The term Quality generally describes a measure of the characteristics or the properties of an entity (a person, an idea, an item) compared to what one might expect for that entity for a certain purpose, on a given time and place. Therefore, the quality of a product in business is its ability to satisfy customers expectations and needs. The quality management is represented by all activities, carried out by the personnel inside a productive activity, in order to fulfill all the initiatives oriented to define, control and improve the qualitative standards required by the management.

The initial approach, based on the product inspection and final control, gradually turned into an integrated managerial approach in which the involvement of the entire personnel, the planning and the documentation of all activities become a unique system oriented to the achievement of quality.

In short, the evolution of the business concept of quality has progressively moved the focus from the particular to the general:

1900-1930 = the product had to work (quality control as final test);

1930-1500 = the production processes had to work (quality control as production inspection);

1950-1970 = the product processes had to follow a programmation (quality control as programmation);

1970-1990 = the programmation had to be integrated with other business operative areas (quality control as business management);

1990 – today = the business management has to produce a continuous improvement with the quality management of suppliers and customers (quality control as total quality management).