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Introduction

5 May, 2016 - 14:45

We will first define and discuss some common definitions and measures of quality that have been put forward by quality philosophers. Next we will provide an overview of the historical development of quality management. In the third major section of this module we describe the eight different dimensions of quality used for analysing quality characteristics. An important measure of the effectiveness of quality management activities is the cost associated with the achievement and non-achievement of product or service quality as a result of these activities. The following section presents the prevention-appraisal-failure (PAF) model of costs of quality which has been widely adopted in different industries. To give a historical perspective to all these quality definitions, we will also discuss how different quality paradigms have emerged over the years due to changes in customer demands, technology and social environments. Let's move on!