The Journey from Little ‘q’ Quality to Big ‘Q’ Quality

The Journey from Little ‘q’ Quality to Big ‘Q’ Quality

 

Quality is a fluid concept—difficult to define and hard to manage, largely because it is subjective. Every individual has their own perception of quality. Various authors have defined quality differently, leading to ongoing discussions about its meaning. Juran’s Quality Handbook provides two essential definitions of quality:

 

1.   Quality means those features of products that meet customer needs and thereby provide customer satisfaction.

 

2.   Quality means freedom from deficiencies—freedom from errors that require rework or cause field failures, customer claims, and so on.

 

Dr. Joseph M. Juran states that quality means fitness for use and emphasizes that it is the customer who defines fitness. In the 1980s, he introduced the concepts of little 'q' quality and big 'Q' Quality, which were widely discussed during that decade.

 

Juran introduced this distinction to shift organizations' focus from narrow, product-based quality control to a strategic, organization-wide approach. His goal was to encourage management leaders to embrace quality across all levels and functions, not just during production or service delivery. The evolution from little 'q' quality to big 'Q' Quality marked a significant transformation in how quality was perceived and managed.

 

Historical Evolution of Little 'q' and Big 'Q' Quality Concepts

 

Juran, known for his Juran Trilogy (Quality Planning, Quality Control, and Quality Improvement), observed that most organizations focused too heavily on inspecting product quality—a practice he referred to as little 'q' quality. He argued for a broader, more strategic perspective: organizations needed to align quality management with their strategic goals to achieve sustainable success.

 

At the time, Japanese industrial products were outperforming Western counterparts, which compelled Western organizations to rethink their quality strategies. This transformation extended beyond inspection and control; it introduced a new vision of quality as an integral part of the entire business system.

 

Juran emphasized the role of leadership and system thinking in achieving quality. He advocated for integrating quality into the organization’s culture. In his view, focusing solely on little 'q' quality was insufficient to meet evolving customer needs. Instead, quality needed to permeate all areas of an organization, from R&D and finance to customer relations and supply chain management.

 

In 1987, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) introduced the ISO 9000 family of quality management standards, marking a shift toward systematic quality management. By the 1990s, the concept of big 'Q' Quality became aligned with Total Quality Management (TQM) principles, emphasizing cross-functional collaboration, customer focus, and continuous improvement.

 

This evolution also influenced subsequent versions of ISO 9001, which moved from simple product or service control to a comprehensive management approach. The newer standards stressed leadership involvement, error prevention, continual improvement, and customer satisfaction, thus fully embracing the big 'Q' Quality concept.

 

Little 'q' Quality

 

The little 'q' quality concept focuses on operational-level activities and has a narrow scope. It reflects the traditional understanding of quality, concentrating primarily on product or service outcomes.

 

This approach emphasizes quality control, inspection, and defect prevention or correction during the production or service delivery process. Little 'q' quality ensures that each manufactured part or rendered service meets the required specifications and expectations.

 

Big 'Q' Quality

 

The big 'Q' Quality concept has a broader, organization-wide focus. It represents a holistic and strategic approach to managing quality, involving the entire organization and all its processes.

 

Big 'Q' Quality focuses on long-term goals, such as customer satisfaction, continual improvement, and organizational excellence. This approach incorporates TQM practices, the implementation of national and international standards, leadership involvement, and stakeholder engagement. It also requires regular monitoring and measurement to ensure that quality goals are achieved consistently.

 

The ultimate aim of big 'Q' Quality is to foster a quality culture across all levels of the organization. It integrates quality into the organization's mission and promotes continuous improvement practices, such as Kaizen and 5S.

 

Summary

 

The concept of big 'Q' Quality encourages organizations to move beyond individual product or service quality and develop a comprehensive quality management system. This system requires top management’s involvement, along with processes and people at all levels, to ensure sustainable success.

 

In short, little 'q' quality focuses on "doing things right," while big 'Q' Quality emphasizes "doing the right things" for long-term, sustainable success. The journey of quality has evolved from little 'q' quality to big 'Q' Quality, reflecting a shift from operational efficiency to strategic excellence.

 

Regards,
Keshav Ram Singhal