"Quality is free. It’s not a gift, but it’s free. The ‘unquality’ things are what cost money."  -- Philip B. Crosby

Learn the Basics

Read a short introduction to the cost of quality (open access).

See More Than 275 Resources

Use the Knowledge Center search to find resources on cost of quality, including: 

• More than 250 articles
• 48 case studies
• Eight books and e-books

Featured Articles Available Open Access

Raising the Bar

A.V. Feigenbaum discusses how globalization makes measuring and managing quality costs even more critical to success.

All Ears: Use Financial Terms to Get Heard

When making proposals or submitting business cases to senior managers, learn to add the language of money to the language of statistics and quality metrics.

A top-rated article from the July 2009 issue of Quality Progress.
 

Using Cost of Quality to Improve Results

This case study details how one company centered improvement efforts on cost-of-quality factors, reduced failure dollars as a percentage of sales and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars (open access, PDF, 260 KB).

Cost of Quality (COQ): Which Collection System Should Be Used

From the proceedings of ASQ's 54th Annual Quality Congress, learn about the various COQ systems available and the benefits and disadvantages of each system.

The Tip of the Iceberg

In an article for Quality Progress, Joseph A. DeFeo reminds readers of the often hidden costs of poor quality.

Cost of Quality: Why More Organizations Do Not Use It Effectively

Quality managers in organizations that do not track cost of quality (COQ) cite as reasons a lack of management support for quality control, time and cost of COQ tracking, lack of knowledge of how to track data and lack of basic cost data. Read Victor E. Sower and Ross Quarles' article from the 2003 Annual Quality Congress.

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