Grundkvalitet

Grundkvalitet is a concept used in quality management, particularly in Swedish-speaking contexts, to denote the fundamental or intrinsic quality of a product or service. It describes the baseline level at which a product must perform to satisfy core requirements such as safety, reliability, durability, and functional correctness. Grundkvalitet focuses on what the product must do under normal conditions, independent of aesthetic attributes or additional features. In procurement and supplier management, grundkvalitet represents the minimum acceptable level that a supplier is expected to guarantee, in line with customer needs and regulatory standards.

Assessment of grundkvalitet relies on specification conformance, reliability and safety testing, material properties, tolerance control, and process capability. Metrics commonly used include defect density, mean time between failures (MTBF), failure rate, and compliance with relevant standards. Quality systems such as ISO 9001 provide frameworks for ensuring grundkvalitet through design controls, supplier qualification, and ongoing improvement.

In practice, clearly defining grundkvalitet at project outset helps align design, manufacturing, and procurement decisions, reduces risk of post-release failures, and supports objective supplier comparisons. Critics note that the term can be ambiguous across domains; without explicit criteria, grasp of grundkvalitet may vary. It is often complemented by other quality concepts, such as functional quality or perceived quality, to form a complete view of product excellence.

See also: quality management, ISO 9001, reliability engineering.