Quality tales
Have you ever wondered what this word Quality signifies ? The whole world wants a quality product .. but what IS quality ?
Let me start with an example. I used to have a junior colleague who did not understand quality. So I called him to my office. I took a tea cup and let it drop from about 3 feet to a concrete floor. As expected it broke. I then asked him what he thought about the quality of the cup.. and he said it was poor. I told him, no, it is not poor. . The quality is poor only if the cup is explicitly or implicitly expected to withstand a 3 foot fall to a concrete surface.
So whenever we speak of quality or good quality, an expectation is always available in the background, although in some cases it may not be explicit. In technical/ engineering language this expectation is called specifications , which may cover dimensions/ strength, durability, performance etc. In a technical situation, one can always be assured of good quality by comparing (or testing) the product with the specifications.
Logically speaking , specifications are drawn up by the user/ buyer of the product/ service , or at least ratified by the buyer/ user. But matters get complicated when there are no specifications or when specifications exist but are not known to the buyer. Consider 2 examples:
A. Soap/ Tea / Toothpaste: These are mass market products and the buyer is so diffused that the seller has to guess what the specification is. The seller may use market research etc, but the nature of the buyer-seller equation is such that while the seller may have specifications, they can never be ratified by the buyer. (There is very little difference between most bars of soap except the colour and fragrance. Sellers, in order to generate brand loyalty, try and create “perceived” differences through advertising. An interesting example is AXE deodorant , In their advertisements, and in many similar me-too brands, the basic function of the deodorant is never mentioned at all. Instead it s advertised as a woman-attractant ). So how does one define what is “good” quality in such cases ?
B. Automobiles. Again the buyer is very diffused. But the additional problem is that a lot of money is required to launch a new product. A miscalculation in customer tastes (or expectations ) can be disastrous and has happened dozen of times in the auto industry sometimes forcing companies to close down. I must ad that as the industry has matured, expectations on the more “tangible” stuff are well known: fuel economy, safety, emission control, etc
So, to sum up, quality is a measure of performance against expectations (of the buyer) and sometimes the seller (or even the buyer) may not know fully what the expectations are.
Any ideas how one could define the “quality” of a nuclear bomb ? most people killed per dollar ? and who would define it ? the people who drop the bomb or the people who die when it is dropped ?
Have you ever wondered what this word Quality signifies ? The whole world wants a quality product .. but what IS quality ?
Let me start with an example. I used to have a junior colleague who did not understand quality. So I called him to my office. I took a tea cup and let it drop from about 3 feet to a concrete floor. As expected it broke. I then asked him what he thought about the quality of the cup.. and he said it was poor. I told him, no, it is not poor. . The quality is poor only if the cup is explicitly or implicitly expected to withstand a 3 foot fall to a concrete surface.
So whenever we speak of quality or good quality, an expectation is always available in the background, although in some cases it may not be explicit. In technical/ engineering language this expectation is called specifications , which may cover dimensions/ strength, durability, performance etc. In a technical situation, one can always be assured of good quality by comparing (or testing) the product with the specifications.
Logically speaking , specifications are drawn up by the user/ buyer of the product/ service , or at least ratified by the buyer/ user. But matters get complicated when there are no specifications or when specifications exist but are not known to the buyer. Consider 2 examples:
A. Soap/ Tea / Toothpaste: These are mass market products and the buyer is so diffused that the seller has to guess what the specification is. The seller may use market research etc, but the nature of the buyer-seller equation is such that while the seller may have specifications, they can never be ratified by the buyer. (There is very little difference between most bars of soap except the colour and fragrance. Sellers, in order to generate brand loyalty, try and create “perceived” differences through advertising. An interesting example is AXE deodorant , In their advertisements, and in many similar me-too brands, the basic function of the deodorant is never mentioned at all. Instead it s advertised as a woman-attractant ). So how does one define what is “good” quality in such cases ?
B. Automobiles. Again the buyer is very diffused. But the additional problem is that a lot of money is required to launch a new product. A miscalculation in customer tastes (or expectations ) can be disastrous and has happened dozen of times in the auto industry sometimes forcing companies to close down. I must ad that as the industry has matured, expectations on the more “tangible” stuff are well known: fuel economy, safety, emission control, etc
So, to sum up, quality is a measure of performance against expectations (of the buyer) and sometimes the seller (or even the buyer) may not know fully what the expectations are.
Any ideas how one could define the “quality” of a nuclear bomb ? most people killed per dollar ? and who would define it ? the people who drop the bomb or the people who die when it is dropped ?
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