QUALITY
INSPECTION
It
is the act of monitoring or observing, (usually
involving sampling
and related sampling plans),
a process,
procedure, or service to insure compliance with the
operational
definition
and to insure that all customer
requirements
or internal prerequisites are meet. These activities may include the
collecting data using stratified
sampling
from the item being inspected. Usually execute by the QA,
(quality
assurance),
departments, but not always. Typically employs the use of a control
charts
using collected data to evaluate the process using statistical
process control.
It may also require gauge
R&R
to guarantee that results are consistent and reliable
between the measurement device and the person doing the inspection.
Quality Inspections can use discrete/attribute
data
or variable
data
in the measurements.
Quality
Assurance
Quality
assurance is the process of verifying or determining whether products
or services meet or exceed customer expectations. Quality assurance
is a process-driven approach with specific steps to help define and
attain goals. This process considers design, development, production,
and service.
The most popular tool used to determine quality
assurance is the Shewhart Cycle, developed by Dr. W. Edwards Deming.
This cycle for quality assurance consists of four steps: Plan,
Do,
Check,
and Act.
These steps are commonly abbreviated as PDCA.
The four quality assurance steps within the
PDCA model stand for:
- Plan: Establish objectives and processes required to deliver the desired results.
- Do: Implement the process developed.
- Check: Monitor and evaluate the implemented process by testing the results against the predetermined objectives
- Act: Apply actions necessary for improvement if the results require changes.
PDCA is an effective method for monitoring
quality assurance because it analyzes existing conditions and methods
used to provide the product or service customers. The goal is to
ensure that excellence is inherent in every component of the process.
Quality assurance also helps determine whether the steps used to
provide the product or services are appropriate for the time and
conditions. In addition, if the PDCA cycle is repeated throughout the
lifetime of the product or service, it helps improve internal company
efficiency.
Quality assurance demands a degree of detail in
order to be fully implemented at every step. Planning,
for example, could include investigation into the quality of the raw
materials used in manufacturing, the actual assembly, or the
inspection processes used. The Checking
step could include customer feedback, surveys, or other marketing
vehicles to determine if customer needs are being exceeded and why
they are or are not. Acting
could mean a total revision in the manufacturing process in order to
correct a technical or cosmetic flaw.
Competition to provide specialized products and
services results in breakthroughs as well as long-term growth and
change. Quality assurance verifies that any customer offering,
regardless if it is new or evolved is produced and offered with the
best possible materials, in the most comprehensive way, with the
highest standards. The goal to exceed customer expectations in a
measurable and accountable process is provided by quality assurance.
Quality
Circles
A
Quality Circle
is a volunteer group composed of workers (or even students) who meet
to discuss workplace improvement, and make presentations to
management with their ideas, especially relating to quality of output
in order to improve the performance of the organization, and motivate
and enrich the work of employees. Typical topics are improving
occupational safety and health, improving product design, and
improvement in manufacturing process. The ideal size of a quality
circle is from eight to ten members. Quality circles have the
advantage of continuity; the circle remains intact from project to
project.
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