PHILIP CROSBY:

CONCEPT OF ‘ZERO
DEFECT’ AND 14 STEPS OF
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
PHILIP CROSBY

June 18, 1926 – August 18, 2001

One of the most highly respected and sought-after

quality management consultant and educators

14 years as corporate VP and director for quality

for the ITT Corporation

1979 started consulting group Philip Crosby

Association, Inc.
Zero Defects
The phrase "zero defects" was first coined
by Philip Crosby in his 1979 book titled,
"Quality is Free.“

"do things right the first time."

“Quality becomes free”

How much do quality failures cost your company?

TIMERESOURCE
MONE S
REPUTATIO
Y
N
"zero defects," what that means,
when it can be useful and how to
apply it in your organization.
 Crosby’s 14 steps for Improvement
The model was developed by the quality guru Philip Crosby and promises process improvement over the
long term.
Crosby’s 14 steps for Improvement
Management Commitment

01 committed and dedicated to process

improvement

Quality Improvement Team

02 This team should be solely

responsible for process quality.

Quality Measurement

03 measure and assess process quality

Crosby’s 14 steps for Improvement
Cost of Quality Evaluation

04 assess the cost that comes along

Quality Awareness

05 spread the importance of quality

Corrective Action

06 start implementing a plan

Crosby’s 14 steps for Improvement
Plan for Zero Defects Program

07 eliminating defects

Supervisor Training

08 In order to achieve process quality you

need to have supervisors

Zero Defects Day

increase awareness by holding a zero
09 defects day in which are employees
are taking part.
Crosby’s 14 steps for Improvement
Goal Setting

10 Setting goals for improvement

Error Cause Removal

11 step back and identify any errors that

are hindering this process

Recognition

12 Recognizing employees that excel in

the quality improvement efforts
Crosby’s 14 steps for Improvement
Quality Council

13 Bring along specialists and hold

quality councils

Do It Over Again

14
do everything all over again from the
start.
Zero Defects and Continuous Improvement

 Recognize the high cost of quality issues.

 Strive to continuously improve processes .

 Work proactively to identify and address the flaws in your systems

and processes, which allow defects to occur.
THANK YOU!!
 REFERENCES

Philip Crosby: zero defects thinker | The British Library (bl.

uk)
Crosby’s 14 Steps for Improvement - Vireton
Zero Defects - Strategy Tools From MindTools.com
The Concept of Zero Defects in Quality Management |
Simplilearn