lesson1thedefinition(s)ofquality.docVIP

Lesson 1 The Definition(s) of Quality Reading Assignment: Chapters 1 and 2 in An Introduction to Quality Management Engineering are designed to be used as a review of basic probability and statistics. These chapters will not specifically be covered in this course, but several of the later chapters require knowledge of probability and statistics. Read Chapters 1 and 2, then use the problems in the testing program to assess your command of the subject matter. Access published sources that discuss the definition of quality (use both printed and electronic sources).? Use the information that you find to complete the Lesson 1 writing assignment. Discussion--The Definition of Quality Quality is a much more complicated term than it appears.? Dictionary definitions are usually inadequate in helping a quality professional understand the concept.? It seems that every quality expert defines quality is a somewhat different way.? There are a variety of perspectives that can be taken in defining quality (e.g. customers perspective, specification-based perspective).? Are there commonalities among these definitions?? Is any one definition more correct than the others?? Is one quality expert right and the others wrong?? Quality professionals constantly debate this question.? The editors of Quality Digest say that defining the word quality is no simple endeavor.? They asked, in their December 1999 issue, for readers to send them their definitions of quality to be gathered and posted on Quality Digest Online. A modern definition of quality derives from Jurans fitness for intended use.? This definition basically says that quality is meeting or exceeding customer expectations.? Deming states that the customers definition of quality is the only one that matters.? So, who is the customer? Thought-provoking question:? Who are the customers for higher education? External customers usually come to mind first.? These are the people outside our organization who receive our goods and