• A degree of excellence,
• Conformance with requirements,
• The totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs,
• Fitness for use,
• Fitness for purpose,
• Freedom from defects imperfections or contamination,
• Delighting customers.

When we talk about the quality of a product or service we want to know how well it fulfils an expectation or requirement. Does it possess all the characteristics we are looking for in every way? If it does we can say that the product or service is of excellent quality – its perfect. If it falls short in some minor way, we might say it is of good quality. If it fails  to meet our expectations in a major way we would say it is of poor quality. If it is completely useless we would say it is unacceptable quality. Therefore the idea that a product or service is either perfect or imperfect or is or is not a quality product does not arise. We would all like perfection but it is neither practical nor economical. Juran defines quality as fitness for use implying that a product is a quality product even with imperfections providing it is satisfactory in  use. Producers would always aim for total compliance with requirements but a slight imperfection that does not impair use or appearance can be accepted. After all, within 1 year of owning a new car, you might incur a scratch or two on the paintwork, a stain on the upholstery but the car still fulfils your expectations. Would you accept a blemish on a nail, a pack of 100 nails in which two have no heads – it makes no sense to reject the purchase.

Quality is therefore determined by the extent to which a product or service successfully serves the purposes of the user during usage (not just at the point of sale). Price and delivery are both transient features, whereas the impact of quality is sustained long after the attraction or the pain of price and delivery has subsided.

The inherent characteristics of a product or service created to satisfy customer needs, expectations and requirements are quality characteristics. Physical and functional characteristics such as weight, shape, speed, capacity, reliability, portability, taste etc. If we define all these characteristics in measurable terms and put limits on them we will have defined the standards with which the product has to conform. E.g Instead of saying you want a bicycle that is lightweight (the measure) you need to tell your supplier how light is light weight so you would specify the maximum weight  in kilograms (the unit of measure).