Controlling Production Quality
Quality assurance (QA) is a way of preventing mistakes and defects in manufactured products and avoiding problems when delivering products or services to customers. This defect prevention differs subtly from defect detection and rejection in quality control (QC) since it focuses on quality earlier in the process. There are several different QA approaches:
Failure testing
In mechanical terms this is the operation of a product until it fails, often under stresses such as increasing vibration or temperature. This may expose many unanticipated weaknesses in the product, and the data is used to drive engineering and manufacturing process improvements.
Statistical control
When a product is made, data can be taken from scrutinized areas of a sample lot of the part. Statistical variances in the data are then analyzed and charted. On the basis of this analysis, control can be implemented on the process that made the part, ideally eliminating any defects before more parts are made.
Total quality management
Total quality management (TQM) is a strategy for continuously improving performance in every step of a process and in all areas of responsibility. The quality of a product is dependent upon the quality of all its constituent parts. All processes managed with QA become part of an overall TQM program.
Vocabulary:
Quality assurance (QA) – the systematic process of checking a product or service to ensure it meets required standards and prevents mistakes before they happen, “The tech company uses quality assurance to test for software bugs before releasing the app to the public.”
defects – faults, flaws, or imperfections that make a product or service less than perfect, “The clothing store returned the shirts to the factory because they had small defects in the stitching.”
manufactured products – items or goods made on a large scale using machinery in factories, “Cars, smartphones, and televisions are common examples of manufactured products.”
subtly – in a slight, delicate, or small way that is hard to notice immediately, “The recipe was subtly changed by adding just a tiny pinch of salt.”
defect detection – the act of finding and noticing mistakes or broken parts after a product has already been made, “The factory worker used a magnifying glass for defect detection on the phone screens.”
quality control (QC) – the system of checking completed products or services to find and fix defects before they go to customers, “During quality control, the inspectors threw away three broken bottles of soda.”
mechanical terms – language or explanations relating to machines, engines, or physical moving parts, “In mechanical terms, the engine is failing because the gears are not oiled properly.”
operation – the way that a machine or process works, runs, or is managed, “The factory manager supervises the safe operation of the heavy equipment.”
stresses – physical pressures, forces, or harsh conditions placed on an object, “Bridges are designed to handle heavy stresses from wind and big trucks.”
vibration – continuous, rapid shaking movements up and down or back and forth, “The phone made a loud buzzing sound from its vibration on the wooden table.”
unanticipated weaknesses – unexpected flaws or weak points that no one planned for or foresaw, “The storm exposed some unanticipated weaknesses in the roof of the old house.”
drive – to force, guide, or strongly push a process or action forward, “We need to collect customer feedback to drive updates for our product.”
Statistical control – a method of managing a manufacturing process by using math, numbers, and data to keep everything consistent, “By using statistical control, the factory ensures every single chip is exactly the same size.”
scrutinized areas – specific spots or sections that are examined very carefully and closely, “The inspector looked closely at the scrutinized areas of the airplane wing.”
sample lot – a small group of items chosen from a much larger batch to represent the whole group during testing, “They tested a sample lot of ten apples from the large box to check for freshness.”
variances – slight differences, changes, or variations from what is expected or standard, “We noticed small variances in the color of the paint across the different walls.”
charted – recorded, tracked, or drawn on a map, table, graph, or chart, “The nurse carefully charted the patient’s temperature over the weekend.”
implemented – put a decision, plan, or system into action; started using something officially, “The school implemented a new rule that requires all students to wear uniforms.”
ideally – in a perfect situation; if things happen exactly as you would wish, “Ideally, we would like to finish this homework before the weekend starts.”
eliminating – completely removing, destroying, or getting rid of something, “Brushing your teeth twice a day is great for eliminating bad breath.”
Total quality management – a complete business strategy aimed at making every single step of a process and every department better over time, “The hospital adopted total quality management to make sure patients get excellent care at every stage.”
strategy – a careful, detailed plan of action designed to achieve a specific goal over time, “The team created a smart marketing strategy to attract more customers.”
continuously – happening without stopping or breaking; repeatedly and steadily over time, “The small clock on the wall ticks continuously throughout the day.”
performance – how well or poorly a person, machine, or organization does a piece of work or activity, “The manager was very impressed by the employee’s high performance this month.”
constituent parts – the individual pieces, components, or elements that form or make up a whole object, “A bicycle is made of many constituent parts, like the wheels, pedals, and chain.”