Blog : Quality is WOW-Tea

Explaining the 'core meaning' of Quality in the most simplest form!


Quality-is-Wow-Tea

08:30 am!

Seminar hall of a renowned college somewhere in Mumbai!

A young lecturer with a laptop & a small cup of tea in hand entered the hall with „the same‟ question in his mind for which he was looking for a desired answer from audience for so many years!

The hall was fully packed with MBA students from various streams & backgrounds. Everyone was confident enough to answer the question which was circulated a day prior to the seminar!

They were told that the best answer would get a job with a package of INR 12 Lacs per annum. Everyone was really very excited to grab the opportunity!

The lecturer while getting settled down kept the cup on the desk which was visible to all. He kept his laptop open with a simple slide displaying big 'Q' in a green colour with a black background. It was so easy to guess- 'Q-for-Quality'!


He, with his small black eyes, stared at the MBA kids and asked a guy in front to get him a cup of tea before he starts his lecture on Quality. The student was little bit surprised with this demand. He anyways started approaching the door, the lecturer added to his demand, “kid, please get me a 'WOW-wala' tea!”


The silence in the hall helped highlighted the new demand of 'WOW-wala' tea.

With a minute or two passed, the lecturer looked at the students & threw his ever favourite question, “When we say that tea is a WOW?”

Very easy question! No other question can be easier than this, isn't it?

He received the first answer within few moments he threw the question. “when it tastes nice!” Someone from the back whispered, “when it has proper ingredients”. “when the tea is hot”, one more answer!

Quick answers followed by a long silence!


Seminar

Nothing was going other than the lecturer expected!

He picked the cup kept on his desk, showed to the audience & asked the same question again. “when we say that a tea is a WOW?”

The MBA kids were thinking but getting same answers in their minds. Nice taste, proper ingredients, temperature!

With a weird smile on the face, the lecturer asked, “what if the tea tastes nice with proper ingredients and hot enough to enjoy but served in a cup which is not clean?”

Laughter in the hall lightened the mood!

He continued, “what if the tea tastes nice with proper ingredients, hot enough to enjoy and served in a clean cup but it smells like rotten eggs?”

“Will you say a tea WOW if it tastes nice due to proper ingredients, pleasant smell, hot enough, served in a good conditioned & clean cup but offered on a burning afternoon of a hot summer in a city like Mumbai?” The lecturer had been taking a grip of the seminar!

The students started thinking deeply what else can make the tea 'WOW'!

The discussion goes on for around 15-20 minutes on this 'WOW-wala tea' before getting the slide 2 on the screen displaying the lecturer's actual 'WOW-wala tea'. He was roaming in the class with a cup in the hand as like he was offering the 'WOW-wala tea' to those MBA kids.

It took him 20+ minutes to explain when one can say a tea is a 'WOW-wala tea'!

He consolidated all the attributes & said, “we have just prepared a 'WOW-wala tea' which has-

- WOW Taste

- WOW Colour

- WOW Smell

- WOW Ingredients

- WOW Temperature

- WOW Time of a Day

- WOW Day of a Season

- WOW Cup

- WOW Snacks along with

- WOW Place

- WOW Mood

- WOW Company to enjoy tea with

- WOW Activity before or after tea and more..

The lecturer defined the word Quality in his own style!

He just said, “my dear friends, Q is Quality and Quality is nothing but a "WOW-wala‟ tea!”

Abhijeet Mandlecha
Abhijeet Mandlecha
Principal Lean Six Sigma Consultant, e-Six Sigma

Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. 14+ years of Experience. Trained 1200+ Professionals & Students on Lean Six Sigma.