Customers make a purchase decision based on a number of factors. In Lean Six Sigma we refer to these decision points as CTQ’s or as ____________________.

In Lean Six Sigma, CTQ is the acronym for Critical-to-Quality. CTQs are the key measurable characteristics of a product, process, or service that are essential to meeting customer requirements. They are derived directly from the Voice of the Customer (VOC) and translate broad customer needs into specific, quantifiable performance standards. These standards must be met to achieve customer satisfaction and directly influence their purchasing decisions. The CTQ tree is a common tool used to break down general customer needs into these specific, measurable requirements.

B. Conscious thought qualities: This is not a recognized term within the Lean Six Sigma body of knowledge. It is a distractor phrase.
C. Conspicuous time quandaries: This is not a standard or recognized term in Lean Six Sigma methodology. It is a distractor phrase.
D. Cost of the quantity: While cost is often a critical factor for customers and can be a CTQ, this phrase is not the definition or alternative name for CTQ itself.

1. ASQ Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) Body of Knowledge (BOK): In Section I. Define Phase, Part D. Project Management Basics, subsection 2. Voice of the customer (VOC), the BOK outlines the process of translating customer needs into critical-to-quality (CTQ) characteristics.

2. Montgomery, D. C. (2013). Introduction to Statistical Quality Control (7th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. In Chapter 1, Section 1.4.2 "The Six Sigma Process," the text explains that a key step is to "Identify the customers and their priorities (CTQs)" (p. 21).

3. Pyzdek, T., & Keller, P. A. (2018). The Six Sigma Handbook (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. Chapter 13, "The Define Phase," describes how the Voice of the Customer is translated into Critical-to-Quality (CTQ) requirements, which form the basis for project metrics (p. 203).

4. MIT OpenCourseWare. (2004). 16.660J Introduction to Lean Six Sigma Methods. Fall 2004. Lecture 3: Define Phase, Slide 17, explicitly defines CTQ as "Critical to Quality" and illustrates its derivation from customer needs.