Essentials of Quality with Cases and Experiential Exercises [Paperback]

Thoroughly tested and used by students and proven to help students taking the American Society for Quality’s Certified Quality Improvement Associate exam, Essentials of Quality is highly accessible, experiential, and unique in its coverage of current quality management topics, from creative and innovative improvements and approaches to today’s economic environment to ways of developing metrics for measuring and evaluating programs. With non-academic, reader-friendly writing, the text features many chapter exercise and cases that provide students with hands-on experience.

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv

About the Author xix

SECTION I QUALITY BASICS 1

Chapter 1 Introduction to Quality 3

Chapter Objectives 3

Why Study Quality? 4

History of Quality 4

The Definition of Quality 4

Modern Definitions of Quality 5

Product Quality 7

Service Quality 8

Different Approaches to Defining Quality 9

Five Approaches to Defining Quality 10

Major Contributors to Our Understanding of Quality 11

Summary 19

Quality Definitions 20

Discussion Questions 20

Case Study 1.1: The Battle of the Gurus 21

Exercises and Activities 22

Supplementary Readings 23

References 23

Chapter 2 Strategic Quality Management and Operationalizing Quality 25

Chapter Objectives 25

Strategic Quality Management 26

The Strategic Planning Process 28

Strategic Deployment 31

Evaluation and Control 31