Calidad

BASIC QUALITY

Quality Basics

“L

earning is not compulsory ... neither is survival.”
In this nugget of wisdom from his book Out of the Crisis, W. Edwards Deming reminds us that every day we should be making efforts to expand

knowledge and develop expertise in our work and in our lives. That learning truly begins when we have a solid understanding of the basics. In the spirit ofDeming’s belief in continuous improvement, we called on several Quality Progress contributors to write on 10 basic quality topics—the fundamentals essential to surviving in a quality role. We asked our hand-picked contributors to write on one particular subject in about 500 words: a lofty challenge for authors known for their thorough and exhaustive knowledge and writings on these topics. This collectionof overviews is not meant to be comprehensive. Any one of our contributors to this package could have written a book on the subject—and some actually have. Rather, this overview is designed to give quality newcomers a taste of the knowledge they need to survive and succeed. Perhaps it will also inspire more seasoned quality professionals to brush up on some of the essentials they haven’t thoughtabout in a while. If a subject leaves you wanting more, reach for the resources and information. More than likely they’re just a few clicks away—on a corner of ASQ’s website devoted to books (www.asq.org/quality-press/index.html) or publications (www.asq.org/pub), including past issues of Quality Progress. And always remember what Deming encourages: Seek knowledge, challenge yourself and keeplearning—every day.

QUALITY PROGRESS

I JUNE 2007 I 25

BASIC QUALITY

Principles and Methods
A truly integrated quality system is based on three principles: customer focus, process improvement and total involvement: 1. Customer focus encompasses both the external and internal customers’ needs. 2. Process improvement is the lifeblood of an organization wishing to sustain growth. 3. Totalinvolvement is the vehicle through which the organization completes the daily activities that accomplish the first two principles. Currently, practicing quality professionals deal with interrelated sets of requirements that form quality management systems (QMSs). The two most frequently used QMS models are the Baldrige National Quality Program criteria and the eight quality management principles thatare the basis of the ISO 9000 family of QMS standards. These models provide insight into the component parts of a QMS and define quality as it is practiced today. The Baldrige criteria, shown in Figure 1, are: 1. Leadership. 2. Strategic planning. 3. Customer and market focus. 4. Information and analysis. 5. HR focus. 6. Process management. 7. Business results. The eight management systemstandards of the ISO 9000 2000 family of standards are: 1. Customer orientation: Organizations must focus on understanding their customers’ needs and requirements, then try to anticipate and exceed the customers’ expectations. 2. Leadership: Organizations need strong leaders to establish common goals and direction. Effective leaders establish open environments in which all employees can participate inmeeting their organization’s goals. 3. Involvement: People are the most important part of any organization. Managers must ensure that employees at all levels of the organization can fully participate and use all their skills to make the organization successful. 4. Process management: The most successful organizations understand they must manage all activities as processes.

MeasurementMeasurement is the process of determining a quantitative value of something. You can measure something intangible, such as customer satisfaction, or something tangible, such as a truck tire’s air pressure, a chemical solution’s conductivity or the thickness of the paper this article is printed on. These are examples of the two broad types of measurements made in business quality management systems...