Chapter 9
Managing the Quality Systems
Quality is a set of features and characteristics of a product or a service, conditioned
by the fact that they meet set and expected requirements.
The term ‘quality’ has accompanied humankind since the beginning of evolution.
Initially, it was a philosophical term, connected to the understanding of the matter
surrounding humans. The term ‘quality’ first emerged in Aristotle’s writing as a
metaphysical category counterposed to ‘quantity.’ In his consideration on the essence
of beings, Aristotle distinguished two components: the form (that is the general
properties of things) and matter (the individual properties of a given thing). In the
Aristotelean philosophy, ‘quality’ is the term that describes the definiteness of the
corporeal substance and is evidenced by a specific assignment of a matter to form.
In the philosophy of Rene Descartes, a dualistic understanding of qualities can be
found: primary qualities, those that are already in the object; and secondary qualities,
those emitted by the object.
Nowadays, the understanding of ‘quality’ goes far beyond just a philosophical
term related to the perception of matter and has become a socioeconomic term related,
to a great extent, with human activity. Taking into consideration the understanding of
quality as a certain kind of property of the product, the term can be examined on a few
dimensions: economical, technical and social. Recognizing that the measurement
result is ‘a product’ delivered by the laboratory, the quality of the measurement
matters on all of the aforementioned dimensions. It is needless to say that correct
and sound decisions can be taken only on the basis of reliable results.
Quality is not objective, it depends on the criteria used to evaluate a given
object or phenomenon. Quality also depends on our needs—that is, the person
who uses a ware or service must define what they expect.
The important step forward conducive to the evolution of the term ‘quality’ in the
direction related to the effects of human activity was the industrial revolution that
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018
E. Bulska, Metrology in Chemistry, Lecture Notes in Chemistry 101,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99206-8_9
155
Managing the Quality Systems
Quality is a set of features and characteristics of a product or a service, conditioned
by the fact that they meet set and expected requirements.
The term ‘quality’ has accompanied humankind since the beginning of evolution.
Initially, it was a philosophical term, connected to the understanding of the matter
surrounding humans. The term ‘quality’ first emerged in Aristotle’s writing as a
metaphysical category counterposed to ‘quantity.’ In his consideration on the essence
of beings, Aristotle distinguished two components: the form (that is the general
properties of things) and matter (the individual properties of a given thing). In the
Aristotelean philosophy, ‘quality’ is the term that describes the definiteness of the
corporeal substance and is evidenced by a specific assignment of a matter to form.
In the philosophy of Rene Descartes, a dualistic understanding of qualities can be
found: primary qualities, those that are already in the object; and secondary qualities,
those emitted by the object.
Nowadays, the understanding of ‘quality’ goes far beyond just a philosophical
term related to the perception of matter and has become a socioeconomic term related,
to a great extent, with human activity. Taking into consideration the understanding of
quality as a certain kind of property of the product, the term can be examined on a few
dimensions: economical, technical and social. Recognizing that the measurement
result is ‘a product’ delivered by the laboratory, the quality of the measurement
matters on all of the aforementioned dimensions. It is needless to say that correct
and sound decisions can be taken only on the basis of reliable results.
Quality is not objective, it depends on the criteria used to evaluate a given
object or phenomenon. Quality also depends on our needs—that is, the person
who uses a ware or service must define what they expect.
The important step forward conducive to the evolution of the term ‘quality’ in the
direction related to the effects of human activity was the industrial revolution that
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018
E. Bulska, Metrology in Chemistry, Lecture Notes in Chemistry 101,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99206-8_9
155