Quality Managnent Flashcards
Definition of quality
• Quality is how well a product or service does what it was designed to do
• How well a car handles when it is driven
• How tasty and hot a cup of coffee is
• How well all the apps and features of a mobile phone work
• How well a gardener cuts the lawn
• Real quality is cons
What is quality control - detecting faulty output
• Quality control is the traditional way of managing quality
• Quality control is concerned with checking and reviewing work that has already been done
• For example, quality control includes: • Inspection
• Testing
• Sampling
• Quality control is mainly about “detecting” faulty output - rather than preventing it
• Quality control can also b
ExampleS of quality control
• May involve sampling or looking at data about the product to see if quality is consistent
• With quality control the quality is inspected into the product or service
Quality assurance- quality designed in
• Quality assurance is about how a business can design the way a product of service is produced or delivered to minimise the chances that output will be sub-standard
• The focus of quality assurance is, therefore on the product design/development stage
Quality assurance- quality built in
• Quality assurance builds quality into every stage of the production process, not left until the end
• Every worker is responsible for making sure that the work they do meets quality standards
Total quality management (TQM)
• TQM stands for Total Quality Management
• TQM is a management approach change in business culture that puts quality at the heart of everything in the business.
• In essence its “getting it right first time every time”
• It includes a customer concept that puts the customer first
TQM-reducing waste
• Quality management is intended to reduce wastage as well as increase the quality of the finished products
• TQM places the responsibility of quality with every employee in the business
• TQM includes Kaizen which means continuous improvement
TQM- impacts of inputs on quality
• Total quality means the business looks at all inputs, human resources, engineering, production, service, distribution, sales, finance, and their impact on the quality of all products or services that the business produces
TQM advantages
✓Not paying for inspectors ✓Empowered employees are
motivated (esteem needs met)
✓Improved quality therefore more satisfied customers
✓Enhanced reputation
✓Builds good partnerships with
suppliers
✓More involved workers
✓Less development time for new products
TQM disadvantages
Takes time to introduce
Some staff can be resistant to change Will cost to train staff
Defects may not be spotted until the end which can be expensive e.g. mobile phones
Quality circles
• A quality circle is a group of employees who meet on a regular basis to talk about quality problems that are relevant to the part of the production process that they work on
• They are joined by employees from engineering, sales and marketing and quality to make sure they are producing products that satisfy their customers
Quality circles- how it works
• Quality circles are part of Japanese manufacturing techniques
• Quality circles are usually 6-7 employees, with one coordinator
• All members ideas are listened to in the quality circle
• They look for solutions to problems such as; cost reduction, improved customer satisfaction, meeting a tight delivery schedule or reducing customer complaints
Kaizan- a Japanese approach to management
• Kaizen , or Continuous Improvement is a policy of constantly introducing small incremental changes in a business in order to improve quality and/or efficiency. The Western model is to make large one off improvements for example to install a new machine or deep clean of a kitchen.
Kaizan-improvements based on small changes
• Improvements are based on many, small changes rather than the radical changes that might arise from Research and Development
• As the ideas come from the workers themselves, they are less likely to be radically different, and therefore easier to implement
Kaizan- responsibility of every employee
• All employees should continually be seeking ways to improve their own performance
• It helps encourage workers to take ownership for their work, and can help reinforce team working, thereby improving worker motivation
