TQM WITH QUALITY CIRCLE AND QUALITY ASSURANCEThe project is presented by Name Tejal Darde Smita Gujar Aruna Gujarathi Kavita Jadhav Sonal Jethi Roll No. 4 10 11 14 15

Praneela Patil

24

INDEXSR.NO 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. TOPIC NAME INTRODUCTION OF TQM FEATURES OF TQM NEED OF TQM PRINCIPLES OF TQM BENEFITS OF TQM ELEMENTS OF TQM INTRODUCTION OF QUALITY CIRCLE HISTORY OF QUALITY CIRCLE NEED OF QUALITY CIRCLE OBJECTIVES OF QUALITY CIRCLE FUNCTIONS OF QUA;ITY CIRCLE STRUCTURE OF QUALITY CIRCLE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF QUALITY CIRCLE INTRODUCTION OF QUALITY ASSURANCE HISTORY OF QUALITY ASSURANCE

16. 17. 18. 19.

PRODUCT QUALITY ASSURANCE QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCESS QUALITY ASSURANCE IN SERVICE INDUSTRY QUALITY ASSURANCE AUDIT

INTRODUCTION OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM)

Total Quality Management (or TQM) is a management concept coined by W. Edwards Deming. TQM can be defined as follows: TQM is a management approach that place emphasis on continuous improvement in quality, in the interest of the organization and that of its customers. The basis of TQM is to reduce the errors produced during the manufacturing or service process, increase customer satisfaction, streamline supply chain management, aim for modernization of equipment and ensure workers have the highest level of training. The application of TQM can vary tremendously from business to business, even across the same industry. TQM is not a remedial procedure for better products. It is a march towards excellence and perfection. TQM is a management strategy aimed at embedding awareness of quality in all organizational processes. TQM has been widely used in manufacturing, education, government and service industries, as well as NASA space and science programs. TQM is a strategic approach that focuses on production of best possible

product or service through constant innovation and timely action. It places emphasis on prevention of errors rather than of its customers.

What is TQM? What is Quality? Quality is generally defined as conformance to requirements. It is also conformance to a standard that is required. However, many consider that quality need not just be conformance to requirements but should be an assurance of being the best in the world of that type. In addition, it should also keep a constancy of purpose.

What is Total Quality?

Total quality refers not only to the product but also to the way the product is made as well as presented to the customer. Total quality asks for customer orientation, process orientation, people management and leadership. All these are continuous processes.

What is TQM?

TQM is a people driven process. It involves changes in peoples attitudes primarily. In addition, it deals with process orientation and continuous improvement of the process. It strives for empowerment and autonomy of the people involved in using processes of production. It asks people to continuously look for new ways to adapt to the changing environment. It is a continuous improvement plan, with an effort to bring out the best for the stakeholders as well as for the institution.

FEATURES OF TQM Customer focus:TQM places emphasis in meeting the requirements of both the internal and the external customer. In order to meet the requirements of the external customer, it is necessary to meet the needs of the internal customer. If the internal customers requirements are agreed and met, then it is possible to meet the requirements of the external customers. Continuous process:TQM is a continuous process. Constant and continuous efforts are made to improve the quality, and to reduce internal costs. Quality improvements help the organization to face the challenges of the

competitors and to meet the requirements of the customers. Reduction in costs helps to generate higher returns to the organization. TQM is a process which goes on forever, because at no time quality can be 100% right. There is always a possibility for new and better way of doing things. Defect-free approach:TQM place emphasis on the defect free work most of the time. The defect free approach is phrased in various ways as right first time, working smarter or zero defects. The idea is to strive for perfection in the work, the way a footballer aims to shoot the penalty kick or an archer aims for the bulls eye on a target. Employees involvement:In TQM everyone is involved in the process from the managing director to the junior clerk or worker in the organization. It is not just manufacturing people, but also the accounting, finance, marketing, and even the canteen people are involved in TQM process. Recognition and rewards:Recognition and rewards is an integral part of companys TQM programme. Positive reinforcement through recognition and reward is essential to maintain achievement and continuous improvement in quality. Recognition is a means of encouraging individuals and groups by acknowledging their achievements. Some examples of recognition

are a letter of thanks, award of merit certificates, hosting of lunches or dinners, presentation of achievement at management reviews, etc. Rewards are in the form of financial benefits linked to performance. This includes merit pay, promotion with higher status and pay, etc. Synergy in team work:The Japanese are great believers in synergy (to work together). Engineers, technicians, and workers look upon themselves as equals and communicate easily as, they work side by side. Techniques:TQM can take place by following various techniques such as quality circles, value engineering, statistical process control, etc. it is also possible to reduce time-consuming low value activities. System approach:TQM is a systems approach to managing business and improving performance. The systems approach starts with the commitment and leadership of the chief executive officer. Without the total commitment on the part of chief executive officer & his senior executives, TQM cannot take off to a good start.

NEED OF TQM Customer satisfaction:TQM stresses the need to satisfy both the internal as well as the external customer. ( internal customer refers to the person within the company who receives the work of another and then adds his or her contribution to the product or service before passing it on to someone else. For example, in a restaurant, the chef has the waiters as internal

customers and the chef must meet their requirements if they are to please the guests.) TQM must, focus on the customers, the eventual buyer of the product or service. To do so, the initial focus should be on meeting the needs of internal customer before all attempt is made to meet the requirements of the external customer. Helps to face completion:A proper emphasis on TQM enables a company to face competition in the market. The company may even come out as a winner or a leader. This is because of high quality product, at the lowest possible cost, produced by a dedicated team of work force. Goodwill:TQM generates name and reputation to the company in the market. This is because of its constant efforts in bringing the improvement in the products- design, variety, shape, size, colour, shade and other features. Highly motivated personnel:TQM develops a sense of dedication and discipline in the employees. There is willingness on the part of the employees to identify quality improvements and waste elimination opportunities. The employees become aware of their importance in the companys performance and progress. This leads to greater involvement and participation of the employees.

The employees receive recognition and rewards for their services, those who perform exceptionally well or who provide valuable suggestions are recognized with appreciation, and are rewarded with promotion and monetary incentives. This results in enhanced job ownership of employees. Lower rejection rate:Internal rejection rate gets reduced considerably over a period of time. Various initiatives such as quality circles, process control, right first time approach, just in time approach, etc., enables the company to reduce rejection rate. The goods are produced at acceptable quality levels (AQL) or with zero defects. Since TQM is widely followed in Japan, they are in a position not only to manufacture the goods at acceptable quality levels but with zero defects. Reduction in customer complaints:TQM results in less or no customer complaints. This is because the products are built to specification with zero defects. Again, efforts are made to improve upon the customer specification so as to provide complete satisfaction.

Better facilitates to employees:TQM results in higher benefits to the organsation in terms of increased profits. This is because of higher sales, and cost reduction

efforts on the part of the company. The higher profits are utilized in a way to provide better facilities to the employees in terms of training, salary, working conditions, amenities like canteen facilities, transport facilities, recreation facilities, and so on. Expansion and diversification:TQM generates a good name in the market. It also brings in higher returns. This enables a company to expand and diversify. The company may be in a better position to introduce more brands or product lines.

PRINCIPLES OF TQM

The customer is the ultimate determiner of quality. Services and programs should be designed, with the needs of the customer in mind. Therefore, it is important to determine who the customers are and define their specific needs.

Quality should be built into the process from the beginning, and not simply derive from customer complaints. All levels of an organization must be involved in producing a quality product and not just try to modify it before delivery. Achieving quality requires continuous improvements. Expectations of customer are always changing and continue rising as quality management begins to yield results. It is important to remember that when customers are assessing quality, they are not simply comparing us to our performance last year, but to every other organizations that is servicing their needs. Quality management requires the involvement of all staff and partners. Since improved quality comes from improvements during the processes leading up to the delivery of the product or service, all levels and divisions of an organization must be involved in developing quality.

BENEFITS OF TQMA popular myth among military managers holds that increased quality results in increased costs and decreased productivity. In reality, improved quality ultimately results in decreased costs and increased productivity. How can this be? A focus on quality extends the time between failures on equipment and improves the efficiency of our operations. It reduces rework requirements as well as the need for special waivers of standards. It also reduces mistakes and produces monetary savings through more efficient use of scarce resources. Direct benefits of TQM are as follows: Increased pride of workmanship among individual workers. Increased readiness. Improved sustainability caused by extended time between equipment failures. Greater mission survivability. Better justification for budgets because of more efficient operations. Streamlined maintenance and production processes.

ELEMENTS OF TQM1. Customer Focus:It is important to focus on the customer, both internal and external i.e., the employees and the users of the end product - the students. In TQM parlance, the customer is the next process and not just a person who pays for the product or service. This concept helps to strengthen the co-operation within the organization, eliminate internal competition and drives away fear.

2. Employee involvement:People at all levels make up an organization and their full involvement enables their abilities to be used for an institution's benefit.

3. Continuous Improvement:There is a beginning to the process of TQM, but there is no end. Checking, rechecking, valuation, revaluation, engineering and re-engineering are essential to ensure continuous improvement. 4. Universal Responsibility:-

A TQM leader has to learn that inspection is not a means to achieve quality. One eliminates the need for inspection by building quality into the product in the first place. TQM helps us to recognize the fact that it is we ourselves who are responsible for quality work, not someone else who will check it after it is done. 5. A Sustained Management Commitment to Quality:An organizations performance and culture will ultimately reflect its senior management's values. If an organizations serious about implementing TQM, the commitment to do so has to start at the top, and the organizations senior management has to be unwavering in its commitment to quality. 6. Addressing Deficiencies:TQM is a management philosophy that seeks to prevent poor quality in products and services, rather than simply to detect and sort out defects. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". 7. Quality Measurement:"If you do not know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere" is a saying particularly relevant to TQM. The quality measurement aspect of TQM asks the question: where are we and where are we going? A basic TQM concept is that quality is a measurable commodity, and in order to improve, we need to know where we are (or stated differently, what the current quality levels are), and we need to have some idea of where we are going (or what quality levels we aspire to reach).

8. Benchmarking:Benchmarking consists of identifying other organizations that perform well and incorporating their wisdom into one's organization. This TQM philosophy consists of defining the competitors' best features from both internal and customer perspectives, and then adapting the best practices of these organizations to one's functioning.

INTRODUCTION OF QUALITY CIRCLEA quality circle is a volunteer group composed of workers (or even students), usually under the leadership of their supervisor (but they can elect a team leader), who are trained to identify, analyze and solve work-related problems and present their solutions to management in order to improve the performance of the organization, and motivate and enrich the work of employees. When matured, true quality circles become self-managing, having gained the confidence of management. Quality circles are an alternative to the dehumanising concept of the division of labour, where workers or individuals are treated like robots. They bring back the concept of craftsmanship, which when operated on an individual basis is uneconomic, but when used in group form (as is the case with quality circles), it can be devastatingly powerful and enables the enrichment of the lives of the workers or students and creates harmony and high performance in the workplace.

Typical topics are improving occupational safety and health, improving product design, and improvement in the workplace and manufacturing processes. The term quality circles derive from the concept of PDCA (Plan, Do, check, Act) circles developed by Dr. W. Edward Deming. Quality circles are not normally paid a share of the cost benefit of any improvements but usually a proportion of the savings made is spent on improvements to the work environment. They are formal groups. They meet at least once a week on company time and are trained by competent persons (usually designated as facilitators) who may be personnel and industrial relations specialists trained in human factors and the basic skills of problem identification, information gathering and analysis, basic statistics, and solution generation. Quality circles are generally free to select any topic they wish (other than those related to salary and terms and conditions of work, as there are other channels through which these issues are usually considered). Quality circles have the advantage of continuity; the circle remains intact from project to project. (For a comparison to Quality Improvement Teams, see Juran's Quality by Design. Quality Circle is one of the employee participation methods. It implies the development of skills, capabilities, confidence and creativity of the people through cumulative process of education, training, work experience and participation. It also implies the creation of facilitative conditions and environment of work, which creates and sustains their motivation and commitment towards work excellence. Quality Circles have emerged as a mechanism to develop and utilize the tremendous potential of people for improvement in product quality and productivity.

Quality Circle is a small group of 6 to 12 employees doing similar work who voluntarily meet together on a regular basis to identify improvements in their respective work areas using proven techniques for analyzing and solving work related problems coming in the way of achieving and sustaining excellence leading to mutual upliftment of employees as well as the organization. It is "a way of capturing the creative and innovative power that lies within the work force". The concept of Quality Circle is primarily based upon recognition of the value of the worker as a human being, as someone who willingly activises on his job, his wisdom, intelligence, experience, attitude and feelings. It is based upon the human resource management considered as one of the key factors in the improvement of product quality & productivity. Quality Circle concept has three major attributes: a. Quality Circle is a form of participation management. b. Quality Circle is a human resource development technique. c. Quality Circle is a problem solving technique.

HISTORY OF QUALITY CIRCLEQuality circles were first established in Japan in 1962; Kaoru Ishikawa has been credited with their creation. The movement in Japan was coordinated by the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE). The first circles were established at the Nippon Wireless and Telegraph Company but then spread to more than 35 other companies in the first year. By 1978 it was claimed that there were more than one million Quality Circles involving some 10 million Japanese workers. There are now Quality Circles in most East Asian countries; it was recently claimed that there were more than 20 million Quality Circles in China. Quality circles have been implemented even in educational sectors in India, and QCFI (Quality Circle Forum of India) is promoting such activities. However this was not successful in the United States, as it (was not properly understood and) turned out to be a fault-finding exercise although some circles do still exist. ref Don Dewar who together with Wayne Ryker and Jeff Beardsley first established them in 1972 at the Lockheed Space Missile Factory in California.

There are different quality circle tools, namely:

The Ishikawa or fishbone diagram - which shows hierarchies of causes contributing to a problem

The Pareto Chart - which analyses different causes by frequency to illustrate the vital cause,

Process Mapping, Data gathering tools such as Check Sheets and graphical tools such as histograms, frequency diagrams, spot charts and pie charts

NEED OF QUALITY CIRCLEThe need for public and private businesses to improve quality of services is no longer an option but a necessity. Since the early 1960s businesses across the Globe have been searching for ways to improve overall operational efficiency. This trend has been more heightened with the onset of free open trade and Customers demanding so much more for their dollars. Some organizations have successfully implemented the use of quality circles as part of an ongoing improvement programme. Others have experimented with quality circles with the best intentions and faced several obstacle, but what is true is that this type of participatory management brings several benefits to all concerned.

OBJECTIVES OF QUALITY CIRCLE

The objective of QCC is to improve and upgrade quality of work through: (a) The problem solving capability of the workers; (b) Team work; (c) The cultivation and assimilation of positive values and work ethics; (d) Involvement and interest in work; (e) High motivation for work; and (f) Awareness of responsibility towards oneself, the group, the department / office and the nation.

FUNCTIONS OF QUALITY CIRCLE

A group of employees who perform similar duties and meet at periodic intervals, often with management, to discuss work-related issues and to offer suggestions and ideas for improvements, as in production methods or quality control. The ideal size of a quality circle is from eight to ten members. Quality circles are also commonly known as work improvement or quality teams, but no matter the name, their functions share similar characteristics. Generally, the quality circle is a small group of employees who voluntarily meet at regular times to identify, analyze and solve quality and other problems in their working environment. Quality circles can recommend and implement improvement strategies and be a useful reservoir for the generation of new ideas. Normally, members of a quality circle face and share similar problems in their daily work lives and create a programme to tap human creative energy that is capable of generating handsome rewards.

STRUCTURE OF QUALITY CIRCLE

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES1. TOP MANAGEMENT: The success of the quality circles depends solely on the attitude of the Top management and plays an important role to ensure the success of implementation of quality circles in the organization. 2. STEERING COMMITTEE: Steering committee called middle management consists of chief executive heads of different divisions or a coordinator plays a positive role in quality circles activities for the success of the efforts. The meetings are conveyed at

least once in one to two months interval. This is at the top of the structure. It is headed by a senior executive and includes representatives from the top management personnel and human resources development people. It establishes policy, plans and directs the program and meets usually once in a month. 3. CO-ORDINATOR: Co-ordinator also acts as facilitators is an individual responsible for coordinating and directing the quality circles activities within an organization and carries out such functions as would make the operations. He may be a Personnel or Administrative officer who co-ordinates and supervises the work of the facilitators and administers the programme.

4.

FACILITATOR: Facilitator also acts as a catalyst, innovator, promoter and teacher and is nominated by the management. He may be a senior supervisory officer. He co-ordinates the works of several quality circles through the Circle leaders. (i) Communicating with all levels of management and obtaining their support and assistance; (ii) Providing training to QCC leaders and assisting in training of QCC members where required;

(iii) (iv)

Maintaining an open and supportive environment; Ensuring QCC members direct their activities to work-related problems;

(v) (vi)

As a mediator in problem-solving; As a resource person to the Circle; and

(vii) Evaluating the costs and benefits of the QCC programme and reporting to the Management.

1. LEADER: Leader of the quality circles is chosen by the members among themselves and they may decide to have a leader by rotation since the members are the basic elements of the structure of quality circle. (i) Training members on problems-solving techniques with the assistance of the facilitator where required;

(ii) Responsible for the smooth operation of QCC activities and fostering the spirit of cooperation and harmony among members; (iii) Assisting the Circle members in record keeping and in the preparation of management presentations; (iv) Conducting meetings in an orderly and effective manner; (v) Showing interest and support to the Circle; (vi) Encouraging other workers to become members; (vii) Assisting members in problem-solving; and (i) Enforcing team discipline.

1. MEMBERS: Members of the quality circles are the small group of people from the same work area or doing similar type of work whereas non-members are those who are not members of the quality circle but may be involved in the circle recommendation. (i) (ii) Attending meetings regularly; Directing their efforts towards solving work-related problems;

(iii)

Identifying problems, contributing ideas, undertaking research and investigation (where necessary) and assisting the QCC in problemsolving.

(iv) Participating in management presentations.

INTRODUCTION OF QUALITY ASSURANCE

Quality assurance is the main pillar of any business. Whatever is the business, either finance or a storage facility or any service, quality is the most important aspect, which affects the level of success of the business. Being an entrepreneur, one should never ever compromise with the quality aspect. The popularity of your product or service will enhance, only if you provide quality. Low price is also another way to increase sales. But, if your product or service does not have standard quality, then a customer will never use it in future, even if it has the lowest price. Thus, you have to assure the quality of your product or service by conducting some scientific measures. Quality assurance, QA, refers to planned and systematic production processes that provide confidence in a product's suitability for its intended purpose. It is a set of activities intended to ensure that products (goods and/or services) satisfy customer requirements in a systematic, reliable fashion. QA cannot absolutely guarantee the production of quality products, unfortunately, but makes this more likely. Two key principles characterize QA: "fit for purpose" (the product should be suitable for the intended purpose) and "right first time" (mistakes should be eliminated). QA includes regulation of the quality of raw materials, assemblies, products and components; services related to production; and management, production and inspection processes. Quality assurance is the process of verifying or determining whether products or services meet or exceed customer expectations. Quality assurance is a

process-driven approach with specific steps to help define and attain goals. This process considers design, development, production, and service. The most popular tool used to determine quality assurance is the Shewhart Cycle, developed by Dr. W. Edwards Deming. This cycle for quality assurance consists of four steps: Plan, Do, Check, and Act. These steps are commonly abbreviated as PDCA. The four quality assurance steps within the PDCA model stand for:

Plan: Establish objectives and processes required to deliver the desired results.

Do: Implement the process developed. Check: Monitor and evaluate the implemented process by testing the results against the predetermined objectives

Act: Apply actions necessary for improvement if the results require changes.

Quality Assurance (QA) is a way for your organization to make sure that it is always delivering the best it can to its service users, members, volunteers and funders. A QA system is a way of checking, through continuous monitoring and evaluation of your performance and through the collection of evidence, that your organization is continuously improving what it does and how it does it. QA can also be a way of measuring what your organization does against other organizations doing similar work or against set, recognized standards. This system of checking your organizations quality is an ongoing process. The monitoring of what your organization does and how it does it is

continuous to ensure that you are always meeting the new standards that are always developing.

HISTORY OF QUALITY ASSURANCEEarly efforts to control the quality of production Early civil engineering projects needed to be built from specifications, for example the four sides of the base of the Great Pyramid of Giza were required to be perpendicular to within 3.5arcseconds. During the Middle Ages, guilds adopted responsibility for quality control of their members, setting and maintaining certain standards for guild membership. Royal governments purchasing material were interested in quality control as customers. For this reason, King John of England appointed William Wrotham to report about the construction and repair of ships. Centuries later, Samuel Pepys, Secretary to the British Admiralty, appointed multiple such overseers. Prior to the extensive division of labor and mechanization resulting from the Industrial Revolution, it was possible for workers to control the quality of their own products. Working conditions then were arguably more conducive to professional pride. The Industrial Revolution led to a system in which large groups of people performing a similar type of work were grouped together under the supervision of a foreman who was appointed to control the quality of work manufactured.

Wartime production Around the time of World War I, manufacturing processes typically became more complex with larger numbers of workers being supervised. This period saw the widespread introduction of mass and piecework, which created problems as workmen could now earn more money by the production of extra products, which in turn led to bad workmanship being passed on to the assembly lines. To counter bad workmanship, full time inspectors were introduced into the factory to identify, quarantine and ideally correct product quality failures. Quality control by inspection in the 1920s and 1930s led to the growth of quality inspection functions, separately organized from production and big enough to be headed by superintendents. The systematic approach to quality started in industrial manufacture during the 1930s, mostly in the USA, when some attention was given to the cost of scrap and rework. With the impact of mass production, which was required during the Second World War, it became necessary to introduce a more appropriate form of quality control which can be identified as Statistical Quality Control, or SQC. Some of the initial work for SQC is credited to Walter A. Shewhart of Bell Labs, starting with his famous one-page memorandum of 1924. SQC came about with the realization that quality cannot be fully inspected into an important batch of items. By extending the inspection phase and making inspection organizations more efficient, it provides inspectors with control tools such as sampling and control charts, even where 100 per cent inspection is not practicable. Standard statistical techniques allow the producer to sample and test a

certain proportion of the products for quality to achieve the desired level of confidence in the quality of the entire batch or production run.

Postwar In the period following World War II, many countries' manufacturing capabilities that had been destroyed during the war were rebuilt. The U.S. sent General Douglas MacArthur to oversee the re-building of Japan. During this time, General MacArthur involved two key individuals in the development of modern quality concepts: W. Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran. Both individuals promoted the collaborative concepts of quality to Japanese business and technical groups, and these groups utilized these concepts in the redevelopment of the Japanese economy. Although there were many individuals trying to lead United States industries towards a more comprehensive approach to quality, the U.S. continued to apply the Quality Control (QC) concepts of inspection and sampling to remove defective product from production lines, essentially ignoring advances in QA for decades.

PRODUCT QUALITY ASSURANCEUnderstanding Product Quality Assurance The term Product Quality Assurance has a very wide scope. Let us try to understand it. During the entire product lifecycle from concept to obsolescence, various activities are performed. It is important to assure the quality at each stage in order to meet the customer requirements consistently. Given below are the product quality assurance activities at each stage of product lifecycle Introduction In this stage, the concept is developed and the product is designed and introduced into the market. Product quality assurance plays a critical role during this stage. It decides the customer requirements and based on that decides the product requirements. During the design stage, quality control evaluates and validates the product i.e. the quality control engineer will compare the product designed with respect to the product and customer

requirements and confirm whether the design would meet them. Once the product is validated, it is released for manufacturing. Quality control also has to make sure that the processes being used to manufacture and inspect the product are correct. They also have to create the standard inspection procedures, which are used by quality control to do periodic inspection of the products.

Growth During this stage, the demand for a product increases and so the quantity of production increases. At this stage, the role of quality control is to make sure that in the race to manufacture more, the organization does not compromises on quality. The processes for higher production have to be implemented. Since during this stage the competition increases and the costs have to be kept low, various low cost alternatives are explored. If some processes involved in manufacturing the product are outsourced then product quality control also has to ensure that the processes followed by the vendor are capable of delivering the required quality. Maturity During the maturity stage, the competition further increases and the pressure on margins is felt. Moreover, with various options available, the customers become more demanding. Value for money is the theme. Role of quality control almost remains similar to the one during the growth stage. Decline

During this stage, the alternate products start eating up the market share and hence sales start declining. Product quality control has a little role to play during this stage. The most important role to be played during this stage is planning for the obsolescence of the existing product. Apart from these roles, some product quality control roles remain active throughout the life of the product. Product quality audit is one such role wherein the quality control team does random audits of the products ready to be dispatched to the customers. This is generally done in order to keep a check on the entire process of procurement, production, and inspection. Another such role is handling customer complaint. During the entire life of the product, there will be customer complaints because of some errors during the process or due to component quality or due to the misuse of the product. The product quality control has to find out the root cause of the complaints and put processes in place to ensure that such occurrences do not get repeated.

QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCESSSteps In Quality Assurance Process The product quality assurance process is a series of steps taken at the different stages of the product life cycle i.e. from the product concept to the launch of the product to its obsolescence. Define the Objectives The first step while undertaking QA of any project is to define its requirements. For e.g. 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 should be 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, with reference to 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 The product should be designed 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. The pilot batch of the product is manufactured. The product is tested 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 found satisfactory, the product is approved.

Process Development Once the product design has been approved, the entire lists of tasks and activities that will be required for manufacturing the product are listed. The workflow plan is developed. The teams are formed and given specific responsibilities. The timelines for each and every task are specified. Process capability is also measured during this stage 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 process plays an important role during the entire life of the product to ensure that the customer gets a quality product.

QUALITY ASSURANCE IN SERVICE INDUSTRYHow Quality Assurances Are Implements in Service Industry Quality assurances are 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, the importance of delivering quality service cannot be overlooked. 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 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 and woo their customers. Each service industry is different and has different ways to implement quality assurances 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 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 The current performance should then be measured. This current performance can be also compared with target quality standards to find the gap. Analyze The organization should find the cause of the gap. The entire workforce should be encouraged 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 should work proactively to analyze the present situation.

Plan Depending upon the gap and the problems, the organization should plan to achieve its set quality goals. Various teams can be formed 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 can only be possible if the changes made to achieve the target have been made part of the quality systems and are 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 systems benefit from the increased margins, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, expansion, and satisfied workforce.

QUALITY ASSURANCE AUDITTypes of Quality Assurance Audits Quality assurance audit is performed in order to ensure that the systems are in place and being followed religiously to provide good quality to the customers. It also highlights the need for any improvement in the systems in order to consistently deliver good quality products or services. The audits are also performed to make sure that the organization is following the legal and regulatory requirements. Some audits are conducted by internal auditors whereas some are performed by external ones. Various Quality Assurance Audit Types Are System Audit The organization has various systems which when put together make a whole system. A system audit is an audit performed on any of these systems. Any non-conformity during a system audit is critical, since if the system itself is wrong, the output is likely to be wrong. Product or Service Audit The product or service audit is performed on the product or service to find out if the product or service meets the requirements of the customers and the standards set by the organization. There are various stages at which this can

be performed. It could be during the process of product manufacturing, after the product has been manufactured, or even after the product is packed and ready to be delivered to the customer. The nonconformities found during this quality assurance audit are taken very seriously, since all these nonconformities are equivalent to customer complaints.

Department Audit As the name suggests, the department audit is performed with a focus on a given department. The scope of the audit covers all the activities performed, all the procedures followed and all the systems available in the department. This audit highlights the areas for improvement in that department. Process Audit Various processes are critical for the smooth running of an organization. Actually speaking, all the activities from order inquiry to delivery of products follow a defined process in any organization. Hence, an audit of such processes is performed to identify the areas for improvement. Process audit also covers the audit of some special manufacturing processes that are critical for the quality of the end product. These processes may be in-house or at the suppliers place, the one to whom that process has been outsourced to. Conformance Audit The external parties normally perform this QA audit. It is a form of third party audit where the auditing party evaluates if the organization does meet

the requirements as are supposed to by the systems. This could also be for any kind of system certifications that organizations wish to apply for. The certificate-awarding agency also conducts the conformance audit periodically to make sure that the organization is meeting the certification requirements. Compliance Audit Compliance audit is performed by regulatory agencies to confirm if the organization is meeting the legal and regulatory requirements. In case of any non-conformity, a re-audit may be required. The purpose of the re-audit is to ensure the effectiveness of the corrective actions taken. The output of the audit is an audit report that is circulated to all the concerned people. The purpose of any type of QA audit is not to find mistakes, but to find the areas for improvements. If it is taken by the auditor and the audited party in this spirit, the organization can be sure that it is on the path to improvement and will be able to consistently meet all customers, system, legal or regulatory requirements.