The Gaps model~1 of quality can help an organization take a big-picture look at its processes. As shown in Figure 1, the model starts with the view that quality is about meeting or exceeding customer expectations. If customer perceptions of a product fall short of expectations, the firm needs to find the source of this quality gap. The gaps model provides a starting point for this search by separating the overall difference into smaller component gaps. Each of these involves a different kind of problem, and may require a different kind of data collection and analysis to resolve. There are five potential quality gaps, which can be described using examples from a passenger airline service.
展开▼
