Definitions of Quality:
1. The degree to which a set of inherent properties of a product, system or process fulfils requirements. (ICH Q9)
2. The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfill requirements - ISO 9000
3. A degree of excellence – The Concise Oxford Dictionary
4. Fitness for use – Joseph Juran
5. Quality is a dynamic state associated with products, services, people, processes, and environments that meets or exceeds expectations and helps produce superior value – Goetsch and Davis (2010)
6. Conformance to requirements – Phil B. Crosby (1979)
Top most popular Quality Gurus:
1. Joseph Juran (December 24, 1904 – February 28, 2008):
Joseph Moses Juran known as the "father" of modern-day Quality management. He was a Romanian-born American engineer.
His contribution to society:
Joseph Juran was a management consultant specialising in managing quality. He has authored nos. of papers and 12 books, including famous book of Juran's Quality control handbook, Quality Planning and Analysis, and Juran on Leadership for Quality.
Pareto principle:
Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian economist who observed that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Juran applied his observations to business management and economics.
Juran's Trilogy:
It is an approach to cross-functional management composed of following three managerial processes:
1. Quality Planning
Quality Planning is the activity of developing the products and processes required to meet customers' needs.
2. Quality Control
Quality Control is the activity of monitoring production activities to ensure that they are producing the correct product or service according to plan.
3. Quality Improvement
Quality Improvement is the activity of making changes to improve the process and raising quality performance to extraordinary levels.
Cost of quality
The cost of quality (or the cost of not getting it right the first time) should be recorded and analysed.
Quality Improvement
Ten steps to quality improvement are…
1. Build awareness of the need and opportunity to improve
2. Set goals for that improvement
3. Create plans to reach the goals
4. Provide training
5. Conduct projects to solve problems
6. Report on progress
7. Give recognition for success
8. Communicate results
9. Keep score
10. Maintain momentum
2. William Edwards Deming (October 14, 1900 – December 20, 1993):
Edwards Deming was an American engineer, statistician, professor, author, lecturer, and management consultant. Educated initially as an electrical engineer and later specializing in mathematical physics, he helped develop the sampling techniques still used by the U.S. Department of the Census and the Bureau of Labour Statistics.
His contribution to society:
The Deming Cycle - PDCA
PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) is an iterative four-step management method used in business to control and continuously improve processes and products.
1. Plan
Plan the action. Assess the current and future state, and plan how to close the gap. Identify alternate solutions.
2. Do
Try out or test the solutions (sometimes at a pilot level).
3. Check
Check to see if the tested solutions accomplished the objective.
4. Act
Analyse the difference between actual and planned results. If the gap is significant, determine the root cause and request corrective action.
Deming's fourteen points for Total Quality Management include:
1. Create constancy of purpose
Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service, with the aim to become competitive, stay in business, and provide jobs.
2. Adopt the new philosophy
Adopt the new philosophy. We are in a new economic age. Western management must awaken to the challenge, learn their responsibilities, and take on leadership for change.
3. Cease dependence on inspection
Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for inspection on a mass basis by building quality into the product in the first place.
4. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tag
End the practice of awarding business on the basis of the price tag. Instead, minimize total cost. Move toward a single supplier for any one item, on a long-term relationship of loyalty and trust.
5. Improve constantly
Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service to improve quality and productivity, thus constantly decreasing costs.
6. Institute training
Institute training on the job.
7. Institute leadership
The aim of supervision should be to help people and machines and gadgets to do a better job. Supervision of management needs an overhaul, as well as supervision of production workers.
8. Drive out fear
Drive out fear so that everyone may work effectively for the company.
9. Break down barriers
Break down barriers between departments. People in research, design, sales, and production must work as a team to foresee problems of production and in use that may be encountered with the product or service.
10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets
Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the factory floor.
Eliminate management by objective. Eliminate management by numbers and numerical goals.
11. Pride of workmanship
Remove barriers that rob the hourly worker of his right to pride in workmanship. The responsibility of supervisors must be changed from sheer numbers to quality.
12. Abolishment of the annual or merit rating
Remove barriers that rob people in management and engineering of their right to pride in workmanship. This means, among other things, abolishing the annual or merit rating and Management by Objectives.
13. Education and self-improvement
Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement.
14. Transformation
Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. Transformation is everybody's job.
3. Kaoru Ishikawa (July 13, 1915 – April 16, 1989):
Kaoru Ishikawa was a Japanese organizational theorist and a professor in the engineering faculty at the University of Tokyo noted for his quality management innovations.
He is considered a key figure in the development of quality initiatives in Japan, particularly the quality circle.
He is best known outside Japan for the Ishikawa or cause and effect diagram (also known as the fishbone diagram), often used in the analysis of industrial processes.
He wrote 647 articles and 31 books, including two translated into English: "Introduction to Quality Control" and "What Is Total Quality Control?
His contribution to society:
Ishikawa Diagram:
The Ishikawa Diagram is also called the Fishbone diagram and the Cause-and-Effect-Analysis. This is the most commonly used to analyse a problem and to find out the potential causes creating the problem.
Quality Circles
Quality Circle is a small group of employees working in the same area or doing the same job. This group regularly meets for one hour every week to identify and collectively resolve the problems in the work area. They use Seven Basic Quality tools to understand the causes and propose solutions.
Seven Basic Quality Tools:
1. Flow charts (Also called as Stratification or Run Chart)
2. Scatter diagrams
3. Pareto Charts
4. Histogram
5. Check sheets
6. Cause and Effect Diagram
7. Control charts
Company-wide Quality Control
He emphasized the concept of internal customers and Company-wide Quality. This requires the involvement of all, from the top management to the front-line workers. He suggested the following benefits of the Company-wide Quality approach.
- Reduced defects
- Improved product quality
- The quality improvement becomes the norm rather than the exception
- Increased reliability
- Reduced costs
- Wastes are identified and reduced
- Rework is identified and reduced
- Improvement techniques are established, and the product and processes are continually improved
- Inspection and after-the-fact expenses are reduced
- Sales and market opportunities are increased
- Company reputation is increased
- Interdepartmental barriers are broken down, and communication becomes easier
- False and inaccurate data is reduced
- Improvement in human relations
- Company loyalty is increased
4. Walter Shewhart (March 18, 1891- March 11, 1967):
Walter Andrew Shewhart was an American physicist engineer and statistician, sometimes known as the father of statistical quality control.
He also lectured on quality control and applied statistics at the University of London, Stevens Institute of Technology, the graduate school of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and in India.
His contribution to society:
Control Charts
Control charts are also known as Shewhart charts (after Walter A. Shewhart ).
Shewhart classified the causes of variation as "assignable cause" and "chance cause".
PDCA Cycle
The original founder of the PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act) is Walter A. Shewhart. Edwards Deming promoted the use of the PDCA cycle for process improvement and later changed it to the PDSA cycle (Plan-Do-Study-Act).
5. Philip Crosby (Jun 18, 1926- Aug 18, 2006):
Crosby is founder and chairman of the board of Career IV, an executive management consulting firm. Crosby also founded Philip Crosby Associates Inc. and the Quality College. He has authored many books, including Quality is free, Quality without tears, Let's talk Quality, and Leading: The art of becoming an executive. Crosby originated the concept of zero defects.
His contribution to society:
Crosby give principle "doing it right the first time"
The Crosby Vaccine
In the Crosby style, the "Vaccine" is explained as medicine for management to prevent poor quality. It is in five sections that cover the requirements of Total Quality Management.
Integrity
Treat quality seriously throughout the whole business organization from top to bottom. The company's future will be judged on its performance on quality.
Systems
Appropriate measures and systems should be put in place for quality costs, education, quality, performance, review, improvement and customer satisfaction.
Communication
The communication systems are of paramount importance to communicate requirements and specifications and improvement opportunities around the organization. Customers and operators know what needs to be put in place to improve, and listening to them will give you the edge.
Operations
Work with and develop suppliers. Processes should be capable, and improvement culture should be the norm.
Policies
Policies must be clear and consistent throughout the business.
The Fourteen Steps to Quality Improvement
1. Management Commitment
Make it clear that management is committed to quality.
2. Quality Improvement Teams
Form Quality Improvement Teams with senior representatives from each department.
3. Measure Processes
Measure processes to determine where current and potential quality problems lie.
4. Cost of Quality
Evaluate the cost of quality and explain its use as a management tool.
5. Quality Awareness
Raise the quality awareness and personal concern of all employees.
6. Correct Problems
Take actions to correct problems identified through previous steps.
7. Monitor Progress
Establish progress monitoring for the improvement process.
8. Train Supervisors
Train supervisors to actively carry out their part of the quality improvement program.
9. Zero Defects Day
Hold a Zero Defects Day to reaffirm management commitment.
10. Establish Improvement Goals
Encourage individuals to establish improvement goals for themselves and their group.
11. Remove Fear
Encourage employees to tell management about obstacles to improving quality.
12. Recognize
Recognize and appreciate those who participate.
13. Quality Councils
Establish Quality Councils to communicate on a regular basis.
14. Repeat the Cycle
Do it all over again to emphasize that the quality improvement process never ends.
Apart of above quality gurus, following Quality gurus are also contributed in society to many quality tools for improvement of product quality.
1. Shigeo Shingo (1909-1990):
He is best known for “Poka-yoke” is a Japanese term that means “mistake-proofing”.
2. Taiichi Ohno (1912-1990):
He is best known for “Toyota Production System” and “Seven types of wastes (Muda)”.
3. Genichi Taguchi (Jan 1, 1924-June 2, 2012):
Genichi Taguchi is best known for:
Taguchi Methods
Taguchi Loss Function
Design of Experiments
Robust Design
Quality Engineering
4. Armand Feigenbaum (1922-2014):
Feigenbaum is best known for:
Total Quality Control
Hidden Plant
Quality Costs
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