Philip Crosby's four absolutes and fourteen steps of quality management

Quality Without Tears: The Art of Hassle-Free Management

In the book Quality Without Tears: The Art of Hassle-Free Management (Crosby, 1995) published by McGraw-Hill on May 1, 1995 (ISBNs 0070145113 and 978-0070145115) the author shares his insights and lessons learned from working in the quality management profession for over two decades. This book is also considered a classic in manufacturing, lean production and quality management professional organizations globally. It is the foundation of many internal training programs on quality management as well.

The Author's Intention In Writing This Book

The author, Phillip Crosby, wrote this book to share his expertise in quality management gained from decades of work in the filed with readers and clients alike. The four absolutes of quality the author based the book's foundation on include the following. First, quality is conformance to requirements. He shows through examples of how companies attaining high quality levels in supply chain management, sourcing, production and services have all been able to attain greater quality levels by making requirements a central part of their reporting and analysis systems Internally. The second foundational elements is that the system of quality is prevention, not reaction or even fire-fighting as often happens in many manufacturing companies suffering from low quality levels (Crosby, 1995). The third absolute of quality is that a performance standard must exist for a quality of zero defects must exist for an organization to continually progress on the dimensions of quality internally. The fourth and final absolute of quality is that quality is the price of nonconformance (Crosby, 1995). These four absolutes or foundational elements are critical for the core aspects of the book, which is a thorough overview of the fourteen steps as defined by the author. These fourteen steps are designed to take into account the change management aspects of quality management, in addition to organizational and systemic factors as well (Crosby, 1995). It is apparent from the authors' depth of insight in these areas that he has had experience implementing each one.

These fourteen steps include management commitment, formation of a quality improvement team, defining quality measurement metrics, calculating the cost of quality, and raising quality awareness through continual education and training (Crosby, 1995). In addition to these factors, the author provides insights into the aspects of corrective action strategies within companies, zero defects planning, supervisor training, and how to devise and implement a zero defects day. These factors serve as the foundation of goal setting and a continual development of strategies to gain greater insights into how to improve quality as well. The final four factors included in the framework include error cause removal, recognition, quality councils and the need to continually seek new improvements in processes (Crosby, 1995). Based on how inclusive the examples are in these areas of the book it is clear the author had a very clear idea of what he wanted to achieve in writing this book. The inclusion of many excellent examples and definitions of the nuances of measuring quality also underscore how effectively these objectives were attained. The author has since created a series of frameworks for further testing the core concepts and frameworks of this book.

How This Book Changed My View of Quality

Quality as a discipline in an organization is known for being restrictive and at times closing down production, often at great cost to organizations (Crosby, 1995). Impressions of quality are that it is also very difficult to work with as an internal organization due to their inflexibility in managing variations. After reading this book that lack of tolerance for variation is well understood and respected; there must be a lack of variance in overall production processes and quality to ensure continued profitability of a business. The fourteen foundational elements of the book and four quality management absolutes resonate more in personal experience after having read them and understood the context of how quality can become a highly effective corporate strategy.

Summary

This book is indispensable for anyone who is looking for greater insight into how quality must pervade any culture of an organization if it is going to succeed and thrive. The key concepts and frameworks are essential for creating an effective quality management organization as well, as it shows how change management must pervade every single aspect of an organization. For quality to become part of the DNA of any company, it must begin with a solid foundation and series of frameworks. The author has provided these and the book resonates with insights into how any company can shift form being only aware of quality to being committed to it.

Reference

Crosby, P. (1995). Quality Without Tears: The Art of Hassle-Free Management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (May 1, 1995).