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Subject:Re: ISO 9000 Quality From:Michael Lewis <lewism -at- BRANDLE -dot- COM -dot- AU> Date:Thu, 27 Nov 1997 14:57:21 +1100
Steven Jong wrote:
> ... There is a process in
> ISO whereby customer complaints and employee suggestions are handled and
> implemented. Then the consistency becomes important, for what good is an idea
> if it's not fully adopted? Over time, any organization following the full ISO
> precepts cannot help but improve the quality of its output. It's a two-step
> process. First, do consistent work; then, improve it.
Yebbut:
In Deming's work, the fact remains that "quality" doesn't mean "how good
the thing is" (as in "A Cadillac is of higher quality than a Pinto"). It
means "whether the thing matches what we set out to produce". This
includes cost constraints. Sure, customers will always want the Caddy at
Pinto prices; they can't have it. And ISO 9000 has nothing to do with
trying to give it to them: anyone trying to produce a Pinto-priced
product with Caddy-level quality will go to the wall sooner rather than
later. ISO9000 just means that every Pinto has the same (if you like,
"optimal") amount of Pinto-ness.
--
Michael Lewis
Brandle Pty Limited, Sydney, Australia
PO Box 1249, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012
Tel +61-2-9310-2224 ... Fax +61-2-9310-5056
