Actual quality is the current value added per unit of input. The difference between potential and actual quality is waste . Quality science is the attempt to increase potential quality through mental and physical effort. It's the systematic search for knowledge of productivity improvement. It may involve creating more value with the same resources, creating the same value with fewer resources or creating entirely new values.
Quality improvement is the process of increasing actual quality through mental and physical effort.
This can be done by either reducing waste or developing new systems that increase both actual and potential quality. Because quality is value-added, it can be measured for any process that adds value. In any enterprise, all stakeholders engage in a value exchange. Employees exchange their labor and ideas for monetary compensation in the form of wages or bonuses. Owners exchange their investments for a financial reward.