QUALITY: A TOTAL MANAGEMENT CONCEPT

But while the objectives must be accomplished, they cannot be accomplished while the act is in progress.  They are only accomplished when the process is completed.  Consequently, objectives, being retrospective, are not nearly as important as the essential character of the act itself.  Objectives merely identify the winner of a race, while it is the essential character of  racing with its conditioning, strategies and tactics that actually determine the winner of a race.  The essential character of  racing determines the winner and as a consequence of this process one of the contestants will cross the finish line first.  As a consequence of “quality” racing, a winner is named.  And it should be noted that a “quality” racer doesn’t have to finish first; the “quality” racer only has to achieve the assigned objectives.  The objectives are there as focal end points and it is the process itself which determines “if”, “when” and “how” the end points are achieved.  Objectives are used to align the process and if the process is in harmony with the existing conditions, then the objectives will be achieved.  Vince Lombardy, the legendary football coach said that “winning isn’t the most important thing, it is the only thing”, but winning isn’t the only thing.  How the game is played is everything.  If the games is played correctly, then winning is inevitable.

Because it is continuously changing, the essential character of an act or object must be continuously evaluated and re-affirmed, and while the objectives may be fixed the route to those objectives is constantly altered.  “Quality” requires perpetual vigilance: beware of the storm.  The process is continuously evaluated and the process of evaluating is continuously evaluated and so on.  “Quality” generates a circular spiral of processes with each being subject to further evaluation.  Important to the overall concept is attentiveness to details.  The first time through the cycle numerous details will be recognized and many deficiencies will be corrected, but in spite of a critical evaluation many details and deficiencies will be missed.  This may be due to the size of the task, the obscurity of deficiencies or an alteration in conditions.  Each cycle reveals more about the task and as the evaluator becomes more familiar with the process  the various details and obstacles involved in completing the task become more apparent: beware of changing conditions.  The essential character of the process become more clearly defined and the evaluator learns more and more about supervising and controlling this essential character.  This is “quality management” and if properly conducted the objective will always be achieved.

“Quality” as it usually relates to production processes and manufactured products is an “objective” concept and not a “process” concept and most often it is identified  by its absence rather than its presence.  Almost anyone can recognize the absence of “quality”.  Typically, it is characterized by erroneous quantitative specification, inferior workmanship and abbreviated utility or durability.  Experts tend to define “quality” as those characteristics which adapt a product or process to a particular need; or simply conformance requirements.  However, this particular characterization of the concept is limiting and functionally, too utilitarian.  More expansively, and strictly objectively, “quality” is the degree or grade of excellence: this conceptualization can be adapted to a person, a product or a process.  The essential character of a product is the embodiment of all the individual steps required to produce it, and each individual step is subject to the spiral cycle of evaluation, re-evaluation and re-definition.  For example, a “quality” chair is derived from a series of individual operations conducted on specified raw materials.  These operations and raw materials are aligned with quantitative specifications, functionality and aesthetic appeal.  It is the entire process which defines the “quality” of the chair not simply conformance requirements.  The essential character of the chair is a broader concept which transcends mere functionality, and being very accommodative, it embraces other concerns such as customer satisfaction and business profit.  A “quality” item may achieve a desired specification, but exceeding that requirement will further enhance the “quality”, reliability and durability of the item.  “Good enough” is not good enough.  “Good enough” implies the border line attainment of desired specification and relegates the product to a position of dubious reliability.  Enhanced “quality” generates greater value and greater customer satisfaction.  The achievement of customer satisfaction is a vital business attribute: be responsive to the human psyche.  An adequate list of satisfied customers in conjunction with innovative and flexible marketing strategies always generate profit.  All companies strive to improve the “quality” of their products and a company has never gone bankrupt from making  a product “too good”.  “Quality” is a process orientation recognized by its excellence in achieving product value, customer satisfaction and business profit.