Continuous Improvement

Quality is often associated with expense. We expect to pay more for a gold-nibbed fountain pen, for example, than a regular pall-point pen. A five star hotel is considerably more expensive than a private guesthouse. Even comparing like with like, consumers are often willing to pay for better quality. What pleases a customer most, however, is superior quality for the same amount of money, or even better, for less money. Although some products and services …

…the competition. If customer satisfaction is maintained, competitors are irrelevant. Continuous improvement is a cycle that begins by managers identifying the objectives. Stage two is experimental in which tests are made or the change is implemented in a small scale. The results are then studied and analyzed using quality control charts. What is learned? What can be predicted? If the cycle is repeated, it is a sure sign that the organization is committed to quality.