quality control

Examples of quality control in the following topics:

• The Quality Control Cycle

  • Quality control is used to evaluate and address the quality of the goods a business provides.
  • Quality control and quality assurance have different purposes.
  • To maintain an effective quality control program, a business must follow these important guidelines:
  • Most importantly, a quality control process should be an ongoing process.
  • Describe effective quality control processes as they are employed in the business environment

• Bureaucratic Control

  • The quality control cycle improves processes through a continuous cycle of planning, doing, checking, and acting.
  • Quality control is used to develop systems that ensure that the goods and services customers receive meet or exceed their expectations.
  • Quality control both verifies the delivery of good quality and identifies gaps and failures that need to be addressed within the process.
  • It is important to keep in mind that this quality control process is continuous and specifically designed to improve the quality of business processes on an ongoing basis.
  • Use the four central components of the quality control cycle as a quality control (QC) tool

• Quality Control

  • Quality control is a process that evaluates output against a standard and takes corrective action when output doesn't meet that standard.
  • An emphasis on quality control heightened during World War II.
  • At that time quality control evolved to quality assurance and is now better known as a Strategic Approach, a tool for improving not only products but also processes and services.
  • The entire supply chain must be involved for an organization to meet and exceed goals of quality control.
  • The purpose of quality control is to make sure that certain processes are performing up to a company's set standards.

• Quality Control and Assurance

  • Quality assurance and quality control are intended to ensure that products are created with the fewest number of defects possible.
  • This can be contrasted with quality control, which is focused on process outputs.
  • Quality assurance is measured through failure testing and statistical control.
  • Statistical controls ensure that an organization is producing quality products at the lowest possible defect rate.
  • Discuss quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) as integral components of an effective organizational management structure

• Total Quality Management Techniques

  • Six sigma, JIT, Pareto analysis, and the Five Whys technique are all approaches that can be used to improve overall quality.
  • Total Quality Management (TQM) is an integrative management philosophy for continuous improvement of the quality of an organization's products and processes in order to meet or exceed customer expectations.
  • The following sections describe some other important and widely used techniques that drew inspiration from TQM in their focus on quality and control.
  • Six Sigma drew inspiration from the quality improvement methodologies of preceding decades, including quality control, TQM, and Zero Defects.
  • JIT programs often include a focus on Total Quality Control.

• Quality

  • Consumers place a value on quality; therefore high quality products may be able to win share and/or command a price premium.
  • Product qualities can be divided into two main categories:
  • These standards were established to produce better products on a consistent basis, while focusing on production, conformance, and quality control mechanisms.
  • Quality Control - controlling a process to ensure that the outcomes are predictable.
  • Identify the attribute of quality at the design stage as a differentiating factor

• TQM’s seven basic elements

  • Seven basic elements capture the essence of the TQM philosophy: customer focus, continuous improvement, employee empowerment, quality tools, product design, process management, and supplier quality.
  • They are given responsibility, training, and authority to measure and control the quality of the work they produce, they work together in teams to address quality issues, they are cross-trained to be able to perform multiple tasks and have a greater understanding of the total production process, and they have a more intimate understanding of the operation and maintenance of their equipment.
  • Quality tools: Discussion of the details of quality tools extends beyond the scope of this chapter, but there are seven basic quality tools that are used by front-line workers and managers in monitoring quality performance and gathering data for quality improvement activities.
  • These tools include: cause-and-effect (fishbone) diagrams, flowcharts, checklists, control charts, scatter diagrams, Pareto analysis, and histograms.
  • Supplier quality: The focus on quality at the source extends to suppliers' processes as well, since the quality of a finished product is only as good as the quality of its individual parts and components, regardless of whether they come from internal or external sources.

• Quality costs

  • Total Quality Management (TQM) is the organization-wide management of quality that includes facilities, equipment, labor, suppliers, customers, policies, and procedures.
  • TQM promotes the view that quality improvement never ends, quality provides a strategic advantage to the organization, and zero defects is the quality goal that will minimize total quality costs.
  • In addition, quality audits, sampling, and statistical process control also fall under the umbrella of appraisal costs.
  • Quality audits are checks of quality procedures to ensure that employees and suppliers are following proper quality practices.
  • Statistical process control (SPC) is the final type of appraisal cost.

• TQM

  • TQM is aimed at customer satisfaction via continuous improvement of the quality of business products and processes.
  • Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management philosophy based on the continuous improvement of the quality of business products and processes.
  • It is concentrated on quality and based on participation of all its stakeholders.
  • Quality: TQM requires a high degree of excellence of the quality of products or services provided by an business organization.
  • Management: The steps of TQM include planning, organizing, controlling, leading, staffing, and provisioning.

• Quality decisions

  • The decision relating to quality is not "how much" quality to have.
  • If asked whether they support high quality in their organization, virtually all managers will respond enthusiastically that they fully support high quality!
  • How many managers will send teams of quality engineers to supplier facilities to assist suppliers with their quality programs?
  • Yet, for the past two decades in the United States, the press has reported on the weaknesses and neglect of the US air traffic control technology that plays a critical role in air travel safety.
  • Quality improvement efforts require a great deal of analysis and teamwork, as well as a determined effort to make quality a top priority in the organization.