Philip Crosby

The Guru of Quality Management

Philip B. Crosby was a legend in the discipline of quality. A noted quality professional, consultant, and author, he is widely recognized for promoting the concept of "zero defects" and for defining quality as conformance to requirements.

Crosby's career as a quality professional began in 1952 after serving in World War II and Korea. In 1979, he founded Philip Crosby Associates, Inc. (PCA), teaching management how to establish a preventive culture to get things done right the first time.

Crosby was recognized by corporations around the globe as a "guru" of quality management, and a business philosopher and innovator who changed the way organizations seek to achieve greater efficiency, reliability, and profitability.

Crosby's first book, Quality is Free, has been credited with playing a large part in beginning the quality revolution in the United States and Europe. He published a total of 13 books, including The Absolutes of Leadership in 1996 and Quality and Me, an autobiography filled with lessons from life published in 1999.