In an era of increasing complexity of processes and technologies, we are increasingly realizing that quality is not a luxury, but a necessity. Just look at the space industry – a place where the smallest mistake can ruin many years of effort and millions of dollars of investment. A perfect example is the recent space flight of a Pole, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski. In such conditions, quality must be absolute.
It is in this context that it is worth recalling the figure of Philip Crosby – an American expert who revolutionized the approach to quality. His most important message? “Quality costs nothing”.
What does that really mean?
Crosby did not treat quality as something elusive or abstract. Quite the opposite – he claimed that:
- Quality is conformance to requirements,
- There is no “better” or “worse” quality – there is either conformance or non-conformance,
- Errors should be prevented, not just controlled.
Crosby emphasized that fixing mistakes after the fact is expensive, and the best approach is to do it right the first time. The key role here is played by management, which should support an environment focused on error prevention, education, and continuous improvement.
Crosby’s four absolutes of quality:
- Quality is compliance with requirements, not subjective feeling. With the postulate of “do it right the first time”, Crosby realizes that people who perform a task for the first time usually do it well. It is therefore important for management that employees have clearly defined responsibilities, where there is no room for any doubts. Additional support for their development, assistance through appropriate management and training, as well as creating a good working atmosphere, will certainly make compliance with requirements, if not 100%, very high.
- Quality is achieved through prevention, not control. The way to “produce” quality is prevention, or eliminating errors before they occur. The recipe for success is: training, discipline, and proper leadership. Management must consciously commit to managing the work environment in a prevention-oriented manner.
- The standard for quality is zero defects – “enough” is not enough. The “close enough” attitude is not tolerated by Crosby. Mistakes are too costly to ignore. Leaders must support their subordinates in achieving compliance with requirements (i.e. quality – absolute first). Achieving a state of “zero defects” is possible through staff education, proper organization of processes and maintenance of infrastructure.
- The cost of quality is the loss resulting from its absence – mistakes are expensive.
Non-compliance with requirements serves management as a tool for diagnosing the effectiveness and efficiency of the company.
How to measure a company’s maturity in its approach to quality?
Crosby created the so-called quality maturity matrix, which allows you to assess at what level an organization is. And so the company with the least “maturity” in this area will be assigned the first level: “Uncertainty”. The next levels are “Awakening” and “Enlightenment”. At the very top of this hierarchy are “Wisdom” and “Certainty”. It shows that true quality management does not end with the control department. It is the responsibility of the entire company, each department and employee.
The Path to Quality: Crosby’s 14 Steps
Crosby also developed a 14-step program to lead the company to a zero-defects culture. It includes:
- management involvement,
- measuring the costs of errors,
- planning without defects,
- training and preventive actions,
- systematic raising of the quality bar.
What is important – the last step is… to start all over again. Quality is a process that never ends.
Quality is an investment, not a cost
Although it may sound perverse to many, better quality does not have to mean higher costs. If we do things well from the start, mistakes do not generate losses and customer satisfaction increases. Crosby argued: “Quality is free”, we just need to change the way we think and organize work.
Is your company ready to get it right the first time?
If so, you may be taking the first step towards zero defects.