V2 - Quality in Design

Quality of a product/process/service refers to the degree to which the product/process/service is able to satisfy needs

• stated needs

• implied need

Quality is the degree to which a product/process/service is conforming to its requirements.

stated needs = declared / explicit needs

• ones are the (objective) technical specifications

• e.g., products’ specifications)

implied needs = implicit / subjective needs

• customer’s expectations

Offered Quality (Qo)

Expected Quality (Qe)

Perceived Quality (Qp)

Def.: Quality assured by an organization through its design/manufacturing/commercial system.

It is the Quality of the product/service/entity with which an organization supplies the market, evaluated from the organization’s technical and objective point of view.

Def.: Customer’s (subjective) evaluation, based on a reference model that compares different products/services/entities and it is subject to the marketing pressure of all competitors.

Generally, it is based on EX-ANTE evaluations

• i.e., before using the product/service/entity

Qe is dynamic, as it generally changes over time

• e.g., expectations of a mobile phone

  
  

  
  

Def.: It is the sum of attributes that the customer (subjectively) perceives when he/she judges and chooses a new product/service/entity, according to its Quality.

These attributes are not necessarily real data

• e.g., German car components are not always more solid and reliable than Italian ones

Qp is based on EX-POST evaluations

• i.e., after using or examining the product/service/entity