The process improvement efforts actually decreased cost.
“Cost is more important than quality but quality is the best way to reduce cost.” — Genichi Taguchi
Cost of quality. Three small words; one big phrase. It appears like a straightforward expression, but there is enough misinformation floating around that quality professionals are compelled to take to their blogs and write about what cost of quality is and—just as importantly—what it is not. The most common misperception of cost of quality is that the term refers to the cost of creating a quality product. This might be because people are still under the impression that higher quality equals higher costs, either through supplies or labor. That simply isn’t the case.