Cost of Quality (COQ) Calculator

Project Information

Prevention Costs

Costs to prevent defects from occurring

Appraisal Costs

Costs to measure and monitor activities

Internal Failure Costs

Costs for defects found before delivery

External Failure Costs

Costs for defects found after delivery

Total COQ

$319,000

21.3% of total costs

Conformance Costs

$111,000

34.8% of COQ

Failure Costs

$208,000

65.2% of COQ

COQ per Unit

$31.90

per 10000 units

COQ Breakdown

Cost Comparison

Cost Category Breakdown

Prevention$50,000
Appraisal$61,000
Internal Failure$90,000
External Failure$118,000

Quality Maturity Assessment

Reactive

Quality issues costing significantly

COQ vs Revenue

16.0%

Conformance Ratio

34.8%

Failure Ratio

65.2%

Cost Analysis Summary

Cost Distribution

Prevention Costs:$50,000
Appraisal Costs:$61,000
Internal Failure Costs:$90,000
External Failure Costs:$118,000
Total Cost of Quality:$319,000

Financial Impact

COQ as % of Revenue:16.0%
COQ as % of Costs:21.3%
COQ per Unit:$31.90
Quality Cost Efficiency:$168.10 unit

Cost Component Analysis

Quality Risk Assessment

High External Failure Costs

External failures are 1.4x higher than prevention costs. Invest in prevention to reduce customer impact.

High Failure Cost Ratio

Failure costs represent 65.2% of total quality costs. Focus on improving quality processes and prevention.

Excessive Quality Costs

Quality costs exceed 15% of revenue. Implement immediate quality improvement initiatives.

Industry Benchmarks

Compare your quality costs with industry standards

COQ as % of Sales - Industry Standards

World Class

2-4%

16.0%

Average

5-10%

16.0%

Poor

>15%

16.0%

Optimal COQ Distribution

Ideal Distribution

Prevention:10-20%
Appraisal:20-30%
Internal Failure:20-30%
External Failure:10-20%

Your Distribution

Prevention:15.7%
Appraisal:19.1%
Internal Failure:28.2%
External Failure:37.0%

Quality Improvement Recommendations

Failure Costs

High Priority

High failure costs indicate poor quality control. Invest in prevention activities.

Potential savings: $62,400

Prevention Investment

Medium Priority

Increase prevention investment to reduce expensive failure costs.

Potential savings: $9,000

Overall COQ

High Priority

Quality costs are too high. Implement comprehensive quality improvement program.

Potential savings: $79,750

Investment Priority Matrix

High Impact Investments

Quality Training Programs

ROI: 3-5x through reduced rework and improved productivity

Process Automation

ROI: 2-4x through consistent quality and reduced inspection

Supplier Quality Management

ROI: 4-6x through reduced material defects

Quick Wins

Standardize Inspection Procedures

Reduce appraisal costs by 10-15%

Implement Root Cause Analysis

Reduce internal failures by 20-30%

Customer Feedback Integration

Reduce external failures by 25-35%

Implementation Roadmap

Short Term (0-3 months)

  • • Establish quality metrics and baseline measurements
  • • Train team on quality cost awareness
  • • Implement quick wins identified above

Medium Term (3-12 months)

  • • Invest in prevention and appraisal activities
  • • Implement quality management system
  • • Develop supplier quality program

Long Term (1-3 years)

  • • Achieve world class quality metrics
  • • Implement continuous improvement culture
  • • Integrate quality into strategic planning