Quality (business)

In business, engineering, and manufacturing, quality – or high quality – has a pragmatic interpretation as the non-inferiority or superiority of something (goods or services); it is also defined as being suitable for the intended purpose (fitness for purpose) while satisfying customer expectations. Quality is a perceptual, conditional, and somewhat subjective attribute and may be understood differently by different people.[1][2] Consumers may focus on the specification quality of a product/service, or how it compares to competitors in the marketplace. Producers might measure the conformance quality, or degree to which the product/service was produced correctly. Support personnel may measure quality in the degree that a product is reliable, maintainable, or sustainable. In such ways, the subjectivity of quality is rendered objective via operational definitions and measured with metrics such as proxy measures.

In a general manner, quality in business consists of "producing a good or service that conforms [to the specification of the client] the first time, in the right quantity, and at the right time".[3] The product or service should not be lower or higher than the specification (under or overquality). Overquality leads to unnecessary additional production costs.

  1. ^ Nanda, V. (2016). Quality Management System Handbook for Product Development Companies. CRC Press. p. 352. ISBN 9781420025309.
  2. ^ Gitlow, H.S. (2000). Quality Management Systems: A Practical Guide. CRC Press. p. 296. ISBN 9781574442618.
  3. ^ Abdulnour, Samir (2022-08-01). "Quality in business : Concept and definition". Collection Performance. Retrieved 2023-02-07.