Abstract

[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.] It is hard to believe that it has been fifty years since Juran introduced “Gold in the Mine,” in which he likened costs resulting in defects to a gold mine in which profitable digging could be done. Since that time, several publications have addressed the topic. However, despite all of the information published on this powerful quality improvement tool, there are twoquestions that still remain unanswered: “What collection system should be used when starting a COQ system?” and“What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?” These are questions that have been asked on many occasionsand hopefully this paper will help others with similar questions.