Define the following terms (with references): Cost of Quality (COQ), Cost of Conformance, and Cost…

Define the following terms (with references): Cost of Quality (COQ), Cost of Conformance, and Cost of Nonconformance Continuous improvement Total Quality Management (TQM)
Cost of Quality (COQ)
Cost of Quality (COQ) is the total cost incurred to ensure products or services meet quality requirements plus the costs resulting from failures to meet those requirements. It typically includes prevention costs, appraisal costs, and failure costs (both internal and external). COQ is used to measure the financial impact of poor quality and to guide investments in quality improvement.
References:
ASQ — Cost of Quality
;
Wikipedia — Cost of quality
.
Cost of Conformance
Cost of Conformance are the costs a company incurs to ensure products or services conform to quality requirements. These include prevention costs (e.g., training, quality planning, process controls) and appraisal costs (e.g., inspection, testing). Investing in conformance costs aims to prevent defects and reduce overall failure-related expenses.
References:
ASQ — Cost of Quality (prevention and appraisal)
;
ISO — Quality management principles
.
Cost of Nonconformance
Cost of Nonconformance (also called cost of poor quality or failure costs) are the costs that arise when products or services fail to meet quality requirements. These include internal failure costs (e.g., scrap, rework) and external failure costs (e.g., returns, warranty claims, lost sales, reputational damage). Reducing nonconformance costs is a primary goal of quality improvement initiatives.
References:
ASQ — Cost of Quality (failure costs)
;
Wikipedia — Cost of poor quality
.
Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes incrementally over time. Common methodologies include Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) and Kaizen; the focus is on iterative, data-driven changes that reduce waste, improve quality, and increase efficiency.
References:
ASQ — Continuous Improvement
;
Wikipedia — Continuous improvement process
.
Total Quality Management (TQM)
Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management philosophy and structured approach that seeks long-term success by focusing the entire organization on continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, and the reduction of variation and waste. TQM emphasizes involvement of all employees, process-centered thinking, and use of data and systematic problem solving.
References:
ASQ — Total Quality Management (TQM)
;
Wikipedia — Total quality management
.