Quality Planning and Assurance

1 Introduction to Quality Planning

1.1 Quality Definitions

1.1.1 Meaning of Quality

Definition of Quality

Quality is a common word both in the workplace and at home, so it might be interesting to ask exactly what the word quality means. There are certainly numerous definitions of quality. Regarding this ambiguity, the American Society for Quality (ASQ) states that quality is “a subjective term for which each person or sector has its own definition. In technical usage, quality can have two meanings: 1) the characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs; 2) a product or service free of deficiencies” (ASQ, n.d. a).

Several quality pioneers established the foundation of present quality definitions. For example, Dr. Joseph Juran viewed quality as a fitness for use and leading to customer satisfaction (ASQ n.d. a). Philip Crosby thought of quality as a conformance to requirements (Crosby 1979). Formally, ISO 9000:2015 defines quality as the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements (ISO 2015).

While ambiguous on the surface, defining quality in a given professional field can be an intriguing exercise, which helps us think about its importance as a target, a process, and a system when applying quality principles and approaches to real-world situations. Here are several examples of quality definitions, each of which may reflect aspects to the different fields and view angles of quality practitioners: ...