Cost Vs. Quality

["John Bruman" <jbruman@precisiondie.com>]

First off, COST is a Quality.
I like to depict it in terms of a marketing model where Quality is actually
composed of the Triad of:
Configuration (What it is, what it does for me, etc.)
Cost (What do I have to give up to have it?)
Availability (When or how soon can I get it? How long will it last? etc.)
>From this, we learn that there are things like Quality of Cost, Quality of
Availability, and Quality of Configuration. As managers, it is our job to
optimize all of these things rather than compromising them.
Consequently we try to do things like QFD and strategic planning matrices to
select strategies that impact all of these elements positively.
I know of no means of equating Cost as a function of Quality that doesn't
lead to unknown and unknowable limits, or simply breaks down in the harsh
light of reality.
John Bruman
QA Manager