7. Quality of Products

Someone said: quality control involved training and discipline. But she also said about client's budget and company survival. These are completely different issues.

Quality control of software applications or computer related system to me:

[1] Training is mandatory to keep staff aware of products and verify its specification. Training also helps to improve or add features or new products faster, easier, and better.

[2] Quality control is to make sure it meets specifications. If you wanted to include many features or functionality in your products [increase develop + test time] --> higher end of product lines --> higher price. Otherwise fewer features --> less development and testing time --> lower price.

[3] We must deliver what are included in the product specifications. It must work forever or as long as customers keep ours. If they wanted more features, which may require system [hardware/software/OS] upgrade, then we would advise them. Additional cost will be presented.

[4] Features comparison such as, thermometer specification supported at - 20 C. We must test to ensure that it worked at - 20C probably lower sale price. Higher end thermometers worked at - 30C may involve better components and more tests at lower temperatures than - 20C --> cost more or higher sale price.
* Lower price does not mean the product will malfunction after a short period of time.

[5] Discipline is understood or exercised in all western companies. They do fire under qualified or careless staff in private sectors. Public sectors in Canada? --> I have to wait and see.

[6] Client's budget is considered to offer suitable or enough-features products. Unless you can mass produce of your products --> high end products would be affordable to many customers. Look at Microsoft products, there are home/student edition, pro edition, server edition, etc. --> sold at different prices.
--> Speaking of profit margin: many investors are looking for companies with profit margin higher than 30%. One of CEO mentioned that he loves profit margin of other companies.
--> High profit margin would draw investors in to beat up share prices. That helps to raise capital by issuing shares.

[7] Carefully written specifications and tests to cover the specifications. That is how previous [western] companies, which I worked for, operated.

[8] Client budget: offer products that they can afford. Unless they wrote down on the outside package that it would fail after 6 months, 1 year or 2 years, I would expect it lasts more than 10 years or until I changed it for a modern one with more features that I like.



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Speaking of thermometers, I am very disappointed with Canadian retailers.

[1] Sudbury outdoor temperature could pass +40 C in the summer and lower than - 40 C in the winter. That's why I needed an outdoor thermometer for winter days. Canadian Tires and WalMart sold thermometers.

* Outdoor thermometer's [outside of the package - no one was supposed to open a package to read instructions before paying] packaging does not specify operating temperature ranges. It sold at Canadian Tire, i.e. it was supposed to work in Sudbury at all conditions. However it was stuck at -30C during winter days or could not lower than that value.

* Electronic outdoor timer with digital display, which was used to start a car's block heater, went nuts at temperatures below - 20C. Actually I need the block heater working at temperature below - 20C [be safe - car mechanics/service is expensive in Canada]. I exchanged for a [less expensive] mechanical timer and it worked fine. I used the timer to start the block heater 2 hours before starting the engine --> I hate the electricity bills. Actually my car sounded a little trouble in starting at temperature around -40C.

[2] Retailers don't even know the outdoor environment or quality of products in their stores.


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Do they want to frustrate us, get our money multiple times, waste our time in exchanging, repair our stuff, etc.?

* Actually if they're required to print similar notes below in large fonts on the surface of package/box "This product will malfunction or break down after ... [6] ... weeks. Users must be handled it with great care." --> I will check -> if I bought it, I'd accept its poor quality and its price tag.

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