Contrary to some who believe that quality is free, I submit that customer satisfaction has costs associated with it. These costs are a legitimate business expense, and like all business expenses we would like a return on that investment. I like to think of the cost of quality as an investment in both the hard and soft technologies of the business. The hard technologies are office equipment, machinery, buildings, gauges, test equipment, and similar items. The soft technologies are the people and their interactions with the hard technologies.