Grading and Quality Definitions

Assessment Tasks

• Class participation is worth 10% of the total grade and is assessed each session.
• Quizzes are worth 20% of the total grade and take place in weeks 6 & 12.
• The midterm exam is worth 20% and takes place in the 5th week.
• Assignments make up 10% of the final grade, and are due in the 9th week.
• The final exam is worth 40% and takes place in the 12th week.

Definitions of Quality

• Quality is a subjective term with a unique definition for each person.
• Quality, in technical terms, can refer to:
  • Product or service characteristics that meet stated or implied needs.
  • Products or services that are defect-free, also known as ZERO defect.
• Quality means the needs of current and future customers.
• Quality includes product and services that involve marketing, engineering, manufacturing, and maintenance.
• Quality is the degree of excellence at an acceptable price
• Quality is meeting requirements of customers, both internal and external, for defect-free products, services, and processes
• Quality refers to fitness for use or purpose, or how well a product performs in its intended use.
• Quality is conforming to requirements and specifications.
• Quality is achieved by exceeding customers requirements continuously.

Dimensions of Quality

• Conformance to requirements
• A degree of excellence
• Totality of characteristics that satisfy a need
• Fitness for use and purpose
• Freedom from defects
• Delighting customers

Customer-Driven Definitions of Quality

• Quality is defined by the utility of the product or service for its price.
• Quality relates to the support provided after a product or service is purchased
• Quality relates to judgment evaluations of product or service excellence.

Quality Management

• Quality management is a method for ensuring the design, development, and implementation of a product or service.
• Quality management focuses on product quality and on how to achieve it.
• Quality management uses both quality assurance and process control to have consistent quality.
• Quality control, quality assurance, and quality improvement are the three main components of quality management.

Quality terms

• Quality control is an ongoing effort to maintain the process integrity to ensure that one achieves an outcome.
• Quality improvement is a purposeful, constant effort aimed at process changes to improve the reliability of achieving an outcome.
• Quality assurance is the systematic action required to instill confidence that a product or service satisfies quality requirements.

Quality Control vs Quality Assurance

• Quality control aims to ensure the quality is in products, focusing on identifying defects in the actual products produced.
• Quality control aims to identify and correct defects in the finished product and is a reactive process.
• The goal is to identify defects after the product is developed but before it gets released.
• Finding and eliminating sources of quality problems can be found through the use of tools and equipment.
• Quality assurance aims to ensure the quality is in the process of how the products are developed.
• Quality assurance aims to prevent defects with a primary focus on the process used to make the product.
• The goal is to improve development and testing processes so defects don't arise when the product is being developed.
• Establish a good quality management system, conduct assessments of its adequacy, and perform periodic audits of system operations.

Importance of Quality

• Quality goods and services give any organization a leg up on the competition
• No quality means no sales, no profit, and no jobs
• Quality increases profits and also elevates the image of any business
• Quality is key to survival and the growth of any business in the global environment
• Quality leads to customer satisfaction

Types of Quality

• Quality of design is the quality which the producer or supplier is intending to offer to the customer.
• Quality of performance takes place when you conform to the specification of the design in the product.
• Quality of conformance is the level of the quality of product that is produced and delivered through production as specified by design.

Levels of Quality

• An organization that is committed to quality and examines this at the:
  • Organizational Level
  • Process Level
  • Performer or job level or the task design level
• At the organizational level, quality concerns revolve around meeting the needs of the external customer, gathering input on a regular basis.
• At the process level, organizational units are classified as departments which are responsible for marketing, design, product development, operations, finance, purchasing, and billing.
• Organizational units are classified as departments such as; marketing, operations, finance, design, etc.
• Since processes are typically cross functional, manager optimize activities that sub-optimize overall performance.
• At the performer level, output standards must be based on customer quality and service requirements from organizational and process levels.
• All employees are expected to understand quality.

Old Quality Versus New Quality

• Old Quality: Focused on products, technical aspects, inspectors, experts, high grades, control, and little "q".
• New Quality: Centers on organizations, strategy, everyone's involvement, leadership by management, appropriate grades, improvement, and big "Q".

Explanation of the grading breakdown, including class participation, quizzes, midterm, assignments, and the final exam. Defining quality in technical and customer-focused terms; encompassing product characteristics, defect-free products, and meeting present and future customer needs.