text: To be frank, the quality programs of the past no longer suit 
  
  our organization. During the NISSAN 180 period, we 
  
  redefined the Nissan Product Quality Policy and 
  
  reorganized its elements. The new Quality Policy sets three 
  
  goals. First, our product quality must be in the top three 
  
  among automakers. Second, we will establish uniform 
  
  global quality standards; this is not a single-fix solution, 
  
  however, since each region may have its own requirements. 
  
  And third, we will implement and continuously improve 
  
  the Nissan Quality Assurance Way, a global quality 
  
  assurance system. 
  
  The Quality Policy is a top-down process, whereas the 
  
  Assurance Way is bottom up. The Assurance Way can be 
  
  summarized as follows: 
  
  First, we will set clear, reasonable, understandable 
  
  targets for each activity, and review milestones along 
  
  the way. 
  
  Second, because problems are usually discovered late 
  
  in the process, we want to front-load the problem-discovery 
  
  process by moving it further upstream. We must predict 