Re-Defined : Quality

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Re-Defined : Quality

There have been various definitions of the word "Quality" all these days by learned individuals and the quality professionals. Some of them being as under :

01. Quality is conformance / compliance to design / specifications / requirements.
02. Quality is that which makes an object what it is.
03. A degree of excellence.
04. Consistency.
05. Value for money.
06. The best.
07. Degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements (ISO 9001:2000).
08. Fitness for use.
09. The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy given needs.

If we analyze the above definitions, we can visualize that all of them are generally indicative of positive aspects of an object / product or the service. Also, most of them define to a situation where the quality will lead towards a sense of providing levels of comforts and satisfaction out of a product or service.

The new definition of QUALITY could therefore be -

"The level of performance and satisfaction that could be achieved, from a product or service against the intended / Specified requirements"

It is the fact that, characteristics of a product / service are finally accountable to define the quality of the product using them for the evaluation of quality but characteristics themselves can't be the quality as quality is a singular word and has to give a singular meaning.

Quality could be categorized as excellent, average or poor depending upon its vital characteristics and their evaluation but while defining, characteristics shouldn't find mention.