The 4 Principal Theories of Quality and their Characteristics

The theories of quality are the different explanations that exist about what quality is and the study of how to get it implemented to the greatest extent in different types of products and services.

Because quality is a fundamental concept to achieve customer satisfaction in different areas of the market, in the mid-twentieth century several theories emerged about what exactly and how to achieve it.

From the study of quality, several benefits have been obtained when creating better products and services. Some of the most important are the reduction of production costs, the prolonged presence in the market of a certain product, and the creation of better jobs.

One of the most important advances in this sector is the Theory of Total Quality. It is a business philosophy that proposes continuous improvement, so that the company can produce better and better services and products. This current was of great importance in the 80s and 90s.

Quality concept

Since the appearance of the first theories about what quality is and how to apply it to the world of business, large number of authors They have tried to create a universal definition of what this concept means.

Most of these definitions are based on one of the key elements of the buying and selling process. Depending on which of them is the central point of the definition, we can find the following types:

• Quality definitions based on manufacturing
• Quality definitions based on the client
• Quality definitions based on the product
• Value definitions based on value
• Transcendent quality definitions

Quality definitions based on manufacturing

The definitions based on manufacturing have to do mainly with the manufacturing processes of the product, and with its adaptation to the different standards of the sector. Any deviation from the standard is seen as a reduction in quality.

In this sense, the defenders of these definitions believe that quality is something objective, which does not imply the opinion of the consumer at all.

• "Quality means compliance with the requirements"(Philip Crosby). This definition focuses on the product complying with the specifications required for its creation.
• "Quality is the measure in which a specific product fits a design"(Harold Gilmore). In a similar way to the previous one, the criterion to decide if a product is of quality or not is its conformity with the manufacturing requirements.

Quality definitions based on the client

Contrary to the previous ones, the quality definitions based on the client postulate that the only important thing is the satisfaction of the user of the product or service. The better they meet the customer's needs, the higher the quality of the products purchased.

• "Quality is aptitude for use"(J.M. Juran). The focus is on the usefulness of the designed product.
• "Customer satisfaction is achieved by selling goods that are not returned to a returning customer"(Stanley Marcus). The happiness of the client with the acquired product is at the key point of this definition of quality.

For people who defend this type of definition, quality has to do with measurable and concrete characteristics of the product. Some examples may be durability or efficiency.

Therefore, for this type of definitions, quality is measured objectively.

• "Quality refers to the amount of the unappreciated attribute contained in each unit of the valued attribute"(Keith Leffler). The more positive characteristics the product has, and the fewer negative characteristics, we can consider to be of higher quality.

Value definitions based on value

The definitions based on the value have to do mainly with the relation quality - price of the different products and services.

• "Quality means the best for certain customer conditions. These conditions are the current use and the sale price of the product"(Armand Feigenbaum). As you can see, the focus of this definition is twofold; On the one hand, what the product costs, and on the other, its usefulness.

Transcendental quality definitions

The authors of the transcendental theories defend that, although it is difficult to logically define quality, we all know what it is about when we see it.

• "Quality is neither matter nor spirit, but a third entity independent of the other two. Even when quality can not be defined, you know what it is"( Robert Pirsig) . As you can see, the author chooses to leave the definition of quality open, so that the consumer can interpret it to his liking.

Main theories of quality

Since the first definition of quality was proposed, and the elements that a product or service must have to apply to achieve it, a great number of quality theories have emerged. In this section we will see some of the most important.

Theory of total quality control

This theory, created by Dr. Feigenbaum, tried to create a system with several replicable steps that would achieve the highest quality in all types of products. In this way, the luck factor was eliminated in the process of achieving the highest customer satisfaction.

Its basic principles are the following:

• Today, due to the large number of similar products that exist in the market, buyers are more than ever in the differences between them. Therefore, the quality of a product is a decisive factor when it comes to making it.
• The quality of the products is one of the best predictors of the success and growth of a company.
• The quality comes from the management of the company; therefore, if one is able to educate the leaders, the products created by a company will be of the highest possible quality.

Based on these theoretical ideas, Armand Feigenbaum created the following points, which if adopted by the top managers of a company would lead to the best quality in their results:

• Define a specific criterion of what you want to achieve with the product.
• Focus on customer satisfaction.
• Carry out all the necessary efforts to reach the proposed criteria.
• Getting the company to work together and synergistically.
• Clearly divide the responsibilities of all the staff.
• Create a team responsible only for quality control.
• Get good communication between all the components of the company.
• Importance of quality for all employees of the company, regardless of the level at which they work.
• Use of effective corrective actions when the marked standards are not met.

Theory of the 13 principles

The theory of the thirteen principles was created by Jesús Alberto Viveros Pérez. It is based on thirteen rules that, when implemented, will allow to achieve the highest quality in the process of creating a product or service.

The thirteen rules are the following:

• Start doing things right from the beginning.
• Focus on satisfying the customer's needs.
• Find solutions to problems instead of justifying them.
• Maintain optimism
• Get good relationships with colleagues.
• Fulfill the tasks properly.
• To be on time.
• Maintain cordiality with teammates.
• Recognize your own mistakes and work to correct them.
• To maintain humility, in such a way that it can be learned from others.
• Be meticulous in the order and organization of work tools.
• Be able to give confidence to the rest of the team.
• Find the simplest way to do your own work.

According to the author of this theory, if all employees of a company follow these thirteen standards, the company will be able to carry out its work with the greatest possible efficiency and quality.

Theory of Joseph Muran

This engineer and Romanian lawyer started his career as an advisor in Japan, where he received several merits due to his help in the development of the country. He is a well-known author, having published eleven books on the subject of quality.

According to him, to achieve the highest quality in the products or services of a company, it is necessary to work in five points:

• Realize the dangers of having a low quality.

If you properly identify what cons you have to offer a service of poor quality, it is much easier to get employees to realize why they have to make an effort. In this way, the quality increases with hardly any effort.

• Adapt the product to the use that is going to be given

You must create products that are focused on being as useful as possible for customers. In this way, superfluous expenses are not made on features that do not really interest.

• Achieve conformity to previously defined quality standards

Entrepreneurs must be in constant communication with their customers to know if the products created were what they wanted. In this way, you can know if the product or service has met the expectations of the buyer.

• Apply constant improvement

Once a product or service has been completed, it must examine how it has been done. In this way, the next version of the product may have the errors improved, so that we will always continue to advance more in the way of quality.

• Consider quality as an investment

Juran believed that quality was the most important part of all business, since it brought many benefits with him. Although it may be difficult to achieve the highest quality in what is done, with it you get loyal customers, increase profits, and be more competitive than rival companies.

Trilogy of Juran

On the other hand, Juran created three steps that must be followed to achieve the highest possible quality in all companies. These three steps are known as the"Trilogy of Juran", and are the following:

• Plan quality

To achieve the best results, you must previously work on the following points: know who the customers are and what they need specifically, develop a product that meets those needs, plan how that product is going to be carried out, and communicate this plan to the client. team responsible for producing it.

• QA

The second step once you have planned the entire process of creating the product is to monitor that it is actually being done in the best way. To do this, we must take into account three points: evaluate the behavior of the product in the real world, compare it with the previous specifications, and work to eliminate the differences.

• Quality improvement

Again related to the idea of ​​constant improvement, once a product has been created, a series of steps must be taken to ensure that the next time the process will be even more efficient.

These steps are the following: create the infrastructure that allows improvement, identify specific points where there may be an increase in quality, assign a team of experts to this task, and provide them with all the resources and training they may need to carry the Quality of the product created to the next level.

References

1. "Theories of quality"in: Gestiopolis. Retrieved on: February 12, 2018 from Gestiopolis: gestiopolis.com.
2. "Total quality management"in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: February 12, 2018 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
3. "Theories of quality"in: Monographs. Retrieved into: February 12, 2018 Monographs: monografias.com.
4. "Quality, concept and philosophies"in: Gestiopolis. Retrieved on: February 12, 2018 from Gestiopolis: gestiopolis.com.
5. "Definition of quality"in: Total Quality Management. Retrieved on: February 12, 2018 from Total Quality Management: totalqualitymanagement.wordpress.com.