Evaluating product quality: standards and assessment methods

¶ … Product from the Standpoint of Quality

Evaluating the quality management processes and systems in place at the manufacturer of a balsa wood glider purchased for purposes of this analysis is completed in this paper. As the manufacturer creates expectations through the use of their merchandising and the use of Customer Relationship Management systems (Galbreath & Rogers, 1999) to sell into the retail chain where the glider was purchased from., an evaluation of how accurate these perceptions are to actual user experience are evaluated. Second, the form, fit and function of the glider relative to its representation on the box is evaluated, as are the instructions. Third, the quality of the components in an product tend to indicate the quality management processes in place (Rodchua, 2009). Specifically the process areas of quality control are apparent in the final delivered product. Consistency of form, fit and function of the items in the kit also indicate how well the internal departments of the manufacturer are working together. The instructions are also a good indicator of how effective coordination is handled throughout the manufacturer as well. This paper critiques the quality management strategies of the manufacturer of the balsa wood glider

Introduction

Visiting a local hobby store to purchase a balsa wood glider, it was immediately apparent from the how the retailer had lined the store's front shelves that Radio Controlled (RC) units are the big sellers in motorized and self-propelled gliders and planes. The balsa wood gliders were along the back row of the store. Comparing over two dozen models of gliders, the one chosen included an elongated rubber band called a rubber thread that promised to propel the glider 150 feet. Text on the packaging had been written for a grade school vocabulary and also included graphics accentuating how far and fast it would fly. These were all product decisions that reflect the target markets' preference for features and communications, most likely emanating from the manufacturers' CRM system (Galbreath & Rogers, 1999). The packaging set a high expectation as to speed, distance, ease of assembly and form, fit and function. This expectation was used as the reference point to evaluate how the many systems and processes within the company combined to ensure they were met. As the flyer's packaging said this same design had been in existence since 1940, it was inferred that the manufacturer valued stability and lack of change in their organizational culture as well. A company's ability to manage change and also attain its objectives is called change management and is an indicator of how successful quality management programs will be over the long-term (Kraines, 2001).

Literature Survey

Inherent in the delivery of any product is the ability of an organization to develop a shared vision of what the product quality level will be (Foster & Gallup, 86). These functional differences between departments in an organization must be unified by a common set of benchmarks and measures of quality management if the shared mission is to be fulfilled. In many organizational cultures, engineering-centric perspectives of product development, quality and interprocess integration dominate, emanating from the historical perspective of quality management and statistical process control in manufacturing (90). To the extent these processes within the manufacturer are synchronized with each other is the extent to which they will be able to form the foundation for exceptional customer service as well (Parasuraman, 2002). The greater the interprocess integration, the greater the potential in any organization to achieve continuous process improvement to their quality management objectives (Kruger, 147) and their greater freedom from mass inspections for quality management as well (148). From coercion and continual auditing to creating a culture of quality that stresses prevention of the causes of defects (153), Total Quality Management (TQM) is a series of concepts, frameworks and strategies organizations can use to accomplish their quality management objectives and transform their cultures in the process.

TQM and its many frameworks and strategies involve everyone in the company (Kruger, 154). While Deming warned against relying purely on scorecards and quantifying employee performance (Kruger, 149) there is a strong focus on performance management (Parker, 2000). Deming felt that this would lead to less ownership of quality as a core value in companies and that quality needed to be an internalized value by every member of the company (Kruger, 154). This is not the case in the majority of companies, and therefore change management strategies are critical for overcoming resistance to change that quality management initiatives often require (Wilkinson, 1998). Leveraging, engaging, aligning and developing (LE.A.D) leadership concepts are the foundation of successful change management strategies (Kraines, 29). It is relatively easy to plan out quality management strategies cognitively, yet to gain emotional support for them requires leadership, trust and the ability to gain the cooperation of employees to ensure they become engrained into the core business processes of the company. The ability to create lasting change to processes, systems, and people is critical for the core values of quality management including TQM to permeate an organization (Kruger, 2001).

Justification of Argument

In evaluating the balsa wood glider, the immediate observation is that the claims made on the packaging creates expectations that would be difficult to attain even under ideal conditions. The kit's packaging states that an Exacto knife is required in addition to pliers and an artist's brush. In fact only the more advanced examples required these items. The Exacto knife was necessary for ensuring a high degree of form and fit for the model, yet the painting would have required a well-ventilated room and actually several brushes for each of the colors included in the kit. This was one of many errors and inaccuracies in the instructions. The kit had not changed in decades, as the copyright on the bottom of the instruction sheet was from the previous century.

Professional Presentation

The presentation of the actual contents of the model were packaged more for expediency and clearly were designed to fit in as small and inexpensive of a container as possible. The packaging was clear plastic and was punctured at the top to hang on a display. Even though the contents included a small package of paints and intricate, fragile items, the entire package looked to be designed more for shipping through the mail than protecting its contents. The wafer-thin balsawood was brittle to the touch and also had splintering around the sizes, and the "rubber thread" or rubber band was left in the package by itself without any protection around it. In rough shipping conditions it is feasible the rubber thread could catch on an item in the kit and snap balsa wood components in half, making the entire kit unusable.