Dimensions of Quality

We can group various definitions of quality under these key dimensions. David Garvin, in his text, Managing Quality, identified eight separate dimensions of product quality:

1. Performance

2. Features

3. Reliability: probability that a product or service surviving for a given time period

4. Conformance: design and operating excellence

5. Durability: amount of time or use before product quality deteriorates

6. Serviceability: speed, courtesy, competence

7. Aesthetics: subjective assessment of the product

8. Perceived Quality: brand name, image, indirect measures

The dimensions of service quality are:

1. Time: time the customer waits for the service

2. Timeliness: will the service meet time commitments

3. Completeness: were all commitments met?

4. Courtesy: was the user treated with respect?

5. Consistency: are services delivered in the same manner regardless of environmental conditions?

6. Accessibility and Convenience: was the service easy to obtain?

7. Responsiveness: were unexpected problems handled appropriately

8. Accuracy: was the service performed correctly?

Posted at 02:06PM Jan 05, 2009 by byuan in General  |  Comments[1]

History of Quality

The modern history of quality can be divided into seven distinct stages—those
being craftsman, industrial revolution, scientific management, human
relations, quality revolution, service revolution, and six-sigma
quality. Each stage is described in minor detail:

• One person makes one product from start to finish


• No two products are exactly alike


• Apprentices are trained, become focused experts

• Craft production using simple and flexible tooling


• Workforce subjected to numerous environmental changes (work structure, lifestyle, etc.)

• Based upon observation, measurement, analysis, improvement, and incentives


• Management is responsible for planning, selecting workers, and determining the best way to perform a job

• Murray
  (1938) focuses on need of achievement (accomplishment), need for
  affiliation (acceptance by others), need for power (persuasion), need
  for autonomy (freedom of choice)


• McGregor
  (1960) focuses on Theory X (employees are lazy, passive, irresponsible,
  uncreative, and motivated only by money) and Theory Y (employees view
  work as an extension of play, exercise self control in pursuit of
  objectives, responsibility is a learned trait, and capacity to solve
  problems is widely distributed in the population)


• Herzberg
  (1966) focuses on satisfaction and dissatisfaction are independent
  dimensions (e.g. better pay does not create satisfaction; receiving
  less pay than one feels they deserve will cause dissatisfaction


• Maslow
  (1968) focuses on physiological / survival need (food, water, sleep),
  safety need (job security), belonging need (acceptance by others),
  esteem need (recognition), self actualization need (personal
  fulfillment)

• Deming, Juran, Crosby, Ishikawa, Kano, Feigenbaum, Taguchi, Shingo, et al combined to form total quality philosophy—Employees
  experience guided job rotation, slower promotions, focused performance
  evaluations, emphasis on group and team environment, and trend towards
  consultative decision making - Quality focus is on participation and
  teamwork, continuous improvement, and customer satisfaction

• Growth
  of service industries and need for increased efficiencies, reduced
  costs, a higher expectation of quality, etc. drive the need to apply
  operational practices in the service sector

• Six sigma concepts are used to access process capability, process stability, process variation, and defect risks


• Six sigma concepts are utilized in both product and service applications

Posted at 10:17AM Jan 05, 2009 by byuan in General  |  Comments[3]