Question

"Quality is conformance to requirements", P. Crossby(1979). Explain the requirements that are referred to.

Answer 1

The requirements can be:

Reliability- The product or service should perform on a consistent basis. The consumer or user relying on it should get consistent results which are free from error.

Consistency and predictability: The products or service should be consistent in respect to their characteristics. For example, a visit to the a saloon should guarantee similar or the same experience every time. It should not deviate considerably. A person buying a lollipop from a certain brand will expect it to have certain characterisitcs everytime- round, size etc. A customer should be able to predict or expect what they are going to get. It should not be confused with reliability which focuses on good performance on a consistent basis. Consistency focuses on the same product or service being provided from time to time, the content and the characteristics.

Responsiveness and performance: This is very important especially, when the offering involved is a service. The staff should be able to react quickly and the tasks should be perfomed on a timely basis. Performance means the product should be able to meet the requirements efficiently.

Usability: The product or service should be fit for the purpose. It shoud be able to meet the requirements for which it was bought. It refers to how easily the customer or user can use the product. For example, mobile phone, the user should not have problems with using it, the touch screen function and so on.

Availability: The product or service should be available whenever it is required. For example, customer support service should be available whenever a customer has an enquiry over the performance of a given product or service. If a customer has paid for the services, he or she is entitled to receive the benefits of the service as per the conditions agreed beforehand. If the customer has paid for online language assistance, it is expected that the team will be available whenever the customer is in need of their assitance .

Maintainability: The product or service should be easy to maintain or service. After a product is purchased, it should be easy to maintain. The customer should not have to invest considerability in respect to time, efforts and money in order to make it fit enough to operate from time to time.

Durability: In addition to the above, the product or service should last for a considerable time.If it doesn't , it wouldn't be considered as feasible(economically and time wise) or worth the money. For example, a car mechanic servicing the car should mean that the car owner needn't have to visit the workshop again. A battery shouldn't be replaced from time to time, it should last for a long time.