quality Flashcards
quality management
When an organisation puts systems in place to ensure that all activities and tasks undertaken achieve a desired level of excellence
quality control
Quality control means that the finished products are checked by inspectors to see if they meet the set standard.
benefits of quality control
- reduces the chance of poor quality products reaching the consumer
- makes employees more conscious of the importance of quality
drawbacks of quality control
- reworking faulty products ties up time and money
- high wastage costs
quality assurance
Quality assurance means that quality checks are built into the production process.
benefits of quality assurance
- mistakes are identified quickly and addressed which reduces wastage
- everyone on the production line takes responsibility for delivering quality
drawbacks of quality assurance
- regular checks throughout the production process can be costly
- checking regularly can slow down production resulting in lower productivity
quality circle
a small groups of employees who meet regularly to discuss how to improve methods of working.
benefits of quality circles
- employees can feel more empowered and involved
- improves communication between employees and management
benchmarking
Identifies best practice in the market (the benchmark).
Benchmark standards are then adopted by the organisation.
benefits of benchmarking
- improves quality and makes the organisation more competitive
- can lead to the identification of other functions that could be improved
drawbacks of benchmarking
- time consuming to study and analysis competitors’ techniques
- might be difficult to find a suitable company to benchmark against
‘Quality Standards’
when the product reaches the required standard it can be awarded a quality logo.
‘CE Marking’
shows that a product meets EU safety, health or environmental standards and that it complies with EU legislation.
‘BSI Kitemark’
a quality trade mark which shows that products meet minimum standards of safety and quality.
