FREE online courses on Quality by DesignTrue quality Characteristics and Substitute quality Characteristics True quality characteristics are the quality attributes demanded by the customer. They are expressed in the language of the customer in his own words. Substitute quality characteristics are the customer requirements in the language of the producer. Substitute quality characteristics can be determined by translating the customer demands in the language of engineers (producer) in the form of product specification, targets and tolerances. Forward Looking Quality and Backward Looking Quality Quality characteristics that are positive advantage of the product – the special features that make it superior to competing products and can be used as sales points, such as, ‘easy to use', ‘comfortable to use', are called forward looking qualities or attractive qualities. In contrast to the above, the absence of defects is a backward looking quality or a must-be quality. Absence of defect in a product is essential, but not a sufficient condition for selling in competitive situations. Designer's target should be to create forward-looking qualities in the product. |