Philip B Crosby is known for the concepts of “Quality is Free” and “Zero Defects”, and his quality improvement process is based on his four absolutes of quality:
• Quality is conformance to requirements
• The system of quality is prevention
• The performance standard is zero defect
• The measurement of quality is the price of non-conformance
His fourteen steps to quality improvement are:
• Management is committed to a formalised quality policy
• Form a management level quality improvement team (QIT) with responsibility for quality improvement process planning and administration
• Determine where current and potential quality problems lie
• Evaluate the cost of quality and explain its use as a management tool to measure waste
• Raise quality awareness and personal concern for quality amongst all employees
• Take corrective actions, using established formal systems to remove the root causes of problems
• Establish a zero defects committee and programme
• Train all employees in quality improvement
• Hold a Zero Defects Day to broadcast the change and as a management recommitment and employee commitment
• Encourage individuals and groups to set improvement goals
• Encourage employees to communicate to management any obstacles they face in attaining their improvement goals
• Give formal recognition to all participants
• Establish quality councils for quality management information sharing
• Do it all over again – form a new quality improvement team
