Chapter 20: Quality Assurance Flashcards
Def of quality
Produce a good or a service which meets customer expectations.
What do quality products help a business do
» establish a brand image
» build brand loyalty
» maintain a good reputation
» increase sales
» attract new customers.
What can happen if quality is not maintained
» lose customers to other brands
» have to replace faulty products or offer to repeat a service that was poor, which raises costs
» have customers who tell other people about their experiences and this will create a bad reputation, leading to lower sales and profit
Def of ‘Quality Control’
who does it use?
checking for quality at the end of the production process, whether it is the production of a product or
a service.
It uses quality inspectors as a way of finding any faults.
What did the quality inspectors try to stop (2 functions)
Try to eliminate errors before they occurred
Find any defective products before they went out of the factory to customers.
How did the quality inspectors check for quality
what happened if defected products were found
Take samples at regular intervals to check for errors
A whole batch of production might have to be scrapped or reworked.
What is a ‘mystery customer’
A customer who is used to test out the good/service to check if quality is as expected
Adv of quality control
Tries to eliminate faults or errors before the customer receives the product or service.
» Less training is required for the workers as inspectors are employed to check quality.
Drawbacks of quality control
» Expensive as inspectors need to be paid to check the product or service.
» Identifies faulty products but DOESNT FIND WHY THE FAULT HAS OCCURED and therefore is difficult to solve the problem.
» High costs if products have to be scrapped or reworked or service repeated.
What is quality assurance
checking for quality standards throughout the production process by employees, whether it is the production of a product or a service.
Aim of quality assurance
Make sure that the customer is satisfied
achieving greater sales
increased added value
increased profits
Whos support must quality assurance system have
The workforces
Adv of quality assurance
Tries to eliminate faults or errors at all stages of production before passing on to the next stage.
» There are fewer customer complaints.
» Reduced costs if products do not have to be scrapped or reworked or service repeated.
Drawback of quality assurance
» Expensive to train employees to check the quality of their own work at each stage of production.
» Relies on employees being committed to maintaining the standards set
Full form of TQM
what is it
Total quality management - one method of implementing quality assurance. It is the continuous improvement of products and processes by focusing on quality at each and every stage of production.
What does TQM aim to do
Get the product/service right on the first attempt. Have zero faults
What is there an emphasis on at TQM
who are the customers
Making sure the customer is satisfied.
Customer doesn’t only have to be end customer. Can also be other people/departments your work is going to.
Which production method is TQM linked to
Kaizen
What are quality cirlces (TQM)
groups of workers meet regularly and discuss problems and possible solutions.
Workers are encouraged to suggest new ideas to reduce waste and ensure zero defects.
Adv of TQM
» Quality is built into every part of the production of a product or service and becomes central to the ethos of all employees.
» It eliminates all faults or errors before the customer receives the product or service as it has a ‘right first time’ approach.
» No customer complaints and so brand image is improved – leading to higher sales.
» Reduced costs as products do not have to be scrapped or reworked or service repeated.
» Waste is removed and efficiency increases.
Disadv of TQM
» It is expensive to train all employees to check the product or service.
» Relies on ALL employees following TQM ideology and
accepting responsibility for quality.
Rank the quality systems from best to worst
Best - TQM
then Quality Assurance
worst - Quality control
