Philip Crosby was an American entrepreneur, pioneer in his contributions on theories and practices of quality and administrative management. He was the author of works related to commercial and industrial areas.
In the projects and companies in which it was involved, it was considered a fundamental piece to improve the conditions of quality.
This American is credited with the conception and implementation of the philosophy of zero defects, considered one of its main contributions to the business and administrative world.
In the same way, it developed another set of guidelines and precepts that, applied to a productive organization, allowed to obtain a higher level of quality at a lower cost.
His high level of theoretical and practical knowledge about management and quality control has earned him a place among the big names that have approached this area and left a legacy of importance.
Today, his work is continued through the company he founded in life, Philip Crosby Associates, a Capability Group company.
Biography
Philip Bayard Crosby was born in 1926 in the state of Virginia and died in North Carolina in 2011, at age 75.
It was within the United States where he spent his life and practiced most of his career, working for large North American companies.
During his youth he served in the United States Navy, participating in World War II and in the Korean War. During the years that elapsed between both conflicts, it obtained the title of medicine in an Ohio university.
He began working in the area of quality management from the 50's. First, he worked in medical institutions and organizations, where he dedicated himself to renewing and innovating the administrative parameters in such organizations.
Around the 60's, Philip Crosby joined the Martin-Marietta company, where he served as a quality engineer.
It was in this organization that Crosby developed his philosophy of zero defects. The last stage of his career as an employee takes place in the ranks of the ITT company, where he worked as corporate vice president for almost 15 years, until the late 70's.
After these stages, Crosby already had a reputation within his country and internationally, thanks to the effective results that his techniques on quality management yielded.
In the 80's he decided to start his own company, Philip Crosby Associates, where he would practice the rest of his career as a private consultant.
Main contributions
1- Basic principles about quality
Like other authors and entrepreneurs in the area, Crosby spoke and generated his own principles about what quality is and how to maximize the quality level of a product in the business and industrial fields.
For Crosby, the quality of a product is defined according to its capacity to satisfy the real needs of a consumer, taking into account the value of the latter as the final gear of a production and marketing process.
The management and correct management of organizational and production levels can minimize or even eradicate the number of errors that can be committed.
Finally, Crosby emphasizes that the level of quality is measured according to the degree of nonconformity that can generate in the consumer.
2- Philosophy of zero defects
Crosby's zero-defect proposal can be synthesized by maxims based on his own words.
For Crosby, the success and maintenance of a good level of quality lies in getting things right from the start, even using consumer satisfaction as a measure value to ensure effectiveness.
Crosby states that"quality does not cost. It's not a gift, but it's free. What costs money are the things that do not have quality: all the actions that result from not doing things right the first time."
Crosby synthesizes his philosophy of zero defects as a preventive measure, whose main way is to"do it right the first time", which would in itself be the solution to any eventuality or failure that may arise.
Crosby's philosophy is not focused on technical processes applicable in the different departments of the company, but on the organizational systematization of all levels to ensure effectiveness and quality.
3- Quality Absolutes
In quality management, Crosby handles four major maxims that he calls absolutes, present in any productive process that seeks to be considered effective.
The first arises from the principle of zero defects: do it right the first time. This means providing at all levels the requisites and resources needed to achieve quality improvement.
The second determines that prevention is a guarantor of quality. Productive processes should not be worked out in order to solve errors that arise, but to ensure that they do not even have to be manifested.
The detection and solution of errors only causes more expenses for the company, dispersing the attention at the organizational level and violating the quality.
The absolute third places Crosby's philosophy as the only valid standard for measuring and guaranteeing organizational effectiveness and final quality.
Crosby claims that a system based on the zero defect philosophy meets the requirements to individually measure the performance of its various internal levels.
Quality is measured from the cost of doing things wrong. This gives way to Crosby's fourth maxim, which takes quality costs as the only valid measure that an organization must consider to seek continuous improvement.
References
- Alvarado, B., & Rivas, G. (2006). Philip Crosby. Caracas: Central University of Venezuela.
- Crosby, P. (1985). Quality Without Tears.
- Philip Crosby Associates. (s.f.). Biography . Obtained from Philip Crosby Associates: philipcrosby.com
- Saxon, W. (August 22, 2001). Philip Crosby, 75, Developer Of The Zero-Defects Concept. The New York Times .