Shifting paradigm: Towards a comprehensive understanding of quality

Paper in proceedings, 2017

The development of competitive products is not a question of unique and expensive features but of best quality for money. Yet, defining quality from a customer’s perspective and realizing it throughout the product development process is complex. The elicitation of customers’ perception and correlating product attributes is recently subject to studies and research projects in industry and science. The common aim is to identify the product parameters responsible for a costumer’s judgement. Still, these efforts are scattered and examining individual cases. A common understanding as well as a framework for distinct research and application is still missing. Besides its history, current research and arising challenges, the paper at hands shall emphasize the need for a change in the understanding of product quality and propose a comprehensive framework to handle quality perception especially on an industrial level. This will help to define the relevant attributes and specifications, form a common platform for parties involved in product development and, hence, guide further research.