Page 25 - Design for Six Sigma a Roadmap for Product Development

Quality Concepts 3

TABLE 1.1 The Dimension of Quality

Dimension Meaning and example
Performance Primary product characteristics, such as brightness of the picture
Features Secondary characteristics, added features, such as remote control
Conformance Meeting specifications or industry standards, quality of work
Reliability Consistency of performance of time, average time for the unit to fail
Durability Useful life, including repair
Service Resolution of problems and complaints, ease of repair
Response Human-to-human interface, such as the courtesy of the dealer
Aesthetics Sensory characteristics, such as exterior finish
Reputation Past performance and other intangibles, such as ranking first
SOURCE: Adapted from David A Garvin, Managing Quality: The Strategic and Competitive
Edge, Free Press, New York, 1988.

■ Quality is aimed at performance excellence; anything less is an
improvement opportunity.
■ Quality increases customer satisfaction, reduces cycle time and
costs, and eliminates errors and rework.
■ Quality isn’t just for businesses. It works in nonprofit organizations
such as schools, healthcare and social services, and government
agencies.
■ Results (performance and financial) are the natural benefits of effec-
tive quality management.
It is clear that all of these sound very reasonable. We can clearly see
that the word quality has many meanings and therefore is very
intriguing. As the life cycle of the product or service might be a long
and complicated process, the meaning of quality during different
stages of the life cycle could be very different. Therefore, to fully com-
prehend the meaning of quality, it is very important to understand
some basic aspects of product life cycle.

1.2 Quality Assurance and Product/Service
Life Cycle

To deliver quality to a product or service, we need a system of methods
and activities, called quality assurance, which is defined as all the
planned and systematic activities implemented within the quality sys-
tem that can be demonstrated to provide confidence that a product or
service will fulfill requirements for quality.
Because quality is a way of doing business, it must be related to a
specific product or service. For any product and service, its lifespan
includes its creation, development, usage, and disposal. We call this