laadukäyrä

Laadukäyrä, which translates to "quality curve" in English, is a concept used in various fields, particularly in manufacturing and quality management, to illustrate the relationship between different aspects of quality and their impact on overall performance or customer satisfaction. It is not a single, universally defined mathematical function but rather a conceptual tool that helps visualize how improvements or deteriorations in specific quality attributes might affect a broader measure of quality.

Typically, a laadukäyrä might plot factors such as defect rates, product reliability, customer service responsiveness, or adherence to specifications against outcomes like customer loyalty, market share, or profitability. The shape of the curve can vary greatly depending on the context. For example, a laadukäyrä might show that beyond a certain point, further investment in reducing minor defects yields diminishing returns in terms of customer perception. Conversely, it could illustrate a steep increase in dissatisfaction with even a small rise in a critical failure rate.

The purpose of visualizing quality in this way is to identify critical quality drivers, prioritize improvement efforts, and understand the potential consequences of quality deviations. Companies might use laadukäyrä thinking to make more informed decisions about resource allocation for quality control and assurance, aiming to optimize the balance between quality investment and desired outcomes. It serves as a qualitative or semi-quantitative aid for strategic thinking about quality management.