Quality in the R&D Environment

When we speak of quality, most people think of some product with which they relate a quality image; it may be Mercedes-Benz automobiles, Honda automobiles, Maytag washers, Mobil gasoline, or hopefully, AT&T Long Distance service and telephones. The product-oriented viewpoint of quality is often based on the concept that quality is attained by testing or inspecting the product at the factory. There is also the conventional wisdom that `everyone doing their best` will improve quality to a satisfactory level. Over the last few years, quality initiatives at AT&T Bell Laboratories have been aimed at improving the product development process, based on the realization that a quality product depends on a quality development process. Upper-management commitment to quality has been emphasized by establishing a corporate goal to improve the level of development quality by a factor of 10 to 5 years.