Definitions of quality Prior to any debate on the management and assurance of quality or ways and means of creating quality products, 'quality products' require definition. Quality has been defined as: "... the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied need" (Ashford, 1989:193). Ashford (1989) further states that: "Quality is a summation of all those characteristics which together make a product acceptable to the market. It follows that products that are lacking in quality will in the long term prove unmarketable, and that the purveyors of such products will go out of business. The truth applies not just to manufactured articles it is equally valid when applied to services and the construction industry. So the need to promote and control quality is of fundamental importance to any enterprise" (Ashford, 1989:1). Therefore (architectural) quality must not only be expressed in physical and functional terms, but quality products must also adhere to the requirements of beauty, form and ambience. The psychological needs of the market must be addressed. "The purpose of a building is to provide shelter; the purpose of architecture is to inspire" (Ashford, 1989:12). The quality of a building or structure depends on a number of factors, viz. that the: - Product standard or specification properly defines fitness for purpose
- Product is produced to the specifications
- Product is delivered on site to standards in terms of expected performance
- Design of the building explicitly combines all its elements and components to ensure effective performance of the whole
- Building work complies with the designers' instructions
- Design adheres to the needs of users of the building facilities
- Building stands in sympathy with the environment (Fletcher & Scivyer, 1987:369).
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