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113 Quality Control Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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Quality control is a critical aspect of any business or organization that aims to deliver high-quality products or services to its customers. It involves monitoring and evaluating the quality of products or services to ensure they meet certain standards and specifications. Quality control is essential to prevent defects, errors, and inconsistencies that can negatively impact a company's reputation and bottom line.

If you're tasked with writing an essay on quality control, you may be struggling to come up with a topic that will engage your readers and demonstrate your understanding of the subject. To help you get started, here are 113 quality control essay topic ideas and examples:

• The importance of quality control in manufacturing
• How quality control can improve customer satisfaction
• The role of quality control in ensuring product safety
• The impact of quality control on a company's reputation
• Best practices for implementing a quality control program
• The benefits of using technology in quality control
• How quality control can help reduce waste and improve efficiency
• The relationship between quality control and quality assurance
• The challenges of implementing quality control in a small business
• The role of statistical analysis in quality control
• Quality control in the food industry: ensuring product safety and freshness
• The impact of globalization on quality control practices
• Quality control in the healthcare industry: ensuring patient safety
• The importance of quality control in the pharmaceutical industry
• How quality control can help prevent product recalls
• Quality control in the automotive industry: ensuring vehicle safety
• The role of quality control in the construction industry
• The impact of quality control on supply chain management
• Quality control in the hospitality industry: ensuring customer satisfaction
• The challenges of implementing quality control in a service-based business
• The role of quality control in ensuring data accuracy and integrity
• Quality control in the retail industry: ensuring product quality and consistency
• The impact of quality control on brand loyalty
• The role of quality control in meeting regulatory requirements
• The benefits of implementing a Total Quality Management (TQM) program
• Quality control in the aerospace industry: ensuring the safety of aircraft
• The impact of quality control on employee morale and motivation
• The challenges of implementing quality control in a fast-paced environment
• Quality control in the technology industry: ensuring software reliability
• The role of quality control in disaster preparedness and response
• The impact of quality control on the environment and sustainability
• Quality control in the education industry: ensuring academic standards
• The benefits of implementing a Six Sigma quality control program
• Quality control in the energy industry: ensuring the safety of power plants
• The role of quality control in the entertainment industry
• The impact of quality control on social responsibility and ethical practices
• Quality control in the fashion industry: ensuring product quality and design
• The challenges of implementing quality control in a global supply chain
• The role of quality control in the financial industry: ensuring data accuracy
• Quality control in the telecommunications industry: ensuring network reliability
• The benefits of implementing a Lean Six Sigma quality control program
• Quality control in the transportation industry: ensuring vehicle safety and maintenance
• The impact of quality control on customer retention and loyalty
• The role of quality control in the healthcare industry: ensuring patient outcomes
• Quality control in the pharmaceutical industry: ensuring drug safety and efficacy
• The challenges of implementing quality control in a regulated industry
• The role of quality control in ensuring product consistency and reliability
• Quality control in the automotive industry: ensuring vehicle performance and safety
• The impact of quality control on employee satisfaction and retention
• The benefits of implementing a Quality Management System (QMS) for quality control
• Quality control in the aerospace industry: ensuring the safety of space missions
• The role of quality control in the construction industry: ensuring building safety
• Quality control in the food industry: ensuring food safety and quality
• The challenges of implementing quality control in a fast-changing market
• The role of quality control in the hospitality industry: ensuring customer satisfaction
• The impact of quality control on brand reputation and customer trust
• The benefits of implementing a quality control program for small businesses
• Quality control in the technology industry: ensuring software reliability and security
• The role of quality control in the energy industry: ensuring the safety of power plants
• Quality control in the education industry: ensuring academic standards and curriculum
• The role of quality control in the entertainment industry: ensuring product quality
• Quality control in the financial industry: ensuring data accuracy and integrity
• Quality control in the telecommunications industry: ensuring network reliability and performance
• The role of quality control in the transportation industry: ensuring vehicle safety
• Quality control in the healthcare industry: ensuring patient safety and outcomes
• The challenges of implementing quality control in a regulated environment
• The role of quality control in the pharmaceutical industry: ensuring drug safety
• Quality control in the food industry: ensuring product safety and quality

In conclusion, quality control is a critical aspect of any business or organization that aims to deliver high-quality products or services to its customers. By selecting a relevant and engaging topic from the list above, you can demonstrate your understanding of quality control and its importance in various industries. Good luck with your essay!

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Essay on Quality Control of Products: Top 13 Essays

After reading this essay you will learn about:- 1. Meaning and Definitions of Quality Control 2. Quality Control Organisation 3. Advantages of Quality Control 4. Quality Control for Export 5. Indian Standard Institution 6. Quality Assurance 7. Causes of Quality Failures 8. Economics of Quality 9. Product Quality Analysis 10. Quality Planning 11. Quality Improvement 12. Quality Management System 13. Role of Top Management.

• Essay on the Role of Top Management towards Quality

Essay # 1. Meaning and Definitions of Quality Control :

Quality control in its simplest term, is the control of quality during manufacturing. Both quality control and inspection are used to assure quality. Inspection is a determining function which determines raw materials, supplies, parts or finished products etc. as acceptable or unac­ceptable.

As control becomes effective, the need for inspection decreases. Quality control determines the cause for variations in the characteristics of products and gives solutions by which these variations can be controlled. It is economic in its purpose, objective in its procedure, dynamic in its operation and helpful in its treatment.

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Since variations in raw materials have large effects on the quality of in-process materials, quality control includes statistical sampling and testing before acceptance. It also includes the examination of quality characteristics in finished products so as to assure satisfactory outgoing quality.

Cooperation between the quality control group and other departments such as production, planning and inspection is of vital importance. With proper managerial support and co-opera­tion the quality control programme will be more successful.

Definitions :

In current quality control theory and practice, the meaning of “Quality” is closely allied to cost and customer needs. “Quality” may simply be defined as fitness for purpose at lowest cost.

“Quality” of any product is regarded as the degree to which it fulfills the requirements of the customer. “Quality” means degree of perfection. Quality is not absolute but it can only be judged or realized by comparing with standards. It can be determined by some characteristics namely, design, size, material, chemical composition, mechanical functioning, workmanship, finishing and other properties.

Quality of a product depends upon the application of materials, men, machines and manu­facturing conditions. The systematic control of these factors is the quality control. The quality of a product differs greatly due to these factors. For example, a skilled worker will produce prod­ucts of better quality and a less skilled worker will produce poor quality products.

Similarly better machines and better materials with satisfactory manufacturing conditions produce a better quality product. Thus, it is clear that to control the quality of product various factors which are responsible for quality are required to be controlled properly.

In the words of Alford and Beatly, “quality control” may be broadly defined as that “Indus­trial management technique by means of which products of uniform acceptable quality are manufactured.” Quality control is concerned with making things right rather than discovering and rejecting those made wrong.

“It may also be defined as the function or collection of duties which must be performed throughout the organisation in order to achieve its quality objective” or in the other words ‘Quality is every body’s business and not only the duty of the persons in the Inspection Staff.

Concluding, we can say that quality control is a technique of management for achieving required standard of products.

Factors Affecting Quality :

In addition to men, materials, machines and manufacturing conditions there are some other factors which affect the quality of product as given below:

(i) Market Research i.e. demand of purchaser.

(ii) Money i.e. capability to invest.

(iii) Management i.e. Management policies for quality level.

(iv) Production methods and product design.

Apart from these, poor packing, inappropriate transportation and poor after sales service are the areas which can cause damage to a company’s quality image. There are cases where goods of acceptable quality before transportation were downgraded on receipt by the retailer just because they had been damaged in transportation.

Modern quality control begins with an evaluation of the customer’s requirements and has a part to play at every stage from goods manufactured right through sales to a customer, who remains satisfied.  

Essay # 2. Quality Control Organisation :

Over the years, the status of the quality control organisation changed from a function merely responsible for detecting inferior or standard material to a function that establishes what are termed preventive programmes.

These programmes are designed to detect quality problems in the design stage or at any point in the manufacturing process and to follow up on corrective action.

Immediate responsibility for quality products rest with the manufacturing departments. All the activities concerning product quality are usually brought together in the organisation which may be known as inspection, quality control, quality assurance department or any other similar name.

Quality control is a staff activity since it serves the line or production department by assist­ing them in managing quality. Since the quality control function has authority delegated by management to evaluate material produced by the manufacturing department, it should not be in a position to control or dictate to the quality activity.

The quality control organisation depending upon the type of product, method of quality is sufficient enough to carry out following activities:

1. Inspection of raw material, product or processes.

2. Salvage inspection to determine rejected part and assembly disposition.

3. Records and reports maintenance.

4. Statistical quality control.

5. Gauges for inspection.

6. Design for quality control and inspection.

7. Quality control system maintenance and development.

Functions of Quality Control Department :

Quality control department has the following important functions to perform:

1. Only the products of uniform and standard quality are allowed to be sold.

2. To suggest methods and ways to prevent the manufacturing difficulties.

3. To reject the defective goods so that the products of poor quality may not reach to the customers.

4. To find out the points where the control is breaking down and investigates the causes of it.

5. To correct the rejected goods, if it is possible. This procedure is known as rehabilita­tion of defective goods.

Essay # 3. Advantages of Quality Control :

There are many advantages by controlling the product quality.

Some of them are listed below:

1. Quality of product is improved which in turn increases sales.

2. Scrap rejection and rework are minimised thus reducing wastage. So the cost of manufacturing reduces.

3. Good quality product improves reputation.

4. Inspection cost reduces to a great extent.

5. Uniformity in quality can be achieved.

6. Improvement in manufacturer and consumer relations.

7. Improvement in technical knowledge and engineering data for process development and manufacturing design.

Essay # 4. Quality Control for Export :

Today we need foreign exchange for our requirements and for repayment of our debts and services. If our products are expensive and are of sub-standard quality then the customers abroad will not buy goods from us.

Therefore, we must be able to supply goods which may meet the requirements of foreign buyers. For this purpose quality and good packing determines to a large extent the continued acceptability of the product.

At present some organisations lite Export Inspection Council of India, the Indian Stan­dards Institution, the Indian Society of Quality Control and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade are helping about this problem of quality control.

Implementation of the Export Act 1963 and the work of Export Inspection Council (set up under Export Act) have helped in planned approach towards quality control. The advice of Export Inspection Council is very helpful for pre-shipment inspection of exportable goods.

These organisations have been authorised to issue a “Certificate of Quality” after satisfying them­selves that the goods fulfill the minimum standards of quality laid down or that they are of the quality claimed by the exporter.

Essay # 5. Indian Standard Institution (I.S.I. Renamed as B.I.S.) :

To protect the interest of the consumers, Indian Standard Institution is serving in India. In most of the western countries, consumers nave formed their own associations to protect their interest. In some countries these associations, receive official support and guidance.

I.S.I, serves the consumers through Certification Marks Scheme. Under this scheme I.S.I, has been vested with the authority to grant licenses to manufacturers to apply the I.S.I, mark on their products in token of their conformity to the desired Indian Standards.

To control the quality, I.S.I, inspectors carry out sudden inspections of the factories of the licensee. Inspectors may check the incoming raw materials, outgoing finished products and may carry out necessary tests at different levels of control during production.

Thus I.S.I, mark gives guarantee to the purchaser that the goods with this mark have been manufactured under a well-defined system of quality control. From first April 1987 it has been renamed as Bureau of Indian Standards.

Essay # 6. Quality Assurance :

Inspection, quality control and quality assurance:.

Inspection is a process of sorting good from a lot. Whereas Quality Control is aimed at prevention of defects at the very source, relies on effective feedback system, and procedure for corrective action.

In Quality control programme, inspection data are used to take prompt corrective action to check the defects. For this purpose, detailed studies are conducted to find out that from where the defect is originated, and how to prevent it, may it be at manufacturing, design, purchase of raw materials, despatch or storage stage.

Quality Assurance means to provide the necessary confidence to the customer as well as to top management that all concerned are carrying out their job effectively and that the product quality is as per customer’s satisfaction with economy. Quality products can be produced only when all the departments fully participate and co-operate.

Presently, customers demand for higher quality and reliability. It has been felt that even a single defect whatever may be the reasons, result in economic loss.

These reasons have neces­sitated the need for total quality and reliability programmes to cover wide spectrum of func­tions and various areas of product design, production system design through various states of material, manufacture and commitment to efficient maintenance and operation of the system as a whole. This is necessary for quality assurance and reliability of the product. This assures the continuous failure free system to the customers.

Responsibilities of Quality Assurance Department :

i. Plan, develop and establish Quality policies.

ii. To assure that products of prescribed specification reaches to the customers.

iii. Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the Quality programmes.

iv. Conduct studies and investigations related to the quality problems.

v. Liaise with different department, in and outside the organisation.

vi. Organise training programmes on quality.

vii. Plan and coordinate vendor quality surveys and evaluate their results.

viii. Develop Quality assurance system and regularly evaluate its effectiveness.

Quality Assurance System :

Quality assurance system should be developed incorporating the following aspects:

i. Formulate the quality control and manufacturing procedures.

ii. Percentage checking be decided.

iii. Procedures and norms for plant performances as regards to quality be developed.

iv. Rejection analysis and immediate feed-back system for corrective action.

v. Prepare a manual for quality assurance.

vi. Formulate plans for quality improvement, quality motivation and quality awareness in the entire organisation.

Essay # 7. Causes of Quality Failures :

Quality failures occur due to various causes, most of them are because of lack of involve­ment of men concerned with the quality. Studies have indicated that more than 50% of quality failures are due to human errors at various levels, such as understanding of customer’s require­ments, manufacturing, inspection, testing, packaging and design etc.

Error affecting quality can be classified into following categories :

(a) Error Due to Inadvertence:

These are due to lack of knowledge of the product, and continue due to lack of information about quality deficiency. Such mistakes can be controlled, if a system for feedback is developed in which quality performance results are analysed in a regular and timely manner.

(b) Errors Due to Lack of Technique:

These errors are due to lack of knowledge, skill, technique etc. In such cases performance of ‘better’ operation are compared with those of ‘poor’ or ‘defect prone’ operations, and the process adopted by them are studied and reasons for errors are investigated.

(c) Willful Errors:

Sometimes quality is compromised due to early delivery schedules, reduction in cost, safety etc.

Reduction of Errors by Improved Motivation :

Quality motivational programmes are developed for getting quality product from the line staff so that they take interest in improving the quality. Motivational programmes are de­signed after identifying the sources/reasons of failures.

Operators are motivated by designing a campaign to secure alertness, awareness and new actions, and by observing the managers for their behaviours or reactions on any quality problem. Campaign can be launched through mass meetings, quality posters, exhibition of quality deficiencies etc.

Campaign may also invite operators to participate in analysing the causes of defects or the failure on the part of operation and/or systems. Trainings are very helpful in making the operators aware of the technological does and don’ts and the purpose behind each operation.

Essay # 8. Economics of Quality :

The good economic performance is the most essential for survival and growth of any organisation in the highly competitive environment. Therefore, one of the most common objec­tions of every organisation is to attain excellence in its economic performance. The single most important factor which leads to good economic performance is the ‘quality’ of its products or services.

Therefore, in order to achieve economy, quality management system must contribute to­wards the establishment of customer-oriented quality discipline in the marketing, design, engi­neering, procurement, production, inspection, testing and other related servicing functions.

Everybody in the organisation must be involved in the production and delivery of quality product or services, consistently to meet the customer needs and satisfaction.

The production of defective output results in the costs of sorting, scrap, rework, dealing with customer complaints, replacement under warranty etc. It is more serious and very diffi­cult to ascertain the cost associated with the loss of goodwill, following the sale of defective or non-conforming products.

Designers of economic models use following costs:

i. Fixed costs of sampling, inspecting, testing and measuring.

ii. Variable cost of sampling, measuring, calculating and plotting each sample value on control charts.

iii. Cost of correcting and assignable cause.

iv. Total loss in profit, when the process is running out of control.

It has been experienced that the savings due to control of poor quality products, better control over the quality of purchased product, use of more economical materials or methods due to their greater reliability, are sometime spectacular.

Quality is a dynamic phenomenon and is being improved continuously with the new devel­opments in technology and management techniques.

Quality and Cost :

Studies have indicated that any reduction in quality results in a reduced level of satisfac­tion and decrease in customer goodwill toward the producer. This will lead to reduction in return on investment in the long run.

Following are the general principles of quality and cost relationship:

(i) Cost of poor quality are far larger than that had been recognised.

(ii) Appraisal costs are reduced by focussing on preventing errors at the source.

(iii) System be established for reducing the cost rather than reducing the quality.

(iv) By focussing on quality improvement overall, performance of the firm can be im­proved.

(v) Focus of quality improvement be shifted from product attributes to operational proce­dure.

Quality Cost (or Costs Associated with Quality) :

Quality cost means cost of poor quality goods or services.

Following are the main quality associated costs:

1. Failure Costs :

(A) Internal Failure Costs:

(i) Scrap and rework cost.

(ii) Costs involved in testing, inspecting and sorting for down-gradation.

(iii) Losses due to avoidable processing.

(iv) Expenditure in failure analysis.

(B) External Failure Costs:

(i) Warranty charges.

(ii) Redressal of complaints.

(iii) Loss of future sales.

(iv). Other expenses on return of materials, failure analysis outside the factory.

2. Appraisal/Detection Costs :

(i) Incoming test and inspection including materials, in-process and final quality sampling.

(ii) Quality audits.

(iii) Equipment calibration.

(iv) Evaluation of performance.

(v) Evaluation of customer satisfaction.

3. Prevention Costs :

(i) Quality planning.

(ii) New product review.

(iii) Process control.

(iv) Training and education.

(v) Process quality planning.

Quality Cost Control :

For the purpose of reducing the cost, when internal and external failure costs are cost down, the appraisal cost and preventive cost may slightly go up. Therefore, it is necessary for opti­mum balance to reduce failure cost with slight increase in appraisal and preventive cost, with the aim of substantial reduction in total quality cost without compromising with the quality.

Efforts for reducing quality cost must be continuous.

The cost reduction programme must be followed in following stages:

1. Identification of quality cost items.

2. Structuring of quality cost reporting, including related analysis and control, and

3. Maintenance of programme to ensure that the objectives of higher quality at lower cost.

Quality control and quality cost must be directed in such a way so as to provide the firm with major added business value.

Essay # 9. Product Quality Analysis :

It includes:

(i) The various functions to be performed by the manufactured product.

(ii) Life and durability of product.

(iii) Working conditions required during manu­facturing.

(iv) Product specifications.

(v) Manufacturing processes and methods.

(vi) Maintenance and installation.

(Quality at level Y is the most economical. A drop of quality to level X reduces the cost by M but also re­duces the quality value by N which is greater than M. A rise of quality to level Z increases the quality value by O and increases the cost by P, which is greater than O) — Refer Fig. 62.1.

Essay # 10. Quality Planning :

Quality planning is done keeping the company needs and customer needs in view, and a comprehensive quality plan is prepared for implementation in the company.

Quality plan is a document setting out the specific quality practices, resources and activities relevant to a par­ticular product, process, services, contract or project.

Quality planning is a systematic process for:

(i) Identifying customers,

(ii) Discovering customer needs,

(iii) Designing the responsive products,

(iv) Developing the process for creating and delivering the products, and

(v) Transferring the process and its contents to those who will perform the product or service.

Essay # 11. Quality Improvement :

Quality improvement is a structured process for reducing the deficiencies that are present in products, processes and services and/or improving performance whenever there is an opportunity to improve.

Quality problems are of following two types:

1. Sporadic Problems:

A sporadic problem is a sudden adverse change in the status quo, which requires remedy. The variations due to these problems are so significant that they trigger the alarm signals of the control system.

2. Chronic Problems:

Chronic problem is long-standing adverse situation which requires remedy through changing the status quo. For such problems, by adopting ‘continuous improve­ment concept’ better and better levels of performance can be achieved. These problems occur for a long time, and are often difficult to solve, as they are accepted as inevitable.

Essay # 12. Quality Management System :

A quality management system organises overall activities of the company in such a way that the technical, administrative and human factors affecting the quality of products or ser­vices are under control. The quality management system guides the cooperated actions of the people, machines and information to achieve the quality objectives.

1. Activities:

Activities of quality management system are:

(i) Marketing to evaluate customer needs and use requirements.

(ii) Design and engineering to translate the customer needs into product, process and material specifications.

(iii) Purchasing to select the competent vendors who can supply materials, components, sub-assemblies as per specifications.

(iv) Production to ensure that product is produced under controlled conditions in conform­ance to standards.

(v) Quality assurance to identify appropriate test methods and exercise quality control techniques.

(vi) Shipping to ensure proper packaging, transportation and distribution of material.

(vii) Documentation to maintain system and progress documents at each stage of opera­tion.

(viii) Product development for innovation and improvement based on customer’s feedback.

(ix) Auditing to identify the non-conforming of the system and product, and follow up the corrective actions.

2. Benefits:

(i) To meet the customer requirements by providing quality products or services to satisfy the customer needs.

(ii) Good reputation helps in better marketability of the company’s products and services.

(iii) Confidence is created.

(iv) Consistivity in quality.

(v) Productivity improvement.

(vi) Better financial performance.

(vii) Brings clarity in working.

(viii) Better documentation.

(ix) Better monitoring.

(x) Increases export potential.

(xi) Human resources development.

3. Quality Function:

(i) Marketing and market research.

(ii) Design and product development.

(iii) Procurement.

(iv) Process planning and development.

(v) Production.

(vi) Inspection, testing and examination.

(vii) Packaging and storage.

(viii) Sales and distribution.

(ix) Installation and operation.

(x) Technical assistance and maintenance.

(xi) Disposal after use.

4. Quality and Top Management:

Responsibility for and commitment to quality always belong to the highest level of management.

Following action points are necessary to be adopted by top management to achieve quality objectives of the company:

(i) Define and state quality policy.

(ii) Appoint a management representation.

(iii) Define responsibility and authority.

(iv) Establish an internal verification system.

(v) Establish a quality system.

(vi) Review the functioning of quality system at regular intervals.

5. Installing the Quality System :

(A) Preparations:

(i) Analyse the existing status and identify what needs to be done? Prepare an ac­tion plan.

(ii) Develop an organisation structure.

(iii) Develop quality system documentation.

(iv) Prepare the material and machinery resources.

(B) Implementation:

(i) Implement the documented quality system.

(ii) Establish internal quality audit system.

(iii) Monitor, control and stabilise the quality system.

(iv) Hormonise the practices with the standards.

Essay # 13. Role of Top Management towards Quality :

Main roles of the top management towards quality are:

1. Define quality Control. Establish a Quality Council.

2. Establish quality policies.

3. Establish quality goals.

4. Provide the resources.

5. Provide problem-oriented training.

6. Serve on quality improvement teams which address chronic problems.

7. Stimulate improvement.

8. Provide for reward and recognition.

9. Top management is required to:

(a) Develop strategies for quality, and

(b) Provide leadership for implementation of these strategies.

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Quality Control

What is control? What is the relationship between control and food safety? Do you know what is the standard procedure that must be meet up to ensure that all those particular food products are always in a safe condition? How do you know that all of the procedures are good enough to protect the food from being contaminated? What action would you take in order to minimize the risk of food contamination cases? According to the online Oxford Dictionary, ‘control’ means a person or thing used as a standard of comparison for checking the results of a survey or experiment. In alliance to the food safety area, controls are an important procedure that must take seriously by the operator of foodservice industry to ensure that the processed food items are safe and in an edible condition. Quality control is the totality of all those controllable aspects that give effect positively or negatively to the quality of the finished product such as selection of raw materials, processing methods, packaging, methods of storage distribution and others.

1.1 Raw Materials Control What is a raw material? Raw materials are the components that are used in the making of a product. It is the basic material that is used in the manufacture of a final product (Ask.com, 2014). In terms of food quality control, raw materials should be control from the very beginning of the production processes which start from the choosing and purchasing the raw materials itself till the end processes. There are seven (7) rules that must be check during selection of raw materials (Amankwa P.A, 1999). These procedures are made up to ensure the foods products are in a good condition so that it will be compatible with the particular market area: 1. The dominant raw material (s) are selected for priority of attention. 2. The selected raw materials are tested in relation to their contribution to product quality. 3. The raw materials tested are released from the stores only after the test results have been properly recorded. 4. Process control must relate the processing results to the raw materials test. 5. Define the critical points in the process and concentrate on these. 6. Finished product inspection should be reduced to the minimum level compatible with the confidence justified by the raw materials and process control. 7. Quality control is effective in proportion to its degree of integration into the overall organisation of the factory.

1.2 Process Control What is process? Why is it so important in foodservice organization? According to online Oxford Dictionary, ‘process’ means a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end. Process control is important in food quality control organisation. The common technique which foodservice operator always practice in their food processing centre is Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). This regulation had been enforced by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The capabilities of the food processing centre which are in good situation, tools which are appropriately maintained and adjusted, personnel who are qualified and fully skilled, and procedures which are consistent and reproducible, are a few examples of GMPs regulation. Others than that, foodservice operator also would usually apply HACCP in their establishment. HACCP which stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point does take a major action in order to prevent any risk factors which could infect the food product. There are seven (7) elements in HACCP system which must be practice especially in foodservice organisation: 1. Conduct a hazard analysis: Determine the food safety hazards and recognize the precautionary measures the plan can apply to control these hazards. A food safety hazard might be any biological, chemical, or physical materials which may be the reason a food cannot be eat for human consumption. 2. Identify critical control points: A critical control point (CCP) is a point, in a food manufacturing process at which control can be practice and, as an outcome, a food safety hazard can be prevented, or reduced the risk to an tolerable level. 3. Establish critical limits for each critical control point: A critical limit is the maximum or minimum value to which a physical, biological, or chemical hazard must be controlled at a critical control point to prevent or reduce the risk to an acceptable level.

4. Establish critical control point monitoring requirements: Observing activities are needed to certify that the process is under control at each critical control point. 5. Establish corrective actions: These are actions which need to be taken when observing indicates nonconformity from an established critical limit. Corrective actions are projected to ensure that no product is injurious to health, or else adulterated. 6. Establish procedures for ensuring the HACCP system is working as intended: Validation ensures that the plants do what they were designed to do. Plants will be required to validate their own HACCP plans. 7. Establish record keeping procedures: The HACCP guideline needs all plants to preserve certain documents, plus its hazard analysis and written HACCP plan, and records documenting the observing of critical control points, critical limits, verification activities, and the handling of processing deviations.

1.3 Finished Product Control The quality of a finished product is very important for the consumer. All the finished product need to fulfil all the requirements on quality. They must have the appropriate nutritive value, typical sensory characteristics and fulfil all requirements from a safety point of view. The quality control of finished product is the crucial point of the whole quality control chain. An observation must be obtain on how finished products need to be effectively monitored bearing in mind that all the control systems in a factory should be designed at preventing variation and contamination. As a result of spot check the level of some problems can be predictable with a view to tightening up controls earlier in the process. There is several checking procedure of the products: – Pack weights and examination of process control pack weight records – Pack appearance, correctness of coding or overprinting – Storage tests to checks pack performance and product shelf life – Recording the incidences of broken products within packs – Organoleptic checks(tasting tests) on product texture and flavor – Metal detection facilities review of product from the automatic machines – Warehouse conditions example stacking and rotation of stocks – Procedure for loading trucks and damage during distribution – Storage conditions a stock rotation at depots. The finished product need to obtain the specification and control test to make sure the product that produce by the particular company is safe and can be distributed to the users. There is several specifications that is important to the manufacturer to follow in producing the good quality of product.

1.3.1 Finished Product Specification The finished product specifications are a set of tests and limits that are applied to the product in order to ensure that every batch is of satisfactory and consistent quality throughout its shelf life. The specifications must monitor all limitation where variation would be likely to affect the safety or efficiency of the product; and must ensure fulfilment with any applicable default standard. Usually, tighter limits are applied at batch produce to critical parameters to allow for analytical mistake during batch release testing and to allocate for potential changes to the product during storage. Where variety tests and limits are applied at batch release and expiry, this must be clearly designate in the application. 1.3.2 Labelling Labelling of food is the important part for the finished product. Its purpose is to provide the consumer with some of information which is necessary for making an informed choice in marketplace. The label should always bear the statement of identify, declaration of net contents, name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor and a list of ingredients. In labelling, the most important information needs to be required are date of production and final date of sale especially in perishable foods. National regulations usually require further data such as content of nutrients of the products such as amount of vitamins, protein, fats and carbohydrates, energy content, and information about the food additives. Labelling of food is legislatively regulated on national or international levels. 1.3.3 Chemical Composition Chemical composition of the finished product is very important to the consumer. Composition consist on the labels has to be in agreement with the given product. Water contents play an important role according to the stability of the perishable product during storage. The product with higher water content can expose in microbiological spoilage. Special intention is given to the control of additives, because only some of the additives can be used in some food products, usually in a concentration given by law.

1.4 Storage Control Food poisoning is usually cause by bacteria from foods that have been poorly stored, prepared, handled or cooked. Food contaminated with food poisoning bacteria may look, smell and taste normal. If food is not stored properly, the bacteria in it can easily multiply to dangerous levels. Incorrect storage of food can cause spoilage and food poisoning. Proper storage extends the shelf life of food, which expends on the types of food, the packaging of the food and storage conditions, particularly temperature and humidity. Food quality must not decrease significantly during storage if the retailer or consumers follow the recommended conditions and storage times. When the products are arrived, check the freshness dates on packaged food either the packaging is in the good condition. Make sure the refrigerated foods are cold and frozen foods are solid. Select the cold item and store them properly according to the proper temperature. Practice the first-in, first-out method which can reduce the risk of spoilage of the food. When stocking the food storage area, place recently purchased item behind existing food. This will help ensure food is consumed before spoilage occurs, and before the expiration date passes. Food rotation is important to preserve freshness. When food is rotated, the food that has been in storage the longest is used first. As food is used, new food is added to the pantry to replace it; the essential rationale is to use the oldest food as soon as possible so that nothing is in storage too long and becomes unsafe to eat. Labelling food with paper labels on the storage container, marking the date that the container is placed in storage can make this practice simpler. The best way to rotate food storage is to prepare meals with stored food on a daily basis. The cleanliness of the environment can affected the food during storage. Since the bacteria frequently get into food through careless food handling, it is important that everything is clean. Next is predicting storage times. The exact length of time that foods can be stored depends on a number of factors. The storage life of food is affected by its freshness when it reached the market, the length of time and the temperature at which food was held before purchase, storage temperature and humidity in the some places, storage container or packaging. Generally food will maintain quality longer at cooler storage temperature. For safety, it is important to verify the temperature of the refrigerator. Refrigerators should be set to maintain a temperature of 40 ??F or below. Some refrigerators have built-in thermometers to measure their internal temperature. For those refrigerators without this feature, keep an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator to monitor the temperature. This can be critical in the event of a power outage. When the power goes back on, if the refrigerator is still 40 ??F, the food is safe. Foods held at temperatures above 40 ??F for more than 2 hours should not be consumed. Appliance thermometers are specifically designed to provide accuracy at cold temperatures. Be sure refrigerator/freezer doors are closed tightly at all times. Don’t open refrigerator/freezer doors more often than necessary and close them as soon as possible. This is the guidelines of storing in refrigerator. -All refrigeration units must have an accurate indicating thermometer to monitor the temperature which is suitable with the temperature of products. -Temperatures must be maintained at 4??C (40??F) or less because in this temperature the bacteria cannot multiple easily. – Store all raw foods below cooked or ready to eat foods to prevent cross contamination. – Avoid packing refrigerator full, air needs to circulate to maintain proper temperature.

1.5 Distribution Control Food distribution involves transporting food from suppliers to consumers. Environmental conditions in certain areas are more encouraging to producing certain types of crops, and farmers based in these areas produce large numbers of crops that have to be dispersed to other locations. Different types of livestock are more suited to certain climates, and this means that livestock farming tends to be concentrated in particular areas. Governments and businesses are in authority for developing effective food distribution networks to ensure that supply does not exceed demand. Protecting the product is one of the most important aspects of the food distribution process. When food is in transit, distribution companies have to guarantee that the food is kept at a temperature that prevents it from spoiling. Planes and distribution trucks that been use for distribution are fitted with refrigeration systems and freezers. Measures also have to be taken protect foodstuffs and beverages that are stored in fragile containers, such as glass jars or bottles. In foodservice industry, the most products that must be prioritized are the ice products and raw material products. Iced products usually include items such as broccoli, celery, green onions and others while raw material product can be define as meat, poultry and egg product. Usually this will give a sort challenges to distributors in order for them to distribute and transporting the product. Ice products are normally packed in waxed grooved cartons and top with iced to keep them cool during transport and storage. Transport and storage temperatures are typically controlled at approximately 1?? C – 3?? C or 33?? F until 36?? F. At this temperature, this allows the ice to melt and the water from melted ice will run down through the product and on to the pallet on which products are packed, then finally onto the floor of the conveyance or cooler in which they are carried or stored. As the melt water gets on to the floor of a trailer, it has the ability to cross contaminate other products. For example, when the trailer hit the bump or going downhill and uphill, the water can be splashed upwards onto other pallets or goods inside. By that condition, it will carry the contamination with it. There are some of the solutions that can be implemented in order to prevent the melt water from contaminating the product. In a storage or distribution facility iced products should never be placed above any other food product. If storage space is only available vertically, then other effective controls must be implemented. Drip guards to protect the products underneath and implement sanitation procedures such as used the method of cleaning and sanitizing. In the other side, we will discuss about food quality control in transporting and distribution of meat, poultry and egg product. Meat, poultry, and egg products are product that suspected have high risk of contamination from a wide variety of physical, microbial, chemical, and radiological agents. These products are particularly exposed to microbiological hazards because their moisture, pH levels, and high protein content promote ideal environments for bacteria to growth and manipulate. Meat, poultry, and egg products must be refrigerated or frozen after processing and before delivery to prevent spoilage and growth of pathogens.

In order to practice the good food quality control in distribution part, the distributor should be aware start from the vehicle or truck that will be deliver the product until the unloading of the product. This might require a lot of process, but since meat, poultry and egg product seems have a good criterion in promoting bacteria; all of these procedure must be aware. i. Vehicles Used To Transport Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products ‘ Design and construct vehicles to protect product. – Vehicles should be designed and built to make locking and sealing easy, protect the cargo against extremes of heat and cold, and prevent infestation by pests. – Vehicle design should permit effective inspection, cleaning, disinfection, and temperature control. – Interior surfaces should be made of materials that are suitable for direct food contact. For example, the surfaces may be made with stainless steel or be coated with food-grade epoxy resins ‘ Sanitize and properly maintain vehicles. – Different cleaning procedures may be necessary for the different types of meat, poultry, or egg products that are to be transported. The type of product transported and the cleaning procedure used should be recorded. Generally, wash water should be at least 180 ??F (82 ??C) and an approved sanitizer may be used to reduce the number of microorganisms and dissolve any fat particles adhering to interior surfaces.

– Equipment used in transferring meat, poultry, and egg products, such as hand trucks, conveyors, and forklifts, should be well maintained and kept in a sanitary condition. ‘ Use dedicated transport vehicles. – Transport vehicles, containers, and conveyances should be designated and marked ‘for food use only,’ and be used only for transporting foods. This reduces the risk of cross contamination from previous cargo. ii. Pre-loading – Facilities should have an effective, systematic program for preventing environmental contamination and infestation by insects, vermin. – Trailers and trucks should be pre-cooled for at least 1 hour before loading to remove residual heat from the insulation and inner lining of the trailer as well as from the air of the trailer. For pre-cooling, the doors should be closed and the temperature setting of the unit should be no higher than 26 ??F. However, that poultry products labeled ‘fresh’ must be shipped at temperatures higher than 26 ??F, usually between 26 ??F and 32 ??F. – Examine trailer doors and seals to ensure that they can be secured and that there will be no air leaks. – Dock foremen should document that all freight is 40 ??F or lower before loading. Freight should not be allowed to remain on the loading dock in warm weather in order to prevent the product temperature from rising above 40 ??F. iii. Loading – Use spacers on sidewalls and at the ends of trailers as well as pallets on the floor so that proper air circulation can be maintained. – Keep loading time as short as possible to prevent temperature changes that could threaten the safety or quality of food products. – Close doors immediately after the truck has pulled away from dock. iv. Unloading – Product should be inspected and sorted before being accepted at any point during transportation. – Establish policy and procedures for rejection of packages and products that are not acceptable, can’t be verified against the delivery roster, or contain unacceptable changes to shipping documents. – Move product from the loading dock into cold storage immediately to minimize product exposure to heat and contaminants. Conclusion As a conclusion, there are several factors that should be aware in order to achieve a good food quality control in foodservice industry. Starting from raw material selection and product quality which have seven role included selected the raw material, tested raw material in relation to their contribution to product quality, the process, the critical control point and finished product inspection, how the process being control, the finished product control, storage control until the last step which is distribution control that consist of factor that should be aware such as vehicle that has been used for transportation, pre loading, loading and unloading. Besides that, in order to maintain the food quality control, several systems such as HCCAP, GMP, and FIFO can be practice by the foodservice organization. Every factor involve quality control have their own role and responsibilities.

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• Quality Control: Understanding Its Importance, Benefits, Approaches and Key Strategies

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Maintaining high-quality products and services is crucial for success in today's competitive business environment. Quality control (QC) plays a critical role in ensuring that your company consistently meets customer expectations and regulatory requirements. This comprehensive guide will explore the importance of quality control, its benefits, and key strategies, with industry examples to illustrate its practical applications.

What is Quality Control?

Quality control refers to the systematic process of identifying, monitoring and correcting potential defects or deviations in products or services. This process ensures that the final output meets the established quality standards and customer requirements. QC is an essential part of the overall quality management system ( QMS ) and involves regular inspections, testing, and monitoring of various production stages.

ISO 9001:2015 defines Quality Control as “a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements.” It includes activities such as the inspection and testing of incoming raw materials, in-process products, and finished goods.

History of Quality Control

Quality control has evolved over time to keep pace with the increasing complexity and scale of production processes. Let's take a brief look at the key milestones in the history of quality control:

Craftsmanship Era (Pre-Industrial Revolution): Before the Industrial Revolution, craftsmen were responsible for producing goods and often had a personal relationship with their customers. Quality was maintained by the craftsman's reputation, skill, and pride in their work.

Industrial Revolution (Late 18th Century to Mid-19th Century): With the advent of mass production, the responsibility for quality control shifted from individual craftsmen to factory managers. Inspectors were employed to identify and segregate defective products, but the focus was on finding and fixing defects rather than preventing them.

Scientific Management (Early 20th Century): The introduction of scientific management principles by Frederick Winslow Taylor marked a significant shift in quality control. Taylor's ideas laid the groundwork for more systematic and data-driven approaches to managing production processes, paving the way for modern quality control methods.

Statistical Quality Control (Mid-20th Century): Walter A. Shewhart introduced the concept of statistical process control ( SPC ) in the 1920s. SPC allowed manufacturers to monitor and control production processes using statistical methods, enabling them to detect and correct defects more efficiently. During World War II, the U.S. military adopted statistical quality control techniques to improve the production of munitions and other equipment.

Total Quality Management (Post-WWII): After World War II, quality management pioneers such as W. Edwards Deming and Joseph M. Juran helped spread the concept of Total Quality Management ( TQM ). TQM emphasized continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, and employee involvement, transforming how companies approached quality control.

ISO 9001 and Modern Quality Control (Late 20th Century to Present): In 1987, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) introduced the ISO 9000 quality management standards, including ISO 9001. These standards provided a global framework for implementing effective quality management systems. Today, quality has evolved to encompass a wide range of methodologies and tools, such as Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing, helping businesses achieve higher levels of quality and efficiency.

The history of quality control shows how the concept has evolved and adapted to the changing needs of production processes and market demands. Understanding this history can help businesses appreciate the value of quality control and implement more effective systems to ensure long-term success.

Benefits and Importance of Quality Control

• Customer Satisfaction: Consistently delivering high-quality products and services helps build customer trust and loyalty, increasing the likelihood of repeat business and positive word-of-mouth marketing.
• Regulatory Compliance: QC processes help companies adhere to industry-specific regulations and standards, preventing costly fines or sanctions.
• Brand Reputation: A strong commitment to quality control enhances a company's reputation for producing reliable, high-quality products or services.
• Cost Savings: Identifying and correcting defects early in production minimizes waste and reduces the need for expensive rework or recalls.
• Competitive Advantage: Companies with robust QC systems are better positioned to differentiate themselves from competitors and capture market share.

Key Strategies for Effective Quality Control

• Establish Clear Quality Standards: Define and communicate the specific quality criteria for each product or service, ensuring all team members understand the expectations.
• Implement Regular Inspections and Testing: Conduct routine checks at various stages of production to identify defects and deviations from quality standards.
• Invest in Employee Training: Provide ongoing training to equip employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to maintain high-quality standards.
• Utilize Statistical Process Control ( SPC ): SPC techniques can help identify trends and patterns in production data, enabling companies to predict and prevent quality issues.
• Embrace Continuous Improvement: Encourage a culture that values ongoing learning and improvement and proactively empowers employees to identify and address quality concerns.

Quality Control Approaches

Different industries and organizations may adopt various approaches to quality, depending on their specific needs and goals. Some popular QC methodologies include:

• Total Quality Management ( TQM ): A holistic approach to quality management focuses on continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, and employee involvement. It aims to integrate quality principles into all aspects of a company's operations.
• Six Sigma: Six Sigma is a data-driven quality management methodology seeking to reduce defects and process variation. The goal is to achieve a defect rate of 3.4 per million opportunities, ensuring near-perfect quality.
• Lean Manufacturing: Lean focuses on eliminating waste and optimizing processes to deliver maximum value to customers. Although not explicitly a quality control approach, Lean principles can significantly contribute to improving product quality by enhancing efficiency and reducing defects.
• ISO 9001 : This international standard sets out the criteria for a quality management system . Achieving ISO 9001 certification demonstrates a company's commitment to maintaining consistent quality standards and continuously improving its processes.

Conclusion:

Quality control plays a crucial role in ensuring that businesses deliver high-quality products and services, meeting customer expectations and regulatory requirements. Companies can develop and implement effective QC systems that contribute to long-term success by understanding its importance, benefits, and key strategies.

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Quality control essay.

The systematic approach to quality control was developed in industrial manufacturing in the interwar years. With the impact of mass production required during World War II, it became necessary to introduce a more rigorous form of quality control. Some of the initial work is credited to Walter Shewhart of Bell Labs, starting with his famous one-page memorandum of 1924.

Control charts are often employed to detect changes in a process mean over time. In the traditional approach, a sample is drawn, and the sample mean ( x) is calculated and plotted on a Shewhart X chart having control limits, which depict the extremes of pure chance fluctuations. A point outside the limits suggests that the process is off target. While a Shewhart X chart is relatively easy to use and interpret, according to W. H. Woodall, a cumulative sum (CUSUM) chart is more capable of detecting small changes in the process mean, as well as pinpointing the exact time when the process goes “out of control.” Faster detection of significant changes means tighter control, which is necessary if corrective action is to be taken promptly.

Like Shewhart and CUSUM control schemes, an exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA), as discussed by J. M. Lucas and M. S. Saccucci, control scheme is easy to implement and interpret. The ability of the EWMA chart to detect small shifts in the process mean is on a par with the CUSUM chart and superior to the Shewhart X chart. Lucas and Saccucci argued that the EWMA chart is simpler to explain to the lay user than the CUSUM chart, by noting its similarity to the classical Shewhart X chart. Both the CUSUM and EWMA charts are more suitable for single sampling schemes.

A control chart procedure has been proposed for which the Shewhart X chart, the cumulative sum chart, and the exponentially weighted moving average chart are special cases. The procedure for constructing these charts has been described by C. W. Champ and colleagues.

A typical statistical test examines the validity of a null hypothesis, H0 (the process is on target), against an alternative, HA (the process has changed). A Type on target, but, by chance, lies outside the control limits. A Type II error is said to occur if H0 is accepted when HA is true and occurs with a probability β. That is, the process has deviated, but lies within the control limits. The power of a test is defined to be the probability of correctly rejecting a false null hypothesis, and is equal to 1-β. For a given α, one test is more powerful than another if 1-β for the former is greater than for the latter for all possible changes in the process mean.

Referring to the process under consideration, assume a batch has a true mean μ. Let τ be an acceptable target value for μ; therefore a batch is acceptable if μ=τ. In this case H0 is μ=τ and HA is μ≠τ. If a batch is rejected when, in fact, the mean is μ=τ, this is unfair to the producer. This is called the producer’s risk or Type I error, and occurs with a probability α. Conversely, if a batch is accepted when, in fact, the mean is μ≠τ, this is unfair to the consumer. This is called the consumer’s risk or Type II error, and occurs with a probability β.

The consumer’s risk (β) depends on the absolute difference between μ and τ. This is the drift Δ, where Δ=τμ. The sample size and control limits may be selected to obtain acceptable values of α and β for a specified Δ.

The Average Run Length (ARL) for a given Δ gives the average number of batches sampled till one is rejected. The ARL is dependent on both α and β and is an important factor in selecting a control chart. The plan (the sample size and control limits) is usually chosen so that the ARL is large (500 to 1,000) when the process is on target, and small (1.1 to 10) when the process changes by Δ. The criteria are acceptable risks of incorrect actions, expected average quality levels reaching the customer and expected average inspection loads.

All the charts described so far examine the sample mean. In a process the mean might appear acceptable, but there could be a change in the inherent process variation. To monitor this variability, a range chart should also be used.

Bibliography:

• Ron Basu, Implementing Six Sigma and Lean: A Practical Guide to Tools and Techniques (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2008);
• Dale H. Besterfield, Quality Control (Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009);
• Charles W. Champ, William H. Woodall, and Hassan A. Mohsen, “A Generalised Quality Control Procedure,” Statistics & Probability Letters (v.11/3, 1991);
• Mark L. Crossley, The Desk Reference of Statistical Quality Methods (ASQ Quality Press, 2008);
• Acheson J. Duncan, Quality Control and Industrial Statistics (Richard D. Irwin Press, 1986);
• James M. Lucas et al., “Exponentially Weighted Moving Average Control Schemes: Properties and Enhancements,” Technometrics (v.32/1, 1990);
• Douglas C. Montgomery, Statistical Quality Control: A Modern Introduction (John Wiley & Sons, 2009);
• Walter A. Shewhart, Economic Control of Quality of Manufactured Products (Macmillan, 1931);
• William H. Woodall, “The Design of CUSUM Quality Control Charts,” Journal of Quality Technology (v.18/2, 1986).

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In today’s world, it’s not uncommon that we take the reliability and quality of products and services for granted. At the start of the 20th century, however, quality control in manufacturing was not exactly a reliable process.

Now, decades after early pioneers created business problem-solving processes and analysis frameworks to determine and control consistency and value, it’s possible more than ever for a business to implement and scale best practices. 

Quality does not have a singular definition. Despite the relative meaning of “value,” quality control is the process by which products/services are tested and measured to ensure they meet a standard. Through this process, a business can evaluate, maintain, and improve product quality. The primary objective of Quality Control is to identify and correct any deviations from the established quality standards. This process involves monitoring and inspecting products or services at various stages of production or delivery to ensure that they meet the desired level of quality. QC is also concerned with preventing defects or errors from occurring in the first place by implementing measures to control and improve the production or service delivery processes.

Ultimately, there are two crucial goals of quality control: (1) to ensure that products are as uniform as possible and (2), to minimize errors and inconsistencies within them.

Key components of Quality Control may include:

Inspection: Regularly examining products, materials, or services to identify defects, non-compliance, or deviations from quality standards.

Testing: Conducting various tests and measurements to assess the performance, functionality, or characteristics of products or services.

Statistical Process Control (SPC): Employing statistical techniques to monitor and control the production processes, ensuring that they remain within acceptable quality limits.

Documentation and Records: Keeping detailed records of inspections, tests, and corrective actions taken to maintain traceability and accountability.

Corrective Action: Implementing appropriate measures to address any identified quality issues and prevent their recurrence.

Training and Education: Providing employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to maintain quality standards effectively.

Continuous Improvement: Constantly analyzing data and feedback to identify areas for improvement and enhancing the overall quality management system.

Quality Control is closely related to another quality management concept called Quality Assurance (QA). While QC focuses on detecting and correcting defects, QA concentrates on preventing them from occurring in the first place by setting up robust processes and procedures.

Together, QC and QA form the backbone of an organization's quality management system, helping to ensure that products and services consistently meet or exceed customer expectations and regulatory requirements.

Quality Control Process

Normally, quality testing is part of every stage of a manufacturing or business process. Employees frequently begin testing using samples collected from the production line, finished products, and raw materials. Testing during various production phases can help identify the cause of a production problem and the necessary corrective actions to prevent it from happening again.

Customer service reviews, questionnaires, surveys, inspections, and audits are a few examples of quality testing procedures that can be used in non-manufacturing businesses. A company can use any procedure or technique to ensure that the final product or service is safe, compliant, and meets consumer demands.

QC Is Different by Industry

Quality Control (QC) is an indispensable aspect of various industries, ensuring that products and services adhere to predefined standards. In the manufacturing sector, QC involves rigorous inspection and testing of raw materials, intermediate components, and final products to maintain consistent quality and minimize defects. In the food industry, QC guarantees the safety and integrity of consumables through thorough testing for contaminants and adherence to health regulations. In the pharmaceutical sector, QC plays a critical role in verifying the potency and purity of drugs, ensuring they are safe for consumption. Additionally, in the software industry, QC involves extensive testing of applications and programs to identify bugs and errors before release, guaranteeing a smooth user experience. Across all industries, QC is a fundamental process that enhances customer satisfaction, boosts efficiency, and fosters a reputation for reliability.

Just as quality is a relative word with many interpretations, quality control itself doesn’t have a uniform, universal process. Some methods depend on the industry. Take food and drug products, for instance, where errors can put people at risk and create significant liability. These industries may rely more heavily on scientific measures, whereas others (such as education or coaching) may require a more holistic, qualitative method. 

At its core, quality control requires attention to detail and research methodology. 

So, what is quality control? There are a wide range of quality control methods , including: 

Control Charts:

A graph or chart is used to study how processes are changing over time. Using statistics, the business and manufacturing processes are analyzed for being “in control.” 

Process Control:

Processes are monitored and adjusted to ensure quality and improve performance. This is typically a technical process using feedback loops, industrial-level controls, and chemical processes to achieve consistency. 

Acceptance Sampling:

A statistical measure is used to determine if a batch or sample of products meets the overall manufacturing standard. 

Process Protocol:

A mapping methodology that improves the design and implementation processes by creating evaluative indicators for each step. 

There are other quality control factors to consider when selecting a method in addition to types of processes. 

Some companies establish internal quality control divisions when defining what is quality control. They do this to monitor products and services, while others rely on external bodies to track products and performance. These controls may be largely dependent on the industry of the business. Due to the strict nature of food inspections, for example, it may be in a company’s best interest to sample products internally and verify these results in a third-party lab.

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Quality Control (QC) is essential for various reasons, and its importance lies in the numerous benefits it brings to both businesses and consumers. Here are some key reasons why QC is crucial:

Customer Satisfaction: QC ensures that products and services meet or exceed customer expectations, leading to higher satisfaction levels and increased customer loyalty.

Defect Prevention: By identifying and correcting issues early in the production or service delivery process, QC helps prevent defects, reducing the likelihood of expensive recalls or rework.

Cost Reduction: Implementing QC measures can lead to reduced waste, lower production costs, and improved operational efficiency, contributing to overall cost savings.

Compliance and Regulations: QC ensures that products and services adhere to industry standards and regulatory requirements, avoiding legal issues and penalties.

Brand Reputation: Consistent high-quality products or services build a positive brand image, enhancing the company's reputation and competitiveness in the market.

Increased Efficiency: QC optimizes processes and identifies areas for improvement, leading to increased productivity and streamlined operations.

Risk Mitigation: Through rigorous testing and inspections, QC helps identify potential risks and hazards, enabling businesses to address them proactively.

Continuous Improvement: QC encourages a culture of continuous improvement, where organizations strive to enhance their products, services, and processes constantly.

International Competitiveness: High-quality products can open doors to global markets, increasing a company's competitiveness on an international scale.

Customer Retention and Loyalty: Satisfied customers are more likely to remain loyal and recommend the brand to others, contributing to long-term business success.

Overall, Quality Control is crucial for maintaining high standards, minimizing risks, and fostering a competitive advantage in today's dynamic and demanding business environment. It serves as the foundation for delivering superior products and services while ensuring customer satisfaction and loyalty.

When answering what is quality control, it is critical to understand that it consists of multifaceted responsibilities and roles. Moreover, it shouldn’t be confused with quality assurance. Whereas quality assurance looks at the processes used to prevent defects, quality control is focused specifically on the measurement and analysis processes involved with determining product quality. 

Quality control uses specific research tools to accomplish fact-finding processes and conduct analyses. A quality control professional is tasked with analyzing these measurements against some sort of standard determined by the quality management department, company policies, and industries or regulatory bodies. Based on this evidence-gathering, quality control will recommend changes. 

We can see from this roadmap, too, how quality assurance and quality control differ. Quality assurance looks at the holistic picture to prevent a product from becoming defective. Quality control, on the other hand, later determines if a product is, in fact, defective or not. Both roles fit under the broad umbrella of quality management. 

Thus, an individual in quality control is tasked with communicating results to stakeholders and significant parties. A good quality control specialist will be able to disseminate scientific and research-based thinking to a business community and assist with the problem-solving process. These specialists are a key component of a product’s design process, as they determine whether a company’s creation is truly acceptable for the market.

Even though the terms quality control and quality assurance are sometimes used interchangeably, they have some key differences. Quality criteria, such as ensuring an item complies with specifications, are the main emphasis of quality control. Quality assurance is the sum of all processes and actions necessary to demonstrate that the requirements for quality are satisfied.

Quality control can be a fulfilling job if you enjoy dealing with people, talking, presenting results, and trying to make things better and safer. Depending on the sector, you may need the following qualifications to work as a quality control inspector:

• Entry-level positions require a high school diploma.
• Depending on the business, a bachelor's degree
• A background in the industry
• Certain businesses and sectors require licenses and certifications.

Additional characteristics required by quality control specialists include:

• Observation of details
• Talents in math and mechanics
• Physical prowess and power
• Technical expertise
• Pressured performance

Career Path

There may be discrepancies because the path to quality assurance and control job varies by industry. However, you'll typically require a number of years of professional expertise in your field. After completing the necessary educational qualifications and gaining the necessary work experience, you are often hired as a quality assurance or control associate.

As you gain job experience, you can advance to the position of senior specialist and start leading groups of quality control specialists.

Your employer may require you to take professional development classes or obtain certifications like Six Sigma . A professional designation like Certified Quality Inspector may also be required.

Quality Control Salaries

Depending on the role, expertise, and industry, quality control specialists make a variety of salaries. As you get more expertise and advance into management positions, your pay rises. The average wage, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is:

• Services rendered by experts in science and technology: $46,280
• Production: $40,020
• Trade in bulk: $37,800
• $30,070 for office supplies and support services

Quality control refers to a company's methods for assessing product quality and, if necessary, improving it. There are various ways to perform quality control, including benchmarking, examining manufacturing procedures, and testing products. All of this is done to keep track of significant product differences.

Three examples of quality control in the food sector are monitoring ingredient standards, verifying supplier lists, and making sure the manufacturing facility is hygienic.

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With the Six Sigma Black Belt certification , you'll be equipped to mentor Green Belts, guide projects, and drive substantial ROI for your organization. Elevate your career with this program's in-depth curriculum, designed to mold you into a proficient Six Sigma Black Belt capable of orchestrating impactful change and delivering excellence.

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1. What is Quality Control (QC)?

Quality control is the process by which services/products are measured and tested to ensure they are as uniform as possible and meet a standard. It helps businesses minimize inconsistencies and improve product quality. 

2. What are the four types of Quality Control?

The four types of quality control are process control, control charts, acceptance sampling, and product quality control. While a control chart helps study changing processes over time, process control and product quality control help monitor and adjust products as per the standards. Acceptance sampling is a unique type that involves a statistical measure to determine whether a batch or sample of products satisfies the standards. 

3. Why is Quality Control important?

Quality control is important to safeguard the company’s reputation, prevent products from being unreliable, and increase trust on the side of consumers. It ensures that the company looks at evidence-based data and research rather than anecdotal observations to ensure that the services/products live up to the standards. It reduces cost and maximizes profit, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

4. What are three examples of Quality Control?

Some examples of quality control are: a high-speed car manufacturer runs thorough tests for every component, including manual and automated verifications; websites study the average response time per page for customer interactions and generate tickets when the service gets unacceptably slow; retail store owners employ secret shoppers to test the customer service of their stores. 

5. What are the four steps of Quality Control?

The first step for quality control is to set your quality standards and decide which ones to focus on. Secondly, you must establish operational processes to deliver optimal quality and implement them. The third step is to review your results and identify gaps. Lastly, get feedback and make improvisations.

6. What are quality control techniques?

Inspection and Statistical quality control (SQC) are the two major techniques of Quality Control. Inspection checks the performance of items as per the pre-decided specifications. It involves periodic checking before, during and on completion of the process. It can be categorized into two types: Centralized and Floor Inspection. Statistical Quality Control relies on laws of probability. It controls the production quality within tolerance limits via sample procedure.  

7. What is the difference QA and QC?

Quality Assurance (QA) focuses on preventing defects and maintaining the overall quality management system through process implementation and improvement. It ensures that proper processes are in place to avoid issues. On the other hand, Quality Control (QC) involves detecting and correcting defects through inspections and testing. QC ensures that products or services meet specific quality standards. While QA is proactive, emphasizing prevention, QC is reactive, emphasizing identification and correction of issues after they occur.

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Quality Control in Manufacturing: Using Data to Improve Your Quality Program

What does quality control do in manufacturing.

Quality control is a process that uses best practices, strict adherence to standards, and specifications to deliver products without defects. With tight quality control (QC) measures, companies can better manage costs, reduce waste, and protect themselves from brand damage and liability that often accompanies defective products.

The key to managing quality control programs is ensuring strict adherence to standardized processes . Any deviation from the process is likely to lead to products that are out of spec, and will also likely lead to other forms of waste.

Collecting data on part quality can be helpful for auditing production processes and ensuring that standardized work and work instructions are congruent with developing quality components while reducing waste.

MachineMetrics can collect data from both equipment and operators to ensure an accurate measure of cycle times, part counts, and reject reasons with the ability to drill in at the machine, operator, and shop floor level.

Quality managers can review the data to understand where manufacturing bottlenecks and waste exist in the process while retaining the quality needed.

Quality Control vs. Quality Assurance

Many people confuse quality control with quality assurance (QA) or use them interchangeably, but they’re two different concepts. Quality control is the inspection aspect of a robust quality management system. It focuses on what is happening at the machine or assembly level and seeks to catch, record, and categorize defects.

Quality control systems may include the use of digital calipers, automated inspection systems, and other SPC tools.

QC is also reactive, meaning the verification of standards or specifications after production. Within connected factory ecosystems, this verification process may be digital; this moves it closer to the point of production and enables defects to be detected earlier.

A more complete program, quality assurance is a process dedicated to preventing defects before they occur. It uses tools such as histograms, control charts, and Pareto charts to reveal trends for analysis; this enables quality managers to implement process changes for improvement.

QA systems may consist of formal quality best practices such as Total Quality Management (TQM). They may also be part of a Lean or Six Sigma deployment that incorporates QA into an overall improvement system.

Quality has a major impact on operational performance, with the impact being multiplied in certain high-tolerance industries such as aerospace and medical device manufacturing.

The Importance of Quality Control in Manufacturing

QC programs impact cost and on-time delivery significantly. Without proper QC, factories will produce higher scrap levels and incur increased labor costs from extra handling and rework. This oversight also throws off the performance and accuracy of the supply chain as planners must order more material to account for scrap loss.

QC also acts as the last line of defense for customer satisfaction. With accurate QC, customer returns are lower and brand perception is higher. This helps ensure a high rate of repeat customers.

Robust QC validates a company's processes and ensures that production systems work well. Detection of defects may indicate a broken process in the production chain. Changing the process using formal process improvement methodologies like Lean will help improve performance and lower defects.

Quality Control Methods and Techniques

There are several methods available for manufacturing quality control:

Just in Time (JIT)

JIT is part of a broader philosophy that delivers material and parts to production as they’re needed. QC must be an integral part of the equation to ensure all parts arrive right before use with no disruption in production. This feat is accomplished by enacting strict QC standards with vendors and suppliers so that material arriving is guaranteed to meet required quality standards.

Workstation Quality

In industries like CNC machining, where a high degree of skill is required for workstation operation, companies may use workers to inspect parts before moving them downstream to the next workstation.

Statistical Quality Control

In Statistical QC, a sample of a batch of production is taken at a scheduled or random point in the production process. It’s a process used by many process manufacturers. Statistical QC relies on dependable production quality and past product history to ensure that sampling will identify when and where QC issues arise. The product must be consistent enough that sampling and statistical analysis will ensure that no defects get through.

Inspection is the most recognized and traditional method of QC and is still used in many industries. It relies on inspection of the finished product to ensure quality. It may also use some upstream inspection or sampling along the way, but the final inspection is the determining factor. Inspection-driven QC is heavily reliant upon sound manufacturing practices and documentation.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

TQM is a philosophy-driven yet proven method for improving quality. It seeks to incorporate quality into the company's culture, train all staff to identify problems, and empower them to intervene when necessary. Today’s TQM programs are software-driven and become much more potent for controlling and ensuring quality when linked to a data management platform like MachineMetrics.

Learn more about the value of machine data for quality management systems .

How Can Quality Control be Improved in Manufacturing?

Some of the best ways to improve QC in manufacturing include:

Auditing Processes

Before any improvements can be made manually or digitally, processes must be automated. Manufacturers often use machinery from different OEMs and different generations. Auditing each process and how it applies to specific machines will help implement the best process for quality production.

This audit will also include benchmarking to ensure an accurate understanding of shop floor performance, from cycle times to scrap rates. This will give quality managers a better understanding of the processes around their machines.

Pareto charts are a helpful tool for understanding the most common reasons for rejected parts.

Collecting Data

Data collection for best QC practices means gathering and using data from vendors, planners, inventory, production machinery, and final shipping. In manual data collection, this is a time-consuming and error-prone process that limits how much the QC effort can accomplish before it becomes cost prohibitive. With automated data collection, the data is available in real-time.

As manufacturers build out their connected factory technology stack , data collection and sharing capabilities will help to solve the issues presented by legacy solutions and manual data collection.

Using a Machine Data Platform

Regardless of the method of QC and the industry it’s applied in, the volume of data required for improvement is overwhelming for human analysis. A machine data platform like MachineMetrics empowers manufacturers with real-time production data that can be leveraged using actionable insights from advanced analytics.

In the MachineMetrics platform, data is immediately available to operators and managers in formats that allow them to understand current performance and make fast decisions. And because the platform integrates with other software such as ERP, MES, and QMS, it’s extensible to the entire enterprise.

To learn more about how the MachineMetrics Machine Data Platform can improve your QC by bringing the detection of defects closer to the point of production, book a demo with our team .

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Quality Control in Manufacturing: Types, Tools & Process

When you make something, you better ensure there’s nothing faulty about the product. If a customer buys your product and it doesn’t work, at best, you’ll lose a customer and at worst, you’ll be served with a lawsuit. Simply put, quality control in manufacturing is important.

Quality control in manufacturing means your customers get what they’ve paid for. A happy customer leads to brand loyalty which creates long-term profits for your company. Let’s learn what quality control is, some of the methods to employ it and the roles of your team to ensure quality control in manufacturing is delivered.

What Is Quality Control (QC)?

Quality control isn’t limited to manufacturing, of course. Quality control is a process that helps deliver products as planned or helps ensure project deliverables meet stakeholder requirements. It requires that the company support an environment where everyone, from management to employees, is executing their jobs as perfectly as possible.

The first thing that must be established is a benchmark or baseline from which to measure the product to make sure that it’s delivered to the project’s quality expectations. Products must also be tested throughout the production process to make sure the production line is operating normally, identify causes of defective products and solve any issues.

Another measure to prevent error is having a system to monitor your production process in real time. ProjectManager is online project management software that delivers real-time data to help you catch problems quickly and resolve them. Use our live kanban board to get a high-level view of your product. Use it to centralize processes, tag team members and ensure quality at every phase. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

To make sure that products are manufactured to the quality standards set by an organization, a quality control management process must be established.

What Is Quality Control Management?

Quality control management refers to the process of establishing the framework that allows an organization to set quality standards, track the performance of their production floor and inspect the quality of their products.

This is done to standardize the manufacturing process and better ensure that each product from the assembly line is consistent and correctly made. Further, specifying which production activities are completed by which employee and capital assets such as equipment or machinery limits errors and helps organizations better understand the causes of manufacturing quality issues.

Quality Control Process

Each organization can establish its quality control process, which means there’s no standard approach. However, here are some basic steps that can help you build your own quality control management process.

• Define quality control standards and manufacturing key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Determine what quality control tools will be used to measure your quality control KPIs
• Define the steps of your quality control inspection process
• Identify who will be responsible for checking the quality of your processes and deliverables
• Make a quality control checklist to standardize the inspection process
• Write a quality control plan that covers the most important aspects of your quality control management guidelines

We’ll learn more about each of the elements of quality control mentioned in these steps in the sections below.

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Quality Control Plan

A quality control plan is a document that describes the procedures, tools, documentation and metrics that will be used to implement the quality control process of an organization. Quality control plans are used in manufacturing, construction project management , software development and many other industries.

Quality Control Tools Examples

Many tools can be used to help you manage the quality of your products. Here are three examples of the most common quality control tools.

Quality Control Chart

A quality control chart is a graph that helps manufacturers gauge how consistent their production quality is by representing the number of defective products over time to identify patterns that can indicate whether the quantity of defects is constant, or if they fluctuate significantly, which can reveal issues in the production line. This allows organizations to fix those quality issues, be more productive and reduce their cost of quality .

Pareto Chart

A Pareto chart is a bar graph used to represent various causes of production quality issues, in which bar sizes show the total number of defective products and are arranged from longest to shortest from left to right. This helps manufacturers determine the major causes of quality control issues and resolve them.

Check Sheet

In manufacturing quality control, a check sheet is a table that allows you to track problems such as defective products and their causes over time. For example, you can create a check sheet to track how many defective products are manufactured daily, weekly, monthly or even quarterly.

This quality control template allows you to log any quality issues found as you test the quality of your products, which makes it an ideal tool for manufacturers. Track important details such as who will be responsible for fixing the product quality issue, the date when it was found, its status and the expected date when it will be resolved.

Quality Control vs. Quality Assurance

You’ll hear quality control and quality assurance interchanged, but these are two different things. Quality control is part of the larger quality management process, which focuses on meeting quality requirements.

Quality assurance is also part of the quality management plan and revolves around the activities within that plan that ensure that your product goes through production. It means that you’ve verified that the quality requirements that have been planned will be fulfilled in production.

Quality control takes place during the inspection. As noted, it’s a series of test procedures that make sure the product is safe and effective. Therefore, quality control and quality assurance are different in working together to ensure the quality of the product you’re manufacturing.

There are differences between the two. One, quality assurance is proactive, while quality control is reactive. That’s due to the nature of what they do and when they do it. Quality assurance is process-oriented and preventative while quality control focuses on the product itself and looks for any issues with its quality that will impact the customer.

Types of Quality Control Methods

There are methods of quality control that employ strategic procedures to ensure that the proper maintenance and quality testing in production is taking place. There are several types that we’ll discuss, but all involve training employees, creating standards for the output quality that can be measured to ensure they’re working and periodically testing these quality control methods to make sure there aren’t any inconsistencies.

100% Inspection Method

As the name implies, this method is a thorough assessment of all project items. By quality controlling every aspect of the production, you’re more likely to have better accuracy and remove most imperfections that might mistakenly be passed on to the customer. This method is best suited for those projects where even a slight flaw in the product can cause a recall, such as when processing meat. It is, as expected, a costly measure that doesn’t apply to every product.

Related: 14 Free Manufacturing Templates for Excel

This quality control method works at improving current processes, products or services by discovering and eliminating defects in order to streamline manufacturing. The aim is that the manufacturing process will have little to no variance. Six Sigma works by defining the problem, measuring the current process and analyzing the root cause of variations and defects to identify the issues. It improves processes by eliminating the root cause of these defects and controlling the process to stay on track.

X-Bar Chart

An X-bar chart is used in quality control to monitor the mean of successive samples of a constant size. The Y-axis tracks the degree to which the deviation of the tested attribute is acceptable. This control chart is used for characteristics that can be measured on a continuous scale. That includes such things as weight, temperature, thickness and so forth. It is, however, rarely used alone and is often coupled with an R-chart, which is used to determine the stability and predictability of a process.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

Total quality management is an approach to quality control that aims for long-term success by providing customers with satisfaction. The customer comes first and employees must own quality control for their part in the production. This is fostered through the creation and implementation of processes that find successful products and then repeat them. It also looks at system integration to streamline processes. It’s data-driven and is constantly seeking ways to improve.

Statistical Quality Control (SQC)

This method uses statistical data , such as sampling and probability, for quality control. First, a unit of the final product is sampled and tested to determine if the standards for quality have been met. The sample size can be increased to represent more products. Process sampling is also employed with a control chart to map the changes in manufacturing. This identifies tolerable limits in product variations and leads to discovering problems that will be addressed through corrective measures.

Taguchi Method

This quality control method is based on research and development, product designs and reducing defects and failures in the manufacturing process . Developed by the Japanese engineer and statistician Genichi Taguchi, this method focuses more on design than the manufacturing process when dealing with quality control. It aims to remove variances in production before they happen.

Quality Control Roles

While everyone is often employed to maintain the quality of their piece of the larger manufacturing production, specific roles are dedicated to quality control. Let’s look at three of the pivotal roles of quality control.

Quality Manager

This is a supervisory role, one that oversees the product development processes to make sure they’re meeting the quality and efficiency standards that have been set by the company and any regulatory groups. The quality manager works with clients to ensure the final product meets their needs and requirements.

Quality Inspector

Under the quality manager will be a quality inspector who is responsible for making sure the manufactured products meet requirements from the company, regulators, customers, etc. They do this by testing products with tools and making sure the final product follows the guidelines that were developed by the company to ensure the product is safe and meets the needs of the customer without flaws.

Quality Engineer

Sometimes referred to as a QA engineer, QC engineer or senior quality specialist, a quality engineer works to ensure the overall quality of the manufactured product. They’ll test processes, monitor quality standards, create documentation , devise quality tests and define criteria that those tests should meet. They’re also responsible for fixing any problems they might find. They work with design teams, suppliers, manufacturing teams and customers to make sure the products produced are safe, reliable and meet customer expectations.

ProjectManager Helps With Quality Management

All of these quality control roles closely monitor the production processes and work to streamline them for greater efficiency while meeting quality standards. ProjectManager is online project management software that can do this in real time so you can respond to defects faster and resolve them quickly.

Automate Workflow to Streamline Production

Keeping teams focused on the important work ensures greater quality. Our workflow automation allows you to make a trigger that sets an action such as changing the tag, assignee and more instantly. To ensure that quality moves forward in the production line, set task approvals. Now before a status changes, the work is sent to a person with authority to approve it, ensuring quality control.

Manage Risk and Track Issues

Knowing what might go wrong and having a plan to identify and resolve those issues is the basis of risk management. Our risk management feature allows you to track all risks in one place, assess their impact and likelihood, assign an owner and much more. This allows you to manage risks to your production and avoid unexpected impacts on your scope, cost and delivery. Display risk cards showing priority, assignee, and response and add attachments and comments in real time.

Quality control managers can access customizable reports to get details on production and share updates with stakeholders. Our collaborative platform connects everyone across departments to foster better communication, which helps identify and resolve quality issues better. Our tool helps you plan your manufacturing, manage your resources and maintain the quality your customers want.

Related Content

• Project Quality Management: A Quick Guide
• What Is Quality Planning & Why Is It Important?
• How to Handle Time, Cost & Quality in Project Management
• Meeting Quality Targets on Projects
• Production Planning in Manufacturing: Best Practices for Production Plans

ProjectManager is award-winning software that helps you plan, manage and track quality control. Use multiple project views to allow everyone to work on the tools they want while sharing real-time data for better collaboration and decision-making. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

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Home — Essay Samples — Information Science and Technology — Computer Software — Quality assurance (QA)and Quality Control (QC) in Software Testing

Quality Assurance (qa)and Quality Control (qc) in Software Testing

• Categories: Computer Software

About this sample

Words: 2153 |

11 min read

Published: Oct 2, 2018

Words: 2153 | Pages: 5 | 11 min read

Table of contents

Introduction.

• • Less use of quality standards
• • Lack of specialists
• • Project durations
• • Compromise on quality due to less profit
• • Developer’s attitude
• • Team formation for requirements gathering
• - Focuses on actual testing.
• - Process-oriented activities.
• - Product-oriented activities.
• - Preventive activities.
• - It is a corrective process.
• - It is a preventive process.
• - It is a subset of Software Test Life Cycle (STLC).
• - QC can be considered as the subset of Quality Assurance.
• - Testing is the subset of Quality Control.

Verification Validation

Software testing hierarchy, software quality assurances, software quality assurance activities.

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Essay on quality control (with diagram)| products.

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Read this article to learn about Quality Control. After reading this article you will learn about:- 1. Definition of Quality Control 2. Objectives of Quality Control 3. Principles 4. Functions 5. Phases 6. Advantages.

• Essay on the Advantages of Quality Control

Essay # 1. Definition of Quality Control :

According to Alford and Beatly quality control is that “Industrial management technique or group of techniques by means of which products of uniform acceptable quality are manufactured.”

So quality control determines what, when and how much to inspect and what steps should be taken so that defectives are not produced i.e. it is concerned with making things right rather than discovering and rejecting those made wrong. Thus it is preventive and not a corrective action.

Quality control may be defined as “the systematic control of those variables encountered in a manufacturing process which affect the excellence of the product.” Such variables may result from the application of 5 Ms i.e. Men, Machines, Materials, Manufacturing techniques and Money required for acquiring these four inputs.

According to Norman Gaither contrary to popular perception, quality control does not start after the items/goods/products are produced. Rather, it begins much before the goods and services are delivered to consumers. As shown in Fig. 9.1 at the initiation of production system, raw materials, components parts and other inputs must be of acceptable quality before they are allowed to be utilized.

Materials must possess the requisite specifications such as weight, strength surface finish, chemical contents and other characteristics.

Further as the inputs of the production system advance through production processes, the quality of these partly finished items is monitored to identify whether the system is operating on the expected lines. Thus monitoring is essential for operating managers to take corrective action before poor quality products and services are produced.

Hence finished products and services are inspected to determine their acceptability.

In other words it may be defined as that function or collection of various duties which must be performed throughout the organization in order that products are made to measure upto specifications determined from consumers demands or achieve its quality objective or other way round quality is every body’s business and not only of inspection personnel.

Essay # 2. Objectives of Quality Control :

The fundamental purpose of quality control is to maintain the quality standard of the manufactured items/products at optimum cost.

However, some important quality control objectives are as follows:

(1) To decide about the standards of quality that are readily acceptable to the customer/consumer and economical to achieve and maintain.

(2) To carefully observe and analyse the extent of quality deviation in product/part/component from the predetermined standards of quality of the product during manufacture and to determine the causes of such deviation, when it cannot be attributed to chance causes.

(3) To apply corrective measures to achieve the real goal of quality control.

(4) To avoid as far as possible items reaching the customer which are of lower quality standard than considered acceptable.

(5) To take different measures to improve the product quality or checking the quality from dropping below the designed level during manufacture.

Essay # 3. Principles of Quality Control:

The principles of quality control which govern the manufacturing system are as follows:

(1) Under the present competitive manufacturing conditions quality of the goods being manufactured is a variable having upward trend.

(2) The quality control increases the sales volume and decreases the cost of production, distribution and hence makes mass production economical.

(3) The conformance of finished products to the pre-decided standards and specifications should be accomplished by using preventive measures instead of following corrective ones.

Essay # 4. Functions of Quality Control Department :

The quality control department in the organization is represented by its head may be quality controller or quality control engineer. He has to perform following functions:

(1) Advises the organization/management about inspection and quality control policy formulation/or modification.

(2) Decides inspection standards in the light of design tolerances.

(3) Drafts the departmental budget and controls the operating expenses.

(4) Supervises the departmental activities.

(5) Participates as advisor in the top management meetings concerning the production distribution and marketing of the product.

(6) Selects inspection points required for achieving the desired quality levels.

(7) Selects inspection gauges, tools and equipment’s, also ensures that these are maintained in good working conditions.

(8) Collaborates with sampling regarding the choice of statistical quality control techniques/charts to be adopted.

(9) Decides whether sampling inspection or 100% inspection to be adopted for achieving decided quality levels.

(10) Collaborates with statisticians on designing the efficient sampling plans for quality control purposes.

Essay # 5. Phases of Quality Control :

In the words of A.Y. Fegorbaum, “Quality control is an effective system for integrating the quality development, quantity maintenance and quality improvement efforts of the various groups in an organization, so as to enable production of goods and services at the most economical levels which allow full customer satisfaction.”

Thus quality control system consists of the following phases:

Policy of the Organization towards Quality Control of Their Products:

Such policy is generally formulated by the top management of the company as it is dependent upon inter-related factors. The characteristics of the product like price, durability, dependability, appearance and size are the determining factors of quality standards. So the main consideration is the attitude of the product market for the different levels of the quality of product.

Quality and Product Design :

The quality standards provide guidance to designers while suggesting or prescribing the nature of raw materials, manufacturing techniques and other service requirements in order to produce the items/goods of desired standards. Thus standards provide basis for quality control.

In process Quality Control or Quality Control during Manufacturing Cycle:

The following are important stages where quality control techniques can be applied during the course of manufacturing process.

(i) Input materials inspection stage i.e., in coming raw materials/semi-finished/finished parts or components are inspected.

(ii) Product inspection during manufacturing and control/rectification of the process, if needed.

(iii) Inspection and control of the final product.

Thus the quality control techniques try to screen out those products which do not conform to quality standards and suggest corrective action required. Sometimes quality control studies suggest necessity of revision of quality standards or design changes in the product.

Control in Distribution, Installation During and After Sales Use:

The real user of the product is the customer and he should feel satisfied with the performance of the product. So quality control function should be active even after distribution, installation and post-sales use of the product in order to generate the confidence of the consumer in the product.

Essay # 6. Advantages of Quality Control:

The advantages of quality control are listed below:

(1) Quality control may lead to quality improvement of the product which in turn increases sales volume.

(2) It reduces the inspection cost.

(3) Quality control reduces scrap, rejections and rework, thus reducing wastage. So the cost of manufacturing is reduced.

(4) Good quality of the product improves reputation of the enterprise.

(5) Leads to manufacturer and consumer relations improvement.

(6) Results in improvement of technical knowledge and collection of engineering data for process development and manufacturing design thus leading to cost reduction and product standardization.

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Essay , Industry , Products , Industrial Engineering , Quality Control

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Quality Control Issues in Production Report

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Introduction

Bethesda softworks and fallout 76, primary quality control issues, consequences and challenges, conclusions, recommendations, reference list.

Quality control is an essential part of production, as it is the stage that guarantees that the customers receive a satisfactory product or service. It is challenging to evaluate every use case that can be created thoroughly with the limited resources of a company department. However, an inferior product can severely damage a company’s reputation and lead customers to turn to its competitors for following purchases. Therefore, the procedure should be carried out thoroughly and efficiently if a company wants to maintain its sustainability. This report investigates the influence of poor quality control on the recent product created by Bethesda Softworks, Fallout 76 , and the lessons that can be learned from its failure.

Bethesda Softworks is a well-known videogame publisher that has released numerous critically acclaimed titles in the past. It is primarily known for two action role-playing game franchises that it owns, The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. As the newest entry in a highly popular and well-established series, Fallout 76 could have expected a high degree of success even if it did not completely match the standards set by previous entries. However, this was not the case, and as the data provided by Morgans (2018) shows, the game was a large-scale failure. While one can identify numerous issues that combined to severely damage the commercial success of the product, its poor quality, as well as that of the services surrounding it, should be considered the primary causes.

The game itself is full of issues such as bugs and performance concerns. Ramsey (2018) describes the state of the game at its launch as embarrassing, noting that the severe stuttering is the primary concern. Bethesda has somewhat improved the performance of the game with continuous patches since its release, but the developers have not been able to address all of the bugs and glitches. One of the more recent stories, as described by Dellinger (2019), is that a main feature of the game, as well as one of its most significant selling points, stopped working because the year has changed. Numerous other issues are also still present, and many of them can severely and negatively affect player experience.

However, the services that Bethesda has created to support its newest game have been the subject of numerous controversies, as well. Petite (2018) names two different stories: the fake canvas bags advertising and the personal information leak. The first involved an expensive special edition of the game, which was stated by the publisher to include a canvas bag but shipped with a thin nylon variant that did not look like the advertisement.

Bethesda initially refused to provide compensation when the issue was discovered but was forced to change its position and offer replacement bags later. This incident directly led to the second controversy, as special edition buyers were asked to enter their data and submit proof of purchase to the Bethesda website, which accidentally made the data publicly available for a long enough duration of time that the public was able to notice. The list of scandals does not end here, but these two are the primary examples of poor quality control by Bethesda.

The actions of the company’s employees have at times been ill-considered, as well. Webb (2018) describes the story of how the company had banned a considerable number of players, essentially removing their ability to utilise the product they had bought, over a potentially non-existent issue, and made the situation worse with patronising emails to those affected. Arif (2018) describes the low-quality fix that was intended to allow the game to support ultrawide monitors but resulted in a solution that was deemed inferior to a third-party alternative by the community. Overall, it appears that the teams responsible for the development and quality control for the game are not sufficiently committed to the task.

The choices of partners who produced various Fallout merchandise were associated with their scandals. Kain (2018) describes how the “Nuka Rum” bottles offered by Bethesda as a collector’s item ended up disappointing the buyers due to their low quality despite the high price. Not only was the design subpar, as the bottle was a standard variety that was hidden in a plastic shell, but the case also interfered with pouring. While the rum’s production was outsourced to another company, Bethesda should have been responsible for ensuring that the final product matches a set of standards that justifies its price. On its own, the situation would not have been particularly notable, but it shows how shallow the quality control was for Fallout 76 and everything associated with the product.

It is possible to identify three central issues related to quality control during the production of Fallout 76: a lack of time in which to conduct the procedures, insufficient quality standards and lacking employee engagement. The game was announced in May 2018 and released in October 2018, and the variety of issues described above that plagued it strongly implies that the game was rushed and did not go through all of the necessary quality control procedures. Ramsey (2018) also notes that many of the bugs observed in Fallout 76 have also been present in the company’s previous titles, which use the same fundamental engine, suggesting that Bethesda’s quality assurance negligence is a long-time trait. Some of these issues can be traced to the industry as a whole.

Shorter development times, which result in lower overall quality, have become a trait of many game publishers, particularly large ones. Von Wolfersdorf (2015) describes the reduction in game development cycle times and its negative influence on the overall quality. He notes that while achieving superior speed and quality at the same time should not be considered impossible, it is a challenging task that requires considerable research.

Modern large developers appear to be disregarding research and quality in favour of faster production and relying on brand strength to sell their product, which ultimately negatively affects their performance in the long term. It is possible that this behaviour was also the case for Bethesda and Fallout 76 , and the public may perceive it in that manner.

The issue with general standards is more endemic to Bethesda, but their earlier games were able to pass the scrutiny of critics and players and become known as masterpieces despite the issues. Another factor is responsible for the general decrease in developer factors. According to Sandqvist (2015), it is the recent tendency to release games in an ‘early access’ state, where people can access and play the game as it is being developed and serve as testers while funding production by purchasing the product.

Due to this idea, early access games tend to be severely underdeveloped and attract consumers based on the strength of its concept, brand, or marketing. The approach can be a target for criticism, as it allows videogame companies to extract profits without offering a finished, complete product, and some games, even popular ones, end up never leaving the stage.

Lastly, low employee engagement may also be an industry-wide issue. According to Milner (2018), there is often not enough time to finish a game, which forces developers to work overtime and make mistakes due to overwork and exhaustion. As videogame creation is an artistic occupation already and requires passion and dedication for success, the strain tends to demand more from a person, leading to greater exhaustion and lower engagement. In light of Fallout 76 ’s unfavourable reception even before its release, it is possible that the employees who were working on the project were not motivated to perform to the best of their abilities, as they realised the impossibility of their task.

Fallout 76 is most likely a failure in terms of sales due to its poor publicity, as the data mentioned above show. Bethesda Softworks is privately owned, so information about the company’s financial state is not available, but it is highly unlikely that the company was able to make a significant profit. However, it is also possible that Fallout 76 did not cost much to make, as according to Strickland (2018), it may have reused assets from previous Bethesda Softworks games.

Nevertheless, it is possible that the company is going to have to accelerate the release of its next game to maintain its financial position. The increased speed is likely to reduce the quality of the following product, potentially pulling the company into a loop of rushed games that keep failing.

The more important consequence of the low quality of Fallout 76 is the poor reception of the game by consumers, both those loyal to Bethesda and new ones. Both categories of customers participated in the backlash against the game as well as Bethesda itself (Asarch 2018), and the negativity only grew throughout the controversies that followed the release. For a company like Bethesda, which maintains its success based on a devoted base of fans that are willing to forgive some missteps, this reaction may mean that the publisher may have lost a considerable part of that trust. Now, it is going to have to apply significant effort to regain the positive image it has held up until the release of Fallout 76.

The failure of Fallout 76 has been caused by a combination of different factors, the most prominent of which is the poor quality control by Bethesda Softworks. The lack of assurance measures is also a composite concern, as the company’s culture is responsible for a significant part of it. However, the particular failure of Fallout 76 can also be linked to Bethesda’s attempt to follow industry trends such as shorter development cycles and early access releases. Both practices tend to considerably lower the quality of the product as a result, a fact that the publisher was able to experience first-hand. Due to the underwhelming sales and the lost customer trust that resulted from the Fallout 76 release, Bethesda Softworks now has to release its next game faster to recoup the losses, but cannot risk making a subpar product, as that would ruin its reputation.

As described above, it is likely that Bethesda Softworks has largely sacrificed quality control in favour of increased production speed and lowered costs while creating Fallout 76 . A complete overhaul of the system may be necessary, one that would return the creation of superior products to the forefront. Bethesda Softworks does not have any stakeholders, as it is privately owned, but in more general cases, video game company stakeholders tend to distance themselves from the process and require economic growth. As the specifics of Bethesda’s quality control procedures are unknown, and the only information the report can work with are its results from the company’s games, the recommendations will include a complete overhaul on the system based on scholarly research into its most effective models. Furthermore, the suggestions will be limited to the topic of this report and only cover quality control improvements.

Overall Framework

The general approach to the creation of new products for a company should incorporate attention to every detail and level of production with the intent to maximise quality. Mandava and Bach (2015) call this method ‘total quality management’ and separate it into a set of factors: employee empowerment, management commitment, customer satisfaction and employee training. All four should be taken into account and addressed during changes, and if the idea is implemented correctly, the company’s culture should change.

The new approach would involve the commitment of every employee, including the managers, to delivering the best possible product to consumers, allowing the production team itself to carry out a part of the quality control team’s duties during its work and simplifying the process by reducing the number of significant redesigns.

While the approach described above is somewhat idealistic, frameworks that attempt to put it into action can be implemented. Androniceanu (2017) describes a three-dimensional method that separates total quality management into three dimensions: technical, social and economic. In turn, each of the aspects is defined by three primary factors. Quality is present in each of the groups, and the other two are standards and technical characteristics, price and terms and product parameters and costs for the technical, social and economic spheres respectively. Improving the two other metrics in a group will consequently upgrade the overall quality of the product, allowing a company to evaluate which contributing factors are lacking and respond with appropriate changes.

Quality Improvement

Maintaining the level of quality that is expected of the company is essential to its sustainability, but it can lead to stagnation if continuous improvement is not present. A company should keep improving itself to keep up with the evolution of the market and remain competitive. According to Jammal, Khoja and Aziz (2015), Six Sigma methods may be appropriate for the purpose in the current framework, as they are compatible with total quality management guidelines. The core concepts of Six Sigma include factual management, rational leadership, continuous improvement and employee partnership. The approach is generally employed in other industries, but its nature makes it broadly applicable, and implementing it in a video game company would most likely result in significant benefits.

While Six Sigma approaches are not commonly employed in the video game industry, one can inspect the broader software creation field for examples and ideas. Roy and Samaddar (2015) provide an example of significant reductions in the numbers of software defects such as bugs after a successful implementation of the policies and note the contrast with prior disorganised quality improvements initiatives, which did not have a considerable effect. This utility is particularly relevant for a company like Bethesda, whose products are known for their tendency to have large numbers of bugs. The rarity of the approach in the industry serves as an additional incentive, as the company would gain a competitive edge.

Capability Management

It is impossible to manufacture a product that fulfils the expectation of the consumers and guarantees a high level of quality in a reasonable time frame if the team sets unrealistic goals. According to Gach (2018), Bethesda Softworks’s Todd Howard made a number of unrealistic promises, which mostly went unfulfilled, during the game’s initial presentation. Quality control initiatives cannot introduce features that are not already present in some form, but its role is also to ensure that the product matches the expectations set by the marketing team. As such, it is vital to set realistic goals and to take the abilities of the employees and the remaining time and resources into consideration.

However, estimating the difficulty and resource requirements of different projects and approaches, especially ones that arise suddenly during the development process, is a challenging task. According to Politowski et al. (2016), delays, unrealistic scope and a lack of documentation are the primary problems in game development. One way to solve the issue would be to adopt a rigidly structured approach that would allow a company to accurately evaluate the time and resources necessary to implement a feature or fix an issue. The establishment of such a system would require significant effort, as the capabilities of the company would have to be documented in detail, but the benefits would be considerable and immediately noticeable.

Androniceanu, A 2017, ‘The three-dimensional approach of total quality management, an essential strategic option for business excellence’, Amfiteatru Economic , vol. 19, no. 44, pp. 61-78.

Arif, S 2018, ‘ Fallout 76’s new ultrawide mode comes under fire from players ’, IGN. Web.

Asarch, S 2018, ‘’ Fallout 76′ is bad: disappointment spreads among some fans online ’, Newsweek. Web.

Dellinger, AJ 2019, ‘ ‘Fallout 76’ bug disabled nukes on New Year’s Day ’, Engadget. Web.

Gach, E 2018, ‘ Fallout 76’s multiplayer: the promise vs. the reality ’, Kotaku . Web.

Jammal, M, Khoja, S & Aziz, AA 2015, ‘Total quality management revival and six sigma’, International Journal of Computer Applications , vol. 119, no. 8, pp. 1-5.

Kain, E 2018, ‘ ‘Fallout 76’ fans have every right to be upset over $80 plastic ‘Nuka Rum ‘ bottles’, Forbes. Web.

Mandava, T & Bach, C 2015, ‘Total quality management and its contributing factors in organizations’, Journal of Multidisciplinary Engineering Science and Technology , vol. 2, no. 12, pp. 3504-3510.

Milner, D 2018, ‘Crunch: the video game industry’s notorious labor problem’ , Game Informer. Web.

Morgans, M 2018, ‘ UK launch sales for Fallout 76 down 80% from Fallout 4 ’, VGR . Web.

Petite, S 2018, ‘ ‘Fallout 76’: everything you need to know ’, Digital Trends. Web.

Politowski, C, de Vargas, D, Fontoura, LM & Foletto, AA 2016, ‘Software engineering processes in game development: a survey about Brazilian developers’ experiences’, in Proceedings of SBGames 2016 , Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, pp. 154-161.

Ramsey, R 2018, ‘ Hands on: Fallout 76’s PS4 performance is embarrassing in 2018 ’, Push Square. Web.

Roy, S & Samaddar, S 2015, ‘To reduce defect in software development: a Six Sigma approach’, in S Arsovski, L Miodrag & M Stefanović (eds), 9th International Quality Conference , University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, pp. 345-351.

Sandqvist, U 2015, ‘The games they are a changin’: new business models and transformation within the video game industry’, Humanities and Social Sciences Latvia , vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 4-20.

Strickland, D 2018, ‘ Fallout 76 may use Fallout 4 assets, engine, and cut content ’, Tweak Town. Web.

von Wolfersdorf, FF 2015, ‘ Cycle time reduction and product quality in PC and video game development ’, Master of Science Thesis, Eindhoven University of Technology. Web.

Webb, K 2018, ‘ ‘It’s insulting’: players barred for cheating in ‘Fallout 76’ are being told to write an essay to reclaim their account’ , Business Insider. Web.

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What Is Quality Control (QC)?

• Understanding QC
• Difference With Quality Assurance

The Bottom Line

• Business Essentials

Quality Control: What It Is, How It Works, and QC Careers

Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA, is a financial writer with 15+ years Wall Street experience as a derivatives trader. Besides his extensive derivative trading expertise, Adam is an expert in economics and behavioral finance. Adam received his master's in economics from The New School for Social Research and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in sociology. He is a CFA charterholder as well as holding FINRA Series 7, 55 & 63 licenses. He currently researches and teaches economic sociology and the social studies of finance at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Yarilet Perez is an experienced multimedia journalist and fact-checker with a Master of Science in Journalism. She has worked in multiple cities covering breaking news, politics, education, and more. Her expertise is in personal finance and investing, and real estate.

Quality control (QC) is a process through which a business seeks to ensure that product quality is maintained or improved. Quality control requires the company to create an environment where management and employees strive for perfection. This is done by training personnel, creating benchmarks for product quality, and testing products to check for statistically significant variations.

A significant aspect of quality control is the establishment of well-defined controls . These controls help standardize both production and reactions to quality issues. Limiting room for error by specifying which production activities are to be completed by which personnel reduces the chance that employees will be involved in tasks for which they do not have adequate training.

Key Takeaways

• Quality control (QC) is a process through which a business seeks to ensure that product quality is maintained or improved.
• Quality control involves testing units and determining if they are within the specifications for the final product.
• The quality control used in a business is highly dependent on the product or industry, and several techniques exist for measuring quality.
• The food industry uses quality control methods to ensure customers do not get sick from their products.
• Quality control creates safe measures that can be implemented to make sure deficient or damaged products do not end up with customers.

Ryan Oakley / Investopedia

Understanding Quality Control (QC)

Quality control involves testing units and determining if they are within the specifications for the final product. The purpose of the testing is to determine any need for corrective actions in the manufacturing process. Good quality control helps companies meet consumer demands for better products.

Why Is QC Needed?

Creating a product is costly, time-consuming, and can be unsafe without controls in place. Additionally, if a company sends defective products out for purchase, it could be held liable for injuries or issues that arise from using its products. Quality control inspectors ensure that defective or unsafe products are identified , and the causes are corrected.

How Is It Done?

Quality testing is generally completed in each step of a manufacturing or business process. Employees often begin by testing raw materials , pulling samples from the manufacturing line, and testing the finished product. Testing at the various stages of manufacturing helps identify where a production problem is occurring and the remedial steps it requires to prevent it in the future.

In a non-manufacturing business, quality testing can involve customer service evaluations, questionnaires, surveys, inspections, or audits. A business can use any process or method to verify that its end product or service meets the customer's needs and is safe and legal.

QC Is Different by Industry

The quality control used in a business is highly dependent on the product or industry. For example, in food and drug manufacturing, quality control includes ensuring the product does not make a consumer sick, so the company performs chemical and microbiological testing of samples from the production line.

In aircraft manufacturing, quality control and assurance is of the utmost importance. Manufacturers are required to document, track, inspect, and reinspect all items and phases of a build to build evidence that everything is completed to very strict standards.

In automobile manufacturing, quality control focuses on parts meeting specifications and tolerances. QC ensures engines, drive trains, and other mechanical parts operate smoothly, efficiently, safely, and as designed.

In electronics, quality testing might involve using meters that measure the flow of electricity and stress testing.

Quality Control vs. Quality Assurance

Quality control and quality assurance are terms often used to define the same thing, but there are distinct differences. Quality control focuses on quality requirements, such as ensuring a part meets specifications. Quality assurance refers to the sum of all actions and processes needed to demonstrate that quality requirements are fulfilled.

What this difference means for quality professionals is that as you move through a quality control career, you might transition from quality control to quality assurance. Quality control is part of quality assurance, which consists of programs and departments that assure upper-level management, customers, and government inspectors that products meet all quality requirements and safety standards .

Quality Control Methods

There are several methods quality control uses to communicate and track inspections and issues. For instance, a quality control chart is a graphic that depicts whether sampled products or processes are meeting their intended specifications—and, if not, the degree by which they vary from those specifications.

When one chart analyzes a specific product attribute, it is called a univariate chart. A chart that measures variances in several product attributes is called a multivariate chart. Tracking variances allows businesses to see how many defects per production unit they produce and what types of defects are occurring. Here are a few examples of some methods used.

X-Bar Chart

Randomly selected products are tested for the given attributes the chart is tracking. A common form of a quality control chart is the X-bar chart, where the y-axis on the graph tracks the degree to which the variance of the tested attribute is acceptable. The x-axis tracks the samples tested. Analyzing the variance pattern on this chart helps you determine if defects are occurring randomly or systematically.

Taguchi Method

The Taguchi Method of quality control is another approach that emphasizes the roles of research and development, product design, and product development in reducing the occurrence of defects and failures in products. The Taguchi Method considers design more important than the manufacturing process in quality control and tries to eliminate variances in production before they can occur.

100% Inspection Method

This 100% inspection method is a quality control process involving looking at and assessing all product parts. This type of quality control is done to rule out flaws in products. This method is often used to evaluate valuable metals. The 100% inspection method calls for data about the manufacturing process and software to analyze inventory.

The challenge of using this method is that looking at every single item used to build a product is expensive and could destabilize or render the product unusable. For example, if you use this method to examine organic strawberries, you risk damaging the berries, rendering them unsellable.

Quality control methods help standardize production and reactions to quality issues in various industries, from food production to automobile manufacturing.

Quality Control Careers

Quality control can be a rewarding career if you enjoy working with people, communicating, presenting results, and working to make products better and safer. To become a quality control inspector, you'll need (depending on the industry):

• A high school diploma for entry-level positions
• A bachelor's degree, depending on the industry
• Experience in an industry
• Licenses and certifications for some industries and businesses

Other qualities that are necessary for quality control professionals are:

• Attention to detail
• Mechanical and math skills
• Physical abilities and strength
• Technical skills
• Performance under pressure

Career Path

The route to a career in quality control and assurance varies by industry, so there may be differences. However, you'll generally need several years of experience in your industry. Typically, you begin by being hired as a quality assurance or control associate after meeting educational and work experience requirements.

Once you gain work experience as a quality specialist or associate, you may move into a senior specialist position and begin managing teams of quality control specialists. You may attend professional development courses sponsored by your employer or be required to gain certifications such as Six Sigma. You might also need to earn a professional designation such as Certified Quality Inspector.

Moving up the career path, you have more options. You may be able to choose from or be selected to be a:

• QA Systems Manager
• QA Operations Manager
• QA Compliance Manager

These positions can lead up to upper-level management or executive levels within quality control:

• Director of Quality
• Head of Compliance
• Vice President of Quality

Quality Control Salaries

The average pay for quality control professionals differs by industry, experience, and position. Pay increases as you gain more experience and move into management positions. As of May 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports average salaries as:

• Professional, scientific and technical services: $48,680
• Manufacturing: $46,390
• Wholesale trade: $43,880
• Administrative and support services: $35,940

What Does Quality Control Mean?

Quality control means how a company measures product quality and improves it if need be. Quality control can be done in many ways, from testing products, reviewing manufacturing processes, and creating benchmarks. This is all done to monitor significant variations in a product.

What Are the 4 Types of Quality Control?

There are several methods of quality control. These include an x-bar chart, Six Sigma, 100% inspection mode, and the Taguchi Method.

Why Is Quality Control Important?

Quality control ensures that defective goods do not go out to the public. Companies that have quality control methods in place often have employees who pay close attention to their work.

In food and drug manufacturing, quality control prevents products that make customers sick, and in manufacturing, quality control can ensure that accidents don't happen when people use a product.

What Are 3 Examples of Quality Control?

Three examples of quality control could be in the food industry; overseeing the ingredient specifications, reviewing supplier lists, and ensuring the facility where the food product is made is sanitary.

Having quality control in place within a business helps ensure product quality and the overall success of a business. The quality control environment influences employees' attitudes about the workplace and creates a sense of ownership of the products and company.

Quality control can be done in various ways, from training personnel to creating data-driven tools to test products and set standards. Quality control methods help create a safe work environment and products that are safe to use and meet customers' needs. Additionally, it is a rewarding career for someone who enjoys investigating issues and improving outcomes.

American Society for Quality. " Quality Assurance & Quality Control ."

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. " How to Become a Quality Control Inspector ."

The Council for Six Sigma Certification (S.S.C.). " Six Sigma Certifications ."

American Society for Quality. " Quality Inspector Certification CQI ."

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Quality Control Inspectors | Pay ."

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