Understanding CTQ- CRITICAL TO QUALITY

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What is CTQ?

The CTQ process is a structured approach to identifying and resolving quality issues. It begins with the identification of the customer's needs (VoC: Voice of Customer) and ends with the implementation of corrective actions (through systematically taking care of the CTQ's)

In business and engineering, critical to quality (CTQ) or critical success factor (CSF) is a required element of a product or process that meets customers' needs or expectations. A CTQ can be a physical characteristic, such as length, width, weight, time, temperature, or color; a performance metric such as quality or reliability; or any other requirement that a customer may have.

There are many factors that can affect the quality of a product or process, but not all of them are CTQs. For example, the cost of raw materials is an important factor in the overall cost of the final product, but it is not a CTQ because it does not directly impact the quality of the product.

What are the benefits of CTQ?

There are many benefits of CTQ which include reducing costs, improving quality, and increasing customer satisfaction.

CTQ can help reduce costs by identifying and eliminating waste in processes. It can also improve quality by helping to identify and correct errors before they become costly defects. Increasing customer satisfaction is another benefit of CTQ as it can help ensure that products and services meet or exceed customer expectations.

Implementing a CTQ program can be a challenge, but the benefits are worth the effort. Organizations that successfully implement CTQ programs often see significant improvements in their operations and bottom line.

How can you implement CTQ in your organization?

CRITICAL TO QUALITY (CTQ) is a powerful quality improvement tool that can be used in any organization to improve quality and performance.

CTQ can be used to identify and prioritize quality improvement projects, track progress, and measure results.

Here are some tips for implementing CTQ in your organization:

1. Define what quality means for your organization. What are your quality goals? What are the specific metrics you want to improve?
2. Identify the critical few factors that will have the biggest impact on quality. These are the areas you should focus on for improvement.
3. Implement changes and track progress. Be sure to involve all stakeholders in the process so that everyone is aware of the goals and how they can help contribute to achieving them.
4. Celebrate successes and continue striving for continuous improvement.

Conclusion: CTQ

In order to ensure that a product or service is high quality, businesses must identify the Critical to Quality (CTQ) characteristics. CTQ characteristics are those features of a product or service that are most important to customers and must meet their requirements.

There are many methods for identifying CTQ characteristics, but one of the most popular is the Six Sigma methodology. Six Sigma uses a series of statistical tools and techniques to help businesses identify and measure CTQ characteristics.

Once CTQ characteristics have been identified, businesses can then take steps to improve them. This may involve redesigning processes, implementing new quality control measures, or training employees on proper quality procedures. Whatever the approach, the goal is always to improve the quality of the product or service so that it meets or exceeds customer expectations.

Dr. Lean Murali

Lean Master Coach

PS: The Article written above is from the learnings from various books on Lean & Six Sigma. Due credit to all the Lean & Six sigma thinkers who have shared their thoughts through their books/articles/case studies

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