The classic approach to improving products and processes is by taking one carefully considered step after another toward better quality. Prevailing wisdom has always suggested not rocking the boat with change, but introducing it little by little. At Motorola we've found that major step-function improvements in quality are also very necessary and quite achievable. In just five years we've achieved a 150-fold improvement in overall manufacturing quality at Motorola. Obviously, we don't do things the way we did five years ago.
Many people believe that it takes extra time to do things right.
Indeed, impetuous actions can certainly cause mistakes, but we've found that improving our process to improve our product quality also speeds up our cycle time. We determine the total time it takes to do something from start to finish, whether it's serving a customer or developing a new technology. By tracking data constantly we find ways to make the process more efficient, more productive, more cost-effective and easier to use. The end result is higher quality. It doesn't matter whether we emphasize reducing cycle time or increasing quality.