• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

Shaping Software

Enduring Ideas in the Realm of Software

  • About
  • Topics
  • Best Software Books
  • Archives
  • JD Meier.com

How Quality is the Key to Succeeding for the Long Run

Nov 11, 2009 by JD

Shot of a team of colleagues having a meeting in a office

“Quality is never an accident.  It is always the result of intelligent effort.” — John Ruskin

My recent road trip was a great reminder how quality is durable.

As I passed through familiar territory, it was interesting to see how many building and places stood the test of time.

Whether it was a business or a building, it was quality that survived in the long run.

Some of the restaurants I remembered were gone.

Every restaurant I remembered that was high quality, was still around.

Competing on Price Fails in the Long Run

Competing on price failed, time and again.  There was no customer loyalty when it was the price play.

There was no compelling distinction beyond price.

Chasing the price play, meant getting priced out of market by somebody better or cheaper or you name it.

There are only so many corners you can cut before your value is insignificant.  On the other hand, the quality play is focused on differentiation and distinction in terms of value.

In a global market, where cycles of change are faster, competing on price is a game I just don’t want to play in.

Do You Stand Behind Your Work?

One of my most important tests, and it’s a simple gut check, is, do you stand behind your work?

It’s a cutting question.

When your results are something you’re proud of, and quality is your game, and continuous improvement is your way, and excellence is your bar … you set yourself up for success.

When you can put yourself into your work, the journey becomes as enjoyable, if not more so, than the destination.

In times of change and uncertainty, driving from quality is a guiding principle that helps us find our path.

You Might Also Like

Top 20 Best Software Engineering Books of All Time
Customer-Connected Engineering
How To Frame Problems Better
How To Pitch Business Ideas Better
Intro to Lean Software Development
Lean Principles for Software Development
The Enterprise of the Future

Category: General, User Experience

About JD

Previous Post:How To Structure a Vision / Scope PresentationExamples of How I Structure Vision / Scope Presentations
Next Post:Best Practices at patterns & practices

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alik Levin | PracticeThis.com

    Nov 13, 2009 at 6:34 am

    I loved this one a lot – written from the heart.
    This is what Weinberg would say:

    “16. if you find yourself reluctant to sell your product, there’s something wrong with it”
    http://secretsofconsulting.blogspot.com/2009/09/50-more-ways-to-improve-your-business.html

  2. Tanmay Vora

    Nov 25, 2009 at 6:00 am

    Excellent post!

    On a longer run, Quality outlasts your pricing advantage. Offering cheaper services is a short term strategy for survival. But long term strategy has to focus on quality, invest in processes, generate better productivity through these processes, value-additions to customers and distinction in marketplace.

    People don’t necessarily buy what is cheaper. They look at “value-for-money”. Quality game is based on this all-important concept of “value-for-money”. In knowledge based industries, companies have to first “demonstrate” value-for-money and then “deliver” it.

    You might enjoy reading my 12-article series on #QUALITY at activegarage.com. It touches upon some of these important aspects of Quality.

  3. JD

    Nov 29, 2009 at 6:44 am

    @ Tammay

    Well put. I like the precision of “value-for-money.”

    You’re right, it’s both a focus on quality as well as investment in processes (otherwise, you end up priced out of market or not keeping up with the quality bar.)

  4. JD

    Nov 30, 2009 at 6:34 pm

    @ Alik

    Perfect quote!

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • What is ChatGPT?
  • Agile Performance Engineering
  • What is Cybersecurity?
  • Software Security Threats: A Comprehensive Guide
  • What is Software Security?

Popular Posts

Best Software Books of All Time
Best Practices for Project Management
Best Practices for Software Development
Customer-Connected Engineering
How To Frame Problems Better
How To Pitch Business Ideas Better
How To Structure Vision Scope Presentations
Intro to Lean Software Development
Lean Principles for Software Development
The Enterprise of the Future