre-established standards. 5. Durability Life span before replacement. 6. Serviceability Ease of getting repairs, speed & competence of repairs. 7. Aesthetics Look, feel, sound, smell or taste. 8. Safety Freedom from injury or harm. 9. Other perceptions Subjective perceptions based on brand name, advertising, etc.

The ISO Concept of Quality :-

Represents an international consensus on good management practices for a

systematic and generic application of principles and practices based on quality. ISO 9000 is a written standard that defines the basic elements of a QMS that organizations should use to ensure that their products and/or services meet or exceed customer expectations. Is a set of standardized requirements for QMS (Quality Management System) and is applicable to any organization regardless of its size or whether public or private sectors. ISO 9000 is seen as a vehicle towards TQM (Total Quality Management). The principal goal of the ISO 9000 Standards is to demonstrate quality assurance.

Conclusion :-

Quality and reliability go hand in hand. The end user expects a product of good quality that performs reliably. Quality improvement is an ongoing process, and the implementation of quality principles is not limited to industry, these principles are for all businesses, offices, services, education, healthcare and other organisations. If a product fulfils the customers expectations, the customer will be pleased and consider that the product is of acceptable or even high quality. If his or her expectations are not fulfilled, the customer will consider that the product is of low quality. This means that the quality of a product may be defined as its ability to fulfil the customers needs and expectations.

Quality needs to be defined firstly in terms of parameters or characteristics, which vary from product to product. For example, pharmaceutical products, parameters such as physical and chemical characteristics, medicinal effect, toxicity, taste and shelf life may be important and for a mechanical or electronic product these are performance, reliability, safety and appearance.