THE 4 MAIN THEORIES OF QUALITY AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS - DUDAS - 2025

The theories of quality are the different existing explanations of what quality and studying how to implement it to the fullest 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 middle of the 20th century several theories emerged about what exactly it is 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 company philosophy that proposes continuous improvement, so that the company can produce better services and products each time. This current had 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 business world, a large number of authors 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:

• Manufacturing-based quality definitions
• Customer-based quality definitions
• Product-based quality definitions
• Value-based definitions of quality
• Transcendent quality definitions

Manufacturing-based quality definitions

The definitions based on manufacturing have to do above all 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, that it does not imply consumer opinion at all.

• "Quality means conformance to requirements" (Philip Crosby). This definition focuses on the product meeting the specifications required for its creation.
• "Quality is the extent to which a specific product conforms to 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.

Customer-based quality definitions

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

• "Quality is fitness for use" (JM Juran). The focus is on the usefulness of the designed product.
• "Customer satisfaction is achieved by selling goods that are not returned to a customer who does return" (Stanley Marcus). The customer's happiness with the purchased product is the key point in this definition of quality.

Product-based quality definitions

For people who defend these types of definitions, quality has to do with measurable and concrete characteristics of the product. Some examples might be durability or efficiency.

Therefore, for these types of definitions, quality is measured objectively.

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

Value-based definitions of quality

Definitions based on value have to do mainly with the value for money of 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 utility.

Key quality definitions

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

• “Quality is neither matter nor spirit, but a third entity independent of the other two. Even when quality cannot be defined, you know what it is »(Robert Pirsing). As can be seen, the author chooses to leave the definition of quality open, so that the consumer can interpret it to their liking.

Main theories of quality

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

Total quality control theory

This theory, created by Doctor Feigenbaum, tried to create a system with several replicable steps that would allow to 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 on the market, buyers are more than ever aware of the differences between them. Therefore, the quality of a product is a decisive factor when it comes to getting it.
• The quality of products is one of the best predictors of the success and growth of a company.
• Quality comes from the management of the company; therefore, if you are able to educate your 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 senior 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.
• Make all the necessary efforts to achieve the criteria set out.
• Get the company to work together and synergistically.
• Clearly divide the responsibilities of all staff.
• Create a team solely responsible 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 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 achieving the highest quality in the process of creating a product or service.

The thirteen rules are as follows:

• Start doing things right from the beginning.
• Focus on meeting customer needs.
• Seeking solutions to problems instead of justifying them.
• Stay optimistic.
• Get good relationships with colleagues.
• Complete tasks properly.
• To be on time.
• Maintain cordiality with teammates.
• Recognize your own mistakes and work to correct them.
• Maintain humility, so that you can learn from others.
• Be meticulous in the order and organization of the work tools.
• Being able to give confidence to the rest of the team.
• Finding the simplest way to do your own work.

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

Joseph Muran's theory

This Romanian engineer and lawyer began his career as a consultant 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 on five points:

• Specify the dangers of having a low quality.

By properly identifying the downsides of offering poor service, it is much easier to get employees to realize why they have to work hard. In this way, the quality increases with little 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. This way, you don't spend extra money on features that don't really interest you.

• Achieve compliance with previously defined quality standards

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

• Apply constant improvement

Once a product or service has been completed, examine how it was done. In this way, the next version of the product may have the errors improved, in such a way that more progress is always made on the quality path.

• Consider quality as an investment

Juran believed that quality was the most important part of any business, as it brought many benefits with it. Although it may be difficult to achieve the highest quality in what is done, with it it is possible to retain customers, increase profits, and be more competitive than rival companies.

Juran Trilogy

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 "Juran Trilogy", and are as follows:

• Plan quality

To achieve the best results, you must work in advance 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 team in charge of producing it.

• QA

The second step once the entire product creation process has been planned is to monitor that it is actually being done in the best way. To do this, three points must be taken into account: evaluate the behavior of the product in the real world, compare it with 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 process will be even more efficient the next time.

These steps are as follows: create the infrastructure that allows for 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 out the product quality 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 on: February 12, 2018 from 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.