Quantity Versus Quality

Conventional management wisdom:

You can have quality or quantity but you can’t have both.

• Bang ’em out quick
• Sod the quality, feel the width
• Cost, quality, speed ~ pick any 2

Even the Romans knew this was the case.

It is quality rather than quantity that matters ~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca

So if you want more, the quality is always going to slide.

But there is a problem with conventional wisdom. Sometimes it is wrong…

If you want higher quantity start with higher quality

As quality goes up, quantity goes up.

Why? — Less rework

As quality goes up, employee engagement goes up.

Why? — People take more pride in their jobs.

As employee engagement goes up and rework goes down, costs go down.

Why? — Less absenteeism and wasted time.

As costs go down, profits go up.

Why? — Greater margins and more sales.

As profits go up, quality goes up.

Why? — More investment.

So if you want more quantity start with higher quality

But if you start pushing quantity first…

Then, let’s be honest…

The quality is bound to slide.