Quality Flashcards
what is quality
it is the standard of a product. it is different between consumers and producers
what are the factors of quality control
- only used by manufacturers
- inspectors check items at the end of production
- aims to clarify or remove flawed products before sale
what are the pros of quality control
-recycling the less quality products and selling them off at cheaper price
what are the cons of quality control
- wasted products
- inefficient as flaws aren’t found until nearer the end of the production
- testing may result in destroyed goods
what are the factors of quality assurance
- used by manufacturers
- operates during production and inspectors check at the end
- quality is known by staff all through training
- aims for no flawed products
what is the pros of quality assurance
- flaws are fixed when they occur
- reduce waste
- more efficient way of assessing quality
what are the cons of quality assurance
-staff participation and training essential which is expensive
what is quality management
this is the continual improvement method of assessing quality
what are the factors of quality management
- used by both manufacturers and service providers
- aim to get everything correct first time as no errors are allowed
- consumers needs and wants are superior
what are the pros of quality management
- every aspect is always considered
- sets high standard and improves quality
- focus on team work and search for improvement
what are the cons of quality management
- need commited staff
- regular training
- regular performance reviews
what is quality standards
the standard is a published and well known specification used as a guideline by the org
it has a sign of symbol which shows the standard is reached
what does the BSI (british standards institute) do
it identifies that the tested products meet the British, European and international standards
what are the advantages of achieving a standard with BSI
- customers are guaranteed quality
- symbol can be used as marketing
- allows higher price to be charged
what are the disadvantages of achieving a standard with BSI
- standard needs to be maintained
- record is needed to justify the continued awarding of standard
what is benchmarking
it compares business performance to the best performers in the industry
orgs can be benchmarked in different aspects of performance. what does this involve
- researching what customers class as the best org
- reviewing the benchmark to identify why they are successful
- applying techniques to improve performance
what are the advantages of benchmarking
- identifies the best practices
- improves performance
- competitiveness
- minimises business failure
what are the disadvantages of benchmarking
- costly to change practices
- time consuming to research
what is a quality circle
it involves groups of employees from different depts to meet and improve quality
what are the advantages of a quality circle
- staff empowerment
- staff share best practices
- improves staff skills
what are the disadvantages of a quality circle
- best people might not be in the circle
- takes time and money
- no guarantee that it will work
what is a mystery shopper
an appointed person who acts normal as a customer but then reports back after their experience
what are the advantages of a mystery shopper
- gives realistic feedback
- helps identify any weaknesses
- ensures complaints are taken correct
what are the disadvantages of a mystery shopper
- could be a bad day so doesn’t give normal practice
- costly and time
- could be bias as it is one reporter
how does improving quality input work
- better machinery means less flaws
- staff are trained well then good quality service
- reduces complains
how does technology support stock activities
- can order from supplier through internet
- barcodes etc helps organise
- customer reviews on social media
how does technology support the production process
- products are designed through cad
- special robots who do the same over and over
- lasers cut materials with precision
what are the advantages of machinery/technology
- product quality is consistent
- output amount is greater than labour
- robots don’t lose motivation
what are the disadvantages of technology/machinery
- staff training is expensive
- machines aren’t flexible
- problems could have a knock on effect
what ways can a organisation test their quality of products
quality circle quality control quality assurance quality management mystery shoppers bench marking
