The four major imperatives are cost, quality, delivery, and flexibility. In the sixties, these four imperatives were viewed from a tradeoff's perspective. For example, this meant that improving quality would result in higher cost. However, more recent thought posits that these four imperatives can improve simultaneously, and in many industries may be necessary for success. The problem then becomes one of prioritizing and managing towards orderly improvement.
By Adriana Sánchez Pérez-UPZ