Phil Crosby, a quality control department manager in the Pershing missile program at The Martin Company, pioneered the zero defects philosophy. Zero defects (ZD) is a quality management philosophy that advocates waste elimination, defect reduction, and doing things right the first time.
Understanding zero defects
While zero defects was used as a motivation tool in manufacturing during the Second World War, Crosby popularised the concept after his work was adopted by the automotive industry in the early 1970s.
Crosby believed that zero defects was a worthy investment since investing in quality was free.
Much of this investment centered around the elimination of factors that were unessential or unproductive to a task like certain tools or processes.
Zero defects does not mean that companies must strive for perfection. After all, human error will always be present.
Instead, the concept encourages companies to make doing their absolute best the norm.
This means employees should perform a task correctly the first time to produce a high-quality outcome and not rely on making fixes to the final product later.
At a broader level, zero defect organizations do everything in their power to eliminate the potential for errors or defects to maximize profits.
Fourteen steps to achieve zero defects
To embody the philosophy of zero defects, Crosby conveniently laid out 14 steps that any business and its employees can follow:
Management commitment
Managers must commit to zero defects before subordinates will buy into the idea.
Quality improvement team
Once step one has been satisfied, a total quality management team should be assembled.
Quality measurement
The team should then convene with management to define quality and how it will be measured.
Goals and KPIs work best.
Cost of quality evaluation
What is the cost of the objective to the organization?
Is the standard of quality detrimental to other objectives or simply not attainable?
Quality awareness
Every employee should be made aware of what quality entails, how it will be measured, and how it benefits the organization.
Corrective actions
In the sixth step, the team develops corrective measures to improve internal processes.
Plans for zero defects
A plan for zero defects should then be created.
Focus on what is considered essential and eliminate all defects to start.
Supervisor training
Select individuals must be trained to implement zero-defect plans and should be able to explain the philosophy to their colleagues.
Zero defects day
Where managers and subordinates meet to ensure everyone understands zero defects and what is expected of them.
Goal setting
This includes organizational, team, and individual goals.
Error cause removal
Employees should be encouraged to report issues that cause mistakes or defects so that solutions can be devised.
It is not unusual for new issues to arise after zero defects planning is already underway.
Recognition
A vital tool in celebrating success and fostering buy-in across the organization.
Quality council
The quality team should convene regularly to discuss efforts and determine whether quality standards are being met and maintained.
Repetition
Lastly, Crosby noted that the benefits of zero defects will take some time to materialize.
Successful implementation will be down to trial and error, constant vigilance, and many process alterations.
Key takeaways:
Zero defects (ZD) is a quality management philosophy that advocates waste elimination, defect reduction, and doing things right the first time. It was popularized by quality control department manager Phil Crosby in the early 1970s.
Zero defects does not mean that companies must strive for perfection. Instead, it encourages companies to make doing their absolute best the norm and perform substandard work that is more costly to fix later.
Crosby identified fourteen steps to help organizations embody the zero defects philosophy. Like so many initiatives, the process starts with management achieving organization-wide buy-in and ends with meetings to analyze results and adjust strategies where necessary.
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Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
