Almost all quality improvement comes via simplification of design, manufacturing... layout, processes, and procedures.

Peters’ line distills a core operations-and-management insight: quality is less often “added” through inspection or extra features than achieved by removing complexity. Simplifying designs and workflows reduces opportunities for error, variation, rework, and miscommunication; it also makes problems easier to see and fix. The quote aligns with broader quality traditions (e.g., lean thinking and continuous improvement) that treat complexity as a hidden cost and a frequent source of defects. In this view, better quality is inseparable from clearer processes, fewer handoffs, more straightforward layouts, and procedures that people can reliably execute and improve.