The customer/supplier quality process: a team approach for telecommunications quality

The customer/supplier quality process (CSQP) was initiated by representatives of the seven regional US telephone companies as a long-term initiative to stem the rising cost of defective products reaching the field. The early development of the CSQP process, the goals of the process, and Bellcore´s role in defect prevention and in the development of CSQP are discussed, and a summary of the CSQP elements is given. In addition, the authors compare the CSQP elements with the criteria of the US Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. CSQP is envisioned as the methodology of the future for relationships between telecommunications service providers and their suppliers. The authors conclude with a view of CSQP´s role in the future