The word efficiency is defined in the international standard ISO 9000 as follows:
"Relationship between the result achieved and the resources used".
ISO 9000:2015-11 - Quality management systems - Fundamentals and vocabulary
Thus, efficiency - in the context of quality management - is a measure of the cost-effectiveness, for example, of a measure. It is therefore not only a matter of achieving a planned result, but also of doing so as efficiently as possible, for example in order to save resources.
With regard to measures to increase efficiency, however, it must be borne in mind that while these measures may well be successful within a defined environment, they may produce additional expense elsewhere, with the result that overall efficiency may even decline.
Let's assume that a material previously used in the manufacture of a product is replaced by a material that costs about the same but is much easier to process. This saves the company time and money. However, if this material causes significantly more expensive disposal years later at the end of the product's life cycle, this should be included in the calculation of efficiency.
Other meanings of efficiency occur, for example, in the areas of statistics, information technology and energy. Efficiency in the field of energy management means the economical use of energy. However, it is not about classical energy saving, but about the ratio of useful energy to supplied energy. The value of this ratio, also called "efficiency", is always less than 1 for physical reasons.
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Author
Ute Droege
DQS expert for quality management systems, long-time auditor and experienced trainer for ISO 9001.
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