#095 - Defining Quality - It's NOT What You Think

Andy shares his insight about the definition of quality while listening to an interview with Seth Godin on The Tim Ferris Show (#638).   QUALITY. If you are a perfectionist, Quality as is a great way to hide. And if you factor in that according to Wikipedia, 25-30% of the general population are perfectionists. That's quite high, and how is the word Quality, a great way to hide? He says this because he believes, and I would agree with him, that you do not want to be an enemy of quality. I'm going to dig into this, but I'd like for you to think about how often you might use this word in your own business, or in your own daily routines. I'd put money down, that you use the word quality to describe your company, your work, your ethic, etc., you cannot be the enemy of quality. When an engineer, a product manager, or a company, says, "I can't ship this yet because the quality isn't there (like a physical product, or software), or someone says, "why are you racing through that project, don't you want to put quality into it?" We feel defenseless in the face of that question, because yes, we want quality. So, someone who doesn't want to ship their work is going to stand behind perfectionism. BUT perfectionism has nothing to do with Perfect, and perfect does not have a lot to do with quality. BOOM! Mic fucking drop right there.  I think I should say that again, perfectionism has nothing to do with perfect, and perfect does not have a lot to do with quality. Holy cow, right?!? So, what this means, and this is the heart of my aha moment, and this episode, is that quality has a very specific definition. This concept is something that I had not given much thought to in the past, because, perhaps I was making my own definition of quality, through my own lens, and my personal tastes, based on my own experiences, but in knowing what was this ever a specific definition of quality. So, what does QUALITY mean? Seth Godin said that, the definition of QUALITY, comes from Edwards Deming, and the rest of the quality movement of the 40's and 50's, the people who gave us, the Toyota, and what it means is, MEETS SPEC. That's it. That is what quality means, that. is. it. MEETS SPEC. Then he says, so if I asked you what is a better car, a Toyota Carolla, or a rolls Royce, the answer is, a Toyota Carola, because the Toyota meets SPEC. It more reliably does exactly what it is supposed to do, when it is supposed to do it than a rolls Royce does, but rolls Royce is a different thing, it is luxury, and it is deliberately spending resources to create something that most people can't have. Boom, mic drop again! To me, this means quality could mean many things, but you must know what the specification was, in order to decide if the product or project was quality. I guess that what this might also mean, is that if you are a landscape contractor or an irrigation contractor, and you do not meet the project specification, you do not do quality work. Simple as that. How well did you meet the project specification? If you are a design-build contractor, perhaps you also have the advantage of writing the specification - and if you can write the specification - I would you could deliver a finished project that meets your own specification well. The next definition of quality which I won't go deep into in this episode, but it is equally important, especially when there is no clear SPEC to MEET, which is often the case with landscape construction projects - the next definition of quality is THE MAGIC of MAGIC. What is the Quality of Magic - think about the good old fashion coin trick, when a good magician either makes the coin disappear, or the coin goes from one hand to the other. For a moment you feel something, some amazement, some tension, the tension of questioning how that just happened, because you know that couldn't happen - but that just happened - and you have both of these feelings at the same time. That couldn't happen, but that just happened, at the same time. Once you know how the tick is done, it is simply a trick, the magic is gone. And in the case of a great performance or great customer service, or great theatre, the first time you experience it, the unexpected moment when the lights turn on for you, that is the magic moment, and that Magic moment is another definition of quality. Seth believes that with robotics, artificial intelligence, and offshoring, the work that is left for us, is the work to create magic. That is really powerful, how do you create magic? So guys,  if your product or project does not has a SPEC you can MEET, you might look for the magic in the magic. What can you offer your clients, for the first time, that will have an unexpected moment of wow? - I'm writing that down - look to give your customers an unexpected moment of wow - and they will perceive that as QUALITY.     So perhaps, and I'm going to leave this thought with you....would it be possible to meet a spec 100% and do a quality job, and if every contractor met the spec and did a quality job, what could you do to create magic. Maybe, the money is in the magic. and you know what I like best about that thought, there is no right answer, only possibilities, and only opportunities for you to separate yourself from your competition, and leave them wondering how the hell you are so successful, and why is everyone always talking about you.   Alright, so let's wrap this one up. Remember that quality has a specific definition, whether you agree that the 2 we discussed here are accurate or not, you cannot define quality. What you think is quality may not be interpreted as quality to another person, and everyone uses the word quality to describe their work.   So go do that - meet spec - and add magic. Or, just go create MAGIC.   All right guys, so that's it, that's gonna wrap this up. And remember, as always, I'm here for you, I'm rooting for you, and I believe in you.