Your typical foreign car (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, etc.) is almost always classified as being “well-made”or reliable. On the other hand, the quality of your average American car tends to be looked down upon. But why? The idea that American cars are unreliable or poorly made has no real facts to support itself.

In my opinion, the notion that “Perception is Reality” is the main reason why this rationalization exist(and maybe the Ford Pinto lol). Supposedly, we each make our own realities through our own perceptions. Quality can be categorized as either perceived or objective. Objective qualities include performance, usefulness, responsiveness, etc. Perceived quality is directly related to how satisfied the customer is. For instance, some may think a Cadillac is more stylish than a Lexus or that a Ford truck has more use than a BMW SUV, therefore more “quality” in their eyes.

Obviously, if a company wants to become a profitable organization their product or service must cater to the needs/desires of  their consumers. Additionally, consumer  expectations tend to all stem from various personal needs, popularity, word of mouth, and past experiences. In actuality, two average priced vehicles, American or foreign, usually perform about the same. Many of these foreign cars also happen to be built in America. BMW has invested $4.83 billion in its sole U.S. assembly plant located in South Carolina and Toyota has several plants across the nation. Don’t get me wrong, I personally love foreign cars.

The formal definitions of quality include: product -based(measurable attributes), user-based(better performance), value-based(quality vs. price), and manufacturing -based(conformance to standards).

I believe quality is considered to be subjective because what may be a quality product to you may not meet the standards or needs of someone else. With that being said, do you think that companies should always strive to exceed consumer expectations or just consistently meet them (in terms of product quality)? Do we each have our own idea of what we consider a “quality” product or service?

Last class we discussed the importance of project scheduling and demonstrated it in the Puppets R’ Us exercise. While partaking in the puppet activity, I instantly thought of how my hometown car wash operates. I come from a place where pollen covers the entire city during the spring and this includes every inch of your car as well. My temporary solution tends to be the local hand-car wash. Buckhead’s Finest Car Wash is a perfect example of exemplary project scheduling.

As soon as you pull in your vehicle is taken off your hands and parked in the first designated station. Unlike your typical car wash where a couple guys are assigned to one car, Buckhead’s Finest is divided up into exclusive stations for wheels, exterior, interior, wax, and rinse. The manager clearly recognizes that the re-allocation of tasks and services usually prevents a customer build up or a bottleneck. In addition, the layout of the car wash ensures a high level of service productivity. Each work station is positioned right in front of the next, essentially forming a fast-paced assembly line.

While fast, quality still remains the primary focus of the car wash, hence the frequent Range Rovers and Rolls-Royces. Furthermore, the staff consist of high motivated individuals who actually take pride in their work. In my opinion this is mainly due to their high compensation and the generous tips received from the affluent people of Buckhead. Nevertheless, you’ll be wondering how your car looks brand new after ten minutes.

With that being said, can any company/organization be successful without effective project scheduling and/or a capable project manager?