zero-defects

Zero Defects In A Nutshell

Business / By / September 26, 2023

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.

Case Studies

Manufacturing Company: Zero Defects in Product Manufacturing

Challenge: A manufacturing company aims to reduce defects in its product manufacturing process, improve product quality, and minimize the need for costly rework.

Application of Zero Defects:

  • Management commitment:
    • Top-level management commits to the zero defects philosophy as a core value and sets the expectation for all employees to prioritize quality.
  • Quality improvement team:
    • A cross-functional quality improvement team is formed, comprising employees from various departments, including production, quality control, and engineering.
  • Quality measurement:
    • The team defines clear quality metrics, such as defect rates and product specifications, to measure and monitor product quality consistently.
  • Corrective actions:
    • The team identifies root causes of defects in the manufacturing process through data analysis and process audits.
    • Corrective measures are developed to address these root causes and prevent future defects.
  • Error cause removal:
    • Employees are encouraged to report issues or potential sources of defects in real-time.
    • Continuous feedback loops are established to address reported issues promptly.
  • Recognition:
    • The company implements a recognition program to celebrate teams and individuals who consistently achieve zero defects and contribute to improved product quality.
  • Repetition:
    • The zero defects approach becomes an ongoing practice, with regular reviews, process adjustments, and continuous improvement efforts.

Outcome: By implementing the zero defects philosophy in their manufacturing process, the company significantly reduces defects, improves product quality, and minimizes rework. This leads to higher customer satisfaction and cost savings.

Software Development Team: Zero Defects in Software Releases

Challenge: A software development team wants to release high-quality software products with minimal post-release defects and customer issues.

Application of Zero Defects:

  • Management commitment:
    • The team’s leadership emphasizes a zero defects mindset and prioritizes quality over rapid development.
  • Quality improvement team:
    • A dedicated quality assurance team is formed to work alongside developers and testers.
  • Quality measurement:
    • Quality metrics are established, including code review effectiveness, bug density, and customer-reported issues.
  • Corrective actions:
    • Regular code reviews and automated testing are conducted to identify and fix defects during the development process.
    • Root cause analysis is performed to prevent recurring defects.
  • Error cause removal:
    • Developers are encouraged to report and address code issues promptly.
    • Customer feedback is actively collected and used to inform software improvements.
  • Recognition:
    • The team celebrates successful software releases with minimal post-release defects.
    • Employees receive recognition for their contributions to zero defects initiatives.
  • Repetition:
    • The zero defects approach becomes a continuous practice, with a focus on ongoing quality improvement and defect prevention.

Outcome: By applying the zero defects philosophy to software development, the team releases high-quality products with fewer post-release defects. This results in improved customer satisfaction, reduced support costs, and a more efficient development process.

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.

Key Highlights

  • Understanding Zero Defects Philosophy:
    • Zero defects (ZD) is a quality management philosophy that aims to eliminate waste, reduce defects, and achieve correct outcomes from the start.
    • Phil Crosby pioneered ZD, promoting it as an investment in quality.
  • Principles of Zero Defects:
    • ZD doesn’t demand perfection but strives for the best possible quality.
    • It emphasizes doing tasks right the first time to prevent errors and defects.
    • Organizations work to eliminate potential sources of errors.
  • Fourteen Steps of Zero Defects Implementation:
    1. Management commitment to ZD.
    2. Formation of a quality improvement team.
    3. Defining and measuring quality through goals and KPIs.
    4. Evaluating the cost of quality objectives.
    5. Creating awareness of quality across all employees.
    6. Developing corrective actions for internal processes.
    7. Creating a plan for achieving zero defects.
    8. Training supervisors to implement ZD plans.
    9. Conducting a “Zero Defects Day” for shared understanding.
    10. Setting organizational, team, and individual goals.
    11. Identifying and removing causes of errors.
    12. Recognizing and celebrating quality successes.
    13. Establishing a quality council for ongoing assessment.
    14. Embracing repetition, trial, and error for ZD benefits.
  • Key Takeaways:
    • Zero defects is a quality philosophy by Phil Crosby, focusing on waste elimination and error reduction.
    • It emphasizes doing tasks correctly from the start, rather than fixing later.
    • The implementation involves commitment from management, team formation, goal setting, error analysis, and ongoing assessment.

Connected Agile & Lean Frameworks

AIOps

aiops
AIOps is the application of artificial intelligence to IT operations. It has become particularly useful for modern IT management in hybridized, distributed, and dynamic environments. AIOps has become a key operational component of modern digital-based organizations, built around software and algorithms.

AgileSHIFT

AgileSHIFT
AgileSHIFT is a framework that prepares individuals for transformational change by creating a culture of agility.

Agile Methodology

agile-methodology
Agile started as a lightweight development method compared to heavyweight software development, which is the core paradigm of the previous decades of software development. By 2001 the Manifesto for Agile Software Development was born as a set of principles that defined the new paradigm for software development as a continuous iteration. This would also influence the way of doing business.

Agile Program Management

agile-program-management
Agile Program Management is a means of managing, planning, and coordinating interrelated work in such a way that value delivery is emphasized for all key stakeholders. Agile Program Management (AgilePgM) is a disciplined yet flexible agile approach to managing transformational change within an organization.

Agile Project Management

agile-project-management
Agile project management (APM) is a strategy that breaks large projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. In the APM methodology, each project is completed in small sections – often referred to as iterations. Each iteration is completed according to its project life cycle, beginning with the initial design and progressing to testing and then quality assurance.

Agile Modeling

agile-modeling
Agile Modeling (AM) is a methodology for modeling and documenting software-based systems. Agile Modeling is critical to the rapid and continuous delivery of software. It is a collection of values, principles, and practices that guide effective, lightweight software modeling.

Agile Business Analysis

agile-business-analysis
Agile Business Analysis (AgileBA) is certification in the form of guidance and training for business analysts seeking to work in agile environments. To support this shift, AgileBA also helps the business analyst relate Agile projects to a wider organizational mission or strategy. To ensure that analysts have the necessary skills and expertise, AgileBA certification was developed.

Agile Leadership

agile-leadership
Agile leadership is the embodiment of agile manifesto principles by a manager or management team. Agile leadership impacts two important levels of a business. The structural level defines the roles, responsibilities, and key performance indicators. The behavioral level describes the actions leaders exhibit to others based on agile principles. 

Andon System

andon-system
The andon system alerts managerial, maintenance, or other staff of a production process problem. The alert itself can be activated manually with a button or pull cord, but it can also be activated automatically by production equipment. Most Andon boards utilize three colored lights similar to a traffic signal: green (no errors), yellow or amber (problem identified, or quality check needed), and red (production stopped due to unidentified issue).

Bimodal Portfolio Management

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Bimodal Portfolio Management (BimodalPfM) helps an organization manage both agile and traditional portfolios concurrently. Bimodal Portfolio Management – sometimes referred to as bimodal development – was coined by research and advisory company Gartner. The firm argued that many agile organizations still needed to run some aspects of their operations using traditional delivery models.

Business Innovation Matrix

business-innovation
Business innovation is about creating new opportunities for an organization to reinvent its core offerings, revenue streams, and enhance the value proposition for existing or new customers, thus renewing its whole business model. Business innovation springs by understanding the structure of the market, thus adapting or anticipating those changes.

Business Model Innovation

business-model-innovation
Business model innovation is about increasing the success of an organization with existing products and technologies by crafting a compelling value proposition able to propel a new business model to scale up customers and create a lasting competitive advantage. And it all starts by mastering the key customers.

Constructive Disruption

constructive-disruption
A consumer brand company like Procter & Gamble (P&G) defines “Constructive Disruption” as: a willingness to change, adapt, and create new trends and technologies that will shape our industry for the future. According to P&G, it moves around four pillars: lean innovation, brand building, supply chain, and digitalization & data analytics.

Continuous Innovation

continuous-innovation
That is a process that requires a continuous feedback loop to develop a valuable product and build a viable business model. Continuous innovation is a mindset where products and services are designed and delivered to tune them around the customers’ problem and not the technical solution of its founders.

Design Sprint

design-sprint
A design sprint is a proven five-day process where critical business questions are answered through speedy design and prototyping, focusing on the end-user. A design sprint starts with a weekly challenge that should finish with a prototype, test at the end, and therefore a lesson learned to be iterated.

Design Thinking

design-thinking
Tim Brown, Executive Chair of IDEO, defined design thinking as “a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.” Therefore, desirability, feasibility, and viability are balanced to solve critical problems.

DevOps

devops-engineering
DevOps refers to a series of practices performed to perform automated software development processes. It is a conjugation of the term “development” and “operations” to emphasize how functions integrate across IT teams. DevOps strategies promote seamless building, testing, and deployment of products. It aims to bridge a gap between development and operations teams to streamline the development altogether.

Dual Track Agile

dual-track-agile
Product discovery is a critical part of agile methodologies, as its aim is to ensure that products customers love are built. Product discovery involves learning through a raft of methods, including design thinking, lean start-up, and A/B testing to name a few. Dual Track Agile is an agile methodology containing two separate tracks: the “discovery” track and the “delivery” track.

eXtreme Programming

extreme-programming
eXtreme Programming was developed in the late 1990s by Ken Beck, Ron Jeffries, and Ward Cunningham. During this time, the trio was working on the Chrysler Comprehensive Compensation System (C3) to help manage the company payroll system. eXtreme Programming (XP) is a software development methodology. It is designed to improve software quality and the ability of software to adapt to changing customer needs.

Feature-Driven Development

feature-driven-development
Feature-Driven Development is a pragmatic software process that is client and architecture-centric. Feature-Driven Development (FDD) is an agile software development model that organizes workflow according to which features need to be developed next.

Gemba Walk

gemba-walk
A Gemba Walk is a fundamental component of lean management. It describes the personal observation of work to learn more about it. Gemba is a Japanese word that loosely translates as “the real place”, or in business, “the place where value is created”. The Gemba Walk as a concept was created by Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System of lean manufacturing. Ohno wanted to encourage management executives to leave their offices and see where the real work happened. This, he hoped, would build relationships between employees with vastly different skillsets and build trust.

GIST Planning

gist-planning
GIST Planning is a relatively easy and lightweight agile approach to product planning that favors autonomous working. GIST Planning is a lean and agile methodology that was created by former Google product manager Itamar Gilad. GIST Planning seeks to address this situation by creating lightweight plans that are responsive and adaptable to change. GIST Planning also improves team velocity, autonomy, and alignment by reducing the pervasive influence of management. It consists of four blocks: goals, ideas, step-projects, and tasks.

ICE Scoring

ice-scoring-model
The ICE Scoring Model is an agile methodology that prioritizes features using data according to three components: impact, confidence, and ease of implementation. The ICE Scoring Model was initially created by author and growth expert Sean Ellis to help companies expand. Today, the model is broadly used to prioritize projects, features, initiatives, and rollouts. It is ideally suited for early-stage product development where there is a continuous flow of ideas and momentum must be maintained.

Innovation Funnel

innovation-funnel
An innovation funnel is a tool or process ensuring only the best ideas are executed. In a metaphorical sense, the funnel screens innovative ideas for viability so that only the best products, processes, or business models are launched to the market. An innovation funnel provides a framework for the screening and testing of innovative ideas for viability.

Innovation Matrix

types-of-innovation
According to how well defined is the problem and how well defined the domain, we have four main types of innovations: basic research (problem and domain or not well defined); breakthrough innovation (domain is not well defined, the problem is well defined); sustaining innovation (both problem and domain are well defined); and disruptive innovation (domain is well defined, the problem is not well defined).

Innovation Theory

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The innovation loop is a methodology/framework derived from the Bell Labs, which produced innovation at scale throughout the 20th century. They learned how to leverage a hybrid innovation management model based on science, invention, engineering, and manufacturing at scale. By leveraging individual genius, creativity, and small/large groups.

Lean vs. Agile

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The Agile methodology has been primarily thought of for software development (and other business disciplines have also adopted it). Lean thinking is a process improvement technique where teams prioritize the value streams to improve it continuously. Both methodologies look at the customer as the key driver to improvement and waste reduction. Both methodologies look at improvement as something continuous.

Lean Startup

startup-company
A startup company is a high-tech business that tries to build a scalable business model in tech-driven industries. A startup company usually follows a lean methodology, where continuous innovation, driven by built-in viral loops is the rule. Thus, driving growth and building network effects as a consequence of this strategy.

Minimum Viable Product

minimum-viable-product
As pointed out by Eric Ries, a minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort through a cycle of build, measure, learn; that is the foundation of the lean startup methodology.

Leaner MVP

leaner-mvp
A leaner MVP is the evolution of the MPV approach. Where the market risk is validated before anything else

Kanban

kanban
Kanban is a lean manufacturing framework first developed by Toyota in the late 1940s. The Kanban framework is a means of visualizing work as it moves through identifying potential bottlenecks. It does that through a process called just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing to optimize engineering processes, speed up manufacturing products, and improve the go-to-market strategy.

Jidoka

jidoka
Jidoka was first used in 1896 by Sakichi Toyoda, who invented a textile loom that would stop automatically when it encountered a defective thread. Jidoka is a Japanese term used in lean manufacturing. The term describes a scenario where machines cease operating without human intervention when a problem or defect is discovered.

PDCA Cycle

pdca-cycle
The PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle was first proposed by American physicist and engineer Walter A. Shewhart in the 1920s. The PDCA cycle is a continuous process and product improvement method and an essential component of the lean manufacturing philosophy.

Rational Unified Process

rational-unified-process
Rational unified process (RUP) is an agile software development methodology that breaks the project life cycle down into four distinct phases.

Rapid Application Development

rapid-application-development
RAD was first introduced by author and consultant James Martin in 1991. Martin recognized and then took advantage of the endless malleability of software in designing development models. Rapid Application Development (RAD) is a methodology focusing on delivering rapidly through continuous feedback and frequent iterations.

Retrospective Analysis

retrospective-analysis
Retrospective analyses are held after a project to determine what worked well and what did not. They are also conducted at the end of an iteration in Agile project management. Agile practitioners call these meetings retrospectives or retros. They are an effective way to check the pulse of a project team, reflect on the work performed to date, and reach a consensus on how to tackle the next sprint cycle. These are the five stages of a retrospective analysis for effective Agile project management: set the stage, gather the data, generate insights, decide on the next steps, and close the retrospective.

Scaled Agile

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Scaled Agile Lean Development (ScALeD) helps businesses discover a balanced approach to agile transition and scaling questions. The ScALed approach helps businesses successfully respond to change. Inspired by a combination of lean and agile values, ScALed is practitioner-based and can be completed through various agile frameworks and practices.

SMED

smed
The SMED (single minute exchange of die) method is a lean production framework to reduce waste and increase production efficiency. The SMED method is a framework for reducing the time associated with completing an equipment changeover.

Spotify Model

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The Spotify Model is an autonomous approach to scaling agile, focusing on culture communication, accountability, and quality. The Spotify model was first recognized in 2012 after Henrik Kniberg, and Anders Ivarsson released a white paper detailing how streaming company Spotify approached agility. Therefore, the Spotify model represents an evolution of agile.

Test-Driven Development

test-driven-development
As the name suggests, TDD is a test-driven technique for delivering high-quality software rapidly and sustainably. It is an iterative approach based on the idea that a failing test should be written before any code for a feature or function is written. Test-Driven Development (TDD) is an approach to software development that relies on very short development cycles.

Timeboxing

timeboxing
Timeboxing is a simple yet powerful time-management technique for improving productivity. Timeboxing describes the process of proactively scheduling a block of time to spend on a task in the future. It was first described by author James Martin in a book about agile software development.

Scrum

what-is-scrum
Scrum is a methodology co-created by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland for effective team collaboration on complex products. Scrum was primarily thought for software development projects to deliver new software capability every 2-4 weeks. It is a sub-group of agile also used in project management to improve startups’ productivity.

Scrumban

scrumban
Scrumban is a project management framework that is a hybrid of two popular agile methodologies: Scrum and Kanban. Scrumban is a popular approach to helping businesses focus on the right strategic tasks while simultaneously strengthening their processes.

Scrum Anti-Patterns

scrum-anti-patterns
Scrum anti-patterns describe any attractive, easy-to-implement solution that ultimately makes a problem worse. Therefore, these are the practice not to follow to prevent issues from emerging. Some classic examples of scrum anti-patterns comprise absent product owners, pre-assigned tickets (making individuals work in isolation), and discounting retrospectives (where review meetings are not useful to really make improvements).

Scrum At Scale

scrum-at-scale
Scrum at Scale (Scrum@Scale) is a framework that Scrum teams use to address complex problems and deliver high-value products. Scrum at Scale was created through a joint venture between the Scrum Alliance and Scrum Inc. The joint venture was overseen by Jeff Sutherland, a co-creator of Scrum and one of the principal authors of the Agile Manifesto.

Six Sigma

six-sigma
Six Sigma is a data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating errors or defects in a product, service, or process. Six Sigma was developed by Motorola as a management approach based on quality fundamentals in the early 1980s. A decade later, it was popularized by General Electric who estimated that the methodology saved them $12 billion in the first five years of operation.

Stretch Objectives

stretch-objectives
Stretch objectives describe any task an agile team plans to complete without expressly committing to do so. Teams incorporate stretch objectives during a Sprint or Program Increment (PI) as part of Scaled Agile. They are used when the agile team is unsure of its capacity to attain an objective. Therefore, stretch objectives are instead outcomes that, while extremely desirable, are not the difference between the success or failure of each sprint.

Toyota Production System

toyota-production-system
The Toyota Production System (TPS) is an early form of lean manufacturing created by auto-manufacturer Toyota. Created by the Toyota Motor Corporation in the 1940s and 50s, the Toyota Production System seeks to manufacture vehicles ordered by customers most quickly and efficiently possible.

Total Quality Management

total-quality-management
The Total Quality Management (TQM) framework is a technique based on the premise that employees continuously work on their ability to provide value to customers. Importantly, the word “total” means that all employees are involved in the process – regardless of whether they work in development, production, or fulfillment.

Waterfall

waterfall-model
The waterfall model was first described by Herbert D. Benington in 1956 during a presentation about the software used in radar imaging during the Cold War. Since there were no knowledge-based, creative software development strategies at the time, the waterfall method became standard practice. The waterfall model is a linear and sequential project management framework. 

Read Also: Continuous Innovation, Agile Methodology, Lean Startup, Business Model Innovation, Project Management.

Read Next: Agile Methodology, Lean Methodology, Agile Project Management, Scrum, Kanban, Six Sigma.

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About The Author

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.
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