Eight Dimensions of Quality | Meaning and Definitions
What is Quality?
→ The word Quality has not any specific meaning until we are relating it to any function or object.
→ The definition of quality has changed over the period of time.
→ Some of the most famous interpretations of Quality are mentioned below
Definitions of Quality (Interpretations):
→ It is a degree of excellence or we can say that it is a Conformance to specification.
→ Fit for Purposes
→ Conformance to Requirements (Said by Philip Crosby)
→ It is a Value for Performance
→ It means Freedom from defects
→ Conformance to Specifications (Said by Edward Deming)
→
The quality of a product or service is the fitness of that product or service for meeting its intended use
required by the customer
(Said by Joseph Juran)
→ Doing the right things at the right time
→
By considering all the above definitions we can conclude that the
quality of a product or service refers to the
customer’s expectations.
Eight Dimensions of Quality:
What is Quality in Manufacturing?
→ In manufacturing the quality has various aspects in terms of the customer’s requirement and performance of the product in easy terms we can say the dimensions.
→ It is not only saying the product, process, or service is ok or not ok but also it has eight different dimensions which are given below.
-
Performance
-
Feature
-
Reliability
-
Conformance
-
Durability
-
Serviceability
-
Aesthetics
-
Perceived Quality
[1] Performance:
→ Performance is anything that will perform as expected by the user and as specified by the manufacturer.
→ We can understand the performance just by asking the simple question: Will the product do the intended job?
→ If products do not do as buyers expect, users will be disappointed and frustrated.
→ Poor performing things get negative reviews and lose sales and reputation.
→ The performance of a product reflects the profitability or reputation of the business.
[2] Features:
→ What additional benefits will be added to the product?
→ Some features will be present in all things.
→ For example, all cars have wheels, steering wheels, gears, windows, and seats but only some cars have assisted parking and Bluetooth, etc.…
[3] Reliability:
→ Reliability is the ability of anything to consistently perform within specifications
→ Will it perform well over its expected lifetime and perform consistently?
→ In very simple language we can understand the reliability of the product just by asking the question:
(how often does the product fail?)
→ Usually, reliability may be closely related to the product’s performance.
→ Many brands have developed trust with customers because of their product’s reliability.
→ e.g. Apple, Microsoft, Google…..
→ So reliability is a major contributor to any brand or organization.
Examples of Quality Dimensions
→ The examples are mentioned in the below picture.
[4] Conformance:
→ Does your product meet the specification which was given by the customer or mentioned in the design?
→ In other words, we can just ask: (does the product meets the specifications?)
[5] Durability:
→ Durability is related to how long will the product perform and under what conditions?
→ usually, the durability of the product is closely related to the warranty.
→ Sometimes, the product’s durability is mentioned in procurement contracts and specifications.
→ Will it last long with daily use?
[6] Serviceability:
→ Serviceability is the ability of the product that is easy to maintain and repair.
→ Make sure customers are satisfied with the products and services of the organization.
[7] Aesthetics:
→ Aesthetics is the look of the finished goods in simple language.
→ It is related to a product’s look, appearance or beauty e.g. Lamborghini
→ The aesthetic dimension is playing a major role in an organization or brand’s identity buildup.
[8] Perceived Quality:
→ Perception is a reality or how the customer thinks about a specific product is called perceived quality.
→ It is a perception or thinking about the brand e.g. Rolls Royce
→ What brand name is going to be used and does this convey any perception?
👉 Also Read:
QA vs QC
1.
COQ vs COPQ
2.
COPQ Calculation in Excel Template
3.
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👉 See Also:
