Welcome to this publication!

I am beginning this journey with a short note to explain what this space is, how I intend to use it, and what motivates me to write about a subject like "quality".

Quality exists in something of a limbo. It is an abstract concept, but one where we feel an innate sense of personal, even physical, connection to. Colloquially the word is everywhere; you'll rarely sit through a corporate presentation or sales pitch where quality is not mentioned. It is an aspiration, but also a matter of fact. Indeed, this is where the role of a quality professional becomes so difficult. Everyone has a relationship with quality, but few can appropriately describe what it is. Quality is intuitive. We know quality when we see it, although it is often hard to quantify beyond a simple "I like it".

I have dedicated a lot of time in my life to considering quality. It has been my job for over a decade now, and if you believe that every job, task, process or communication is an extension of quality, then it's been my entire life. I believe quality is important, because from some perspectives it is the only difference between success and failure. Even if you don't subscribe to that reading of quality, it's impossible to deny that quality is exceptionally important to a lot of people (or so they claim...!)

So here I'll post some random observations about quality, it's nature, where we do (and don't) see it, and what any of this means to us. I can't guarantee I'll post often, but I will make every effort to!

Joe