TABLE OF CONTENTS In the last session you identified some changes that your organization might make in response to a range of external factors. It's almost certain that among these external factors will be particular needs and wants of customers both actual and potential. If To m Robertson (our bookseller from Session A) had started to sell his books on the Internet, he would have been responding to the need of customers to be able to order rare second-hand books from booksellers anywhere in the world.
In many ways To m Robertson offered a quality service to his customers. For example, he was always happy to find any book they wanted, whether it be in his shop or with another bookseller. And yet his business declined, at least partly because the prices he was charging were too high compared with those of his main competitor. He had not understood that providing a quality service or product means meeting the needs of customers at prices they can afford.
In today's highly competitive world, even this does not necessarily guarantee that an organization will succeed. It should aim to go further than this and continuously improve its products and services so that they meet, and eventually exceed, customer needs.
Continuous improvement means constant, but also gradual, change, as you will see in this session.
| Note | Deming referred to the effort put into correcting mistakes as scraping burnt toast . You can only get rid of the need to... |
