In QA System implementation, the product quality assurance process involves a series of steps at the different stages of the product life cycle i.e. from the product concept to the launch of the product to its obsolescence.
Below is list of steps that we follow for implementation of QA system of an organization.
- Define the Objectives
- Understanding Customer Needs
- Designing the Product
- Product Pilot Testing
- Process Development
- Start Manufacturing
- Life Cycle Management
Define the Objectives
The first step while undertaking Quality Assurance of any project is to define its requirements.
For example if the quality planning process has to be evolved for launching a new product or service in the market.
Then the first step in quality planning requires to understand and document the need of this project and its ultimate goal.
At this stage, it is necessary to document the quality goals. These goals should be set according to the quality standards, customer requirements.
Additionally objectives must consider the organizations own benchmark performance, competitors performance, according to the law and so on.
Understanding Customer Needs
The next step in product QA process involves knowing and understanding the needs of the customers. All these needs should be fully explained and documented so that it can be accessed by all the involved personnel whenever required.
There are two kinds of customers, i.e. internal and external customers. For example, the manufacturing department is an internal customer of the design department as the designs for manufacturing are supplied by them.
Similarly, there are many other internal customers in an organization. So, it is necessary to understand the needs of both internal and external customers.
Designing the Product
Design the product keeping in view the quality goals and needs of the customers defined in step 1 and step 2 respectively.
The cost benefit analysis also has to be done in order to ensure that the product will be manufactured at low cost with high quality in order to be successful in the market.
Product Pilot Testing
Once the product design is ready, the next step of QA process is product testing. Now is the time to manufacture the pilot batch of the product.
Test the product for various attributes in accordance with the standards, customer requirements, and regulatory requirements.
This is to ensure that the product meets the set goals.
Once everything is satisfactory, the product is ready for sale.
Process Development
Once the product design is perfect, prepare the entire lists of tasks and activities important or critical for manufacturing the product.
- Develop the workflow plan.
- Form the teams and give them specific responsibilities.
- Specify the timelines for each and every task.
During this stage measure the process capability of QA process to ensure that the processes are capable of meeting design requirements.
Start Manufacturing
Once the processes are developed, the required process controls are put in place.
Tools like process failure mode and effects analysis are used to identify the likely modes of failures of the process and the effect of those failures on the product performance.
Actions are initiated for high-risk items. Audits are planned to periodically measure the performance and give feedback to the manufacturing and design department.
Life Cycle Management
During the life of the product, the quality will be periodically monitored through inspections and audits. These inputs will result in improvements of the processes or the product design.
Customer complaints, if any, will also act as inputs for product and process corrections and improvements.
Hence, the product quality assurance or QA process plays an important role during the entire life of the product to ensure that the customer gets a quality product.
How to Implement Quality Assurance in Service Industry
Quality assurance is very important for the service industry in order to deliver services in accordance to the expectation of the customers.
With so much competition in the market today, no one can ignore or overlook the importance of delivering quality service.
However, maintaining and delivering quality services is not very easy as the expectations and needs of customers are different and ever-changing. Also, it is comparatively difficult to measure quality parameters in the service industry.
Hence, more and more service industries are nowadays implementing QA systems that help them to improve their services to retain and excite their customers.
Each service industry is different and has different ways to implement quality assurance procedures and systems.
Steps To Implement QA in Service Industry
Identify the Expectations of the Customers
The company has to first identify the expectations of their customers. To know the feedback and expectations of the clients and customers, the organizations can use feedback forms, market surveys, secret or mystery shoppers etc.
The customer feedback can also be used to set performance standards. Like, the organization can set the performance standard as 90 percent of customer satisfaction score and so on.
Determine the Standards
Depending on the feedback and the expectations, the organization can determine its quality standards.
For example, a restaurant that wants to improve its quality should set goals for itself like minimum time to deliver the orders, quality of food, providing good experience to the customers, reducing wastage etc.
In a similar manner each industry like hospitals, spas, property management services, banks etc should set their own quality standards.
Measure and Compare Performance
Measurement of the current performance is very important. We can measure the current performance against the target quality standards to find the gap.
Analyze
The organization should find the cause of the gap. It is best practice to involve the entire workforce to participate in the process so that they can help to find the root cause of customer complaints and dissatisfaction.
The various departments of the organizations shall work proactively to analyze the present situation.
Plan
Depending upon the gap and the problems, the organization shall plan to achieve its set quality goals. Various teams are responsible in order to address different areas identified in the gap.
These teams should be given a time target to bridge that gap.
Control
Once the organization achieves its set quality goals, the final step should be to maintain it consistently. This is only possible if the change management to achieve the target is part of the quality systems and reviewed periodically.
This type of approach used in service industry for quality assurances is also known as DMAIC approach, which means Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.
The organization can implement these systems on its own, if it has trained and experienced QA staff. Else, the organization can hire the QA management services.
These services help the organizations to improve their quality, increase customer satisfaction, train employees, ensure compliance with standards, market surveys etc.
The organizations that have successfully implemented QA system benefit from the increased margins, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, expansion, and satisfied workforce.
Importance of Quality Assurance in Manufacturing
Quality assurance is the process of using systems and methodologies that ensure that the manufactured products meet the required quality standards consistently.
The aim of QA system is to produce goods right at the first time, without any rework. Organizations, usually, have a separate department to assure the quality of their products. For this they may also use the services of the consultants.
QA system is crucial for the manufacturing industry. With so much competition and such few margins, no manufacturing industry can afford to spend time and money on rework.
Every activity in the industry costs money and so does rework, but customers do not pay for rework. Customers pay for the value addition by the company and if they see more valuable additions by some other company at same or lower costs, they move to that company.
Hence to assure good quality to customers, quality assurance plays a significant role.
Benefits of Quality Assurance QA System
Some of the benefits the organization it derives from this role are:
Improve Quality
QA professionals are responsible for all critical activities of the organizations like design, manufacturing, material procurement, packaging, logistics etc.
Since tracking and monitoring of the processes is proper, there are fewer chances of bad quality or non-compliance of products with respect to the requirements.
These requirements can be standard requirements, customer requirements, or even legal requirements.
Low Cost
It reduces the overall costs to the organization. When the product is right the first time, there are no rework costs, no wastage of material, no wastage of manpower, and no disruptions in the production process.
There are fewer claims for warranties and guaranties. In short, the cost of poor quality goes down. All this reduces the operating costs of the organizations and hence results in increased operating profits.
Reputation
Since the organizations are able to manufacture good quality products that are always according to the requirements of the customers, the market reputation of those organizations improves.
This helps the organizations to retain the existing customers and get more business from them. At the same time this also helps them in attracting new customers. These in turn increase the revenue and profit of the organizations.
Reduce Execution Time
The QA system implemented to improve quality reduce the cycle time i.e. time taken for the execution of the orders. If the quality of products is bad then there will be more customer complaints and more production downtime.
This results in huge loss of time and resources. Hence, if we implement a QA systems properly in the organization, the execution time automatically reduces.
Compliance To Standards
It ensures that the organizations meet all the standards and guidelines required for different quality management systems like ISO 9001 and other quality certifications awarded to it.
In short, to meet customer requirements effectively and consistently, it is very important for every manufacturing industry to have a QA department.
This will ensure that the efforts and processes are moving in right direction so that the end product not only meets but exceeds the customer’s expectations.
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