Quality Management

Definition

Quality Management is a process of making goods or services satisfy the needs and expectations of the user.

The Quality Management system enables to record and manage data pertaining to thequality of products. Quality management uses quality assurance and control of processes as well as products to achieve more consistent quality.

Total quality management

Total quality management (TQM), continuous improvement, quality assurance, and quality systems are phrases that refer to the concept of measuring quality. These phrases are used in a wide variety of industries. The main objective of TQM is to provide quality product to customers at a lower price.

Basic concepts in TQM

Committed and involved management.

Focus on the customer.

Involvement of the total workforce.

Continuous process improvement

Supplier partnering.

Performance measures.

In a quality management system for manufacturing, we can collect data to verify the integrity ofthe process and the equipment. We can test the quality of the products at key points in theproduction cycle. Discontinuing the production of products with poor quality saves time andmoney.

Advantages of Quality Management

Reduce the costs of rework and scrap by making timely decisions about productquality.

Reduce labor costs by minimizing the time spent inspecting material, collecting data,and reworking or repairing defective material.

Reduce service trips by identifying suspect components before shipment.

Reduce material scrap costs by identifying inferior components.

Increase customer satisfaction by improving overall product quality.

Features of Quality Management

Tests

Numbers of tests perform within your business cycle.

Examples of tests include dimensional tolerances, color, potency, purity, visual inspection,hardness, and resistance.

Specifications

Specifications enable to group tests that belong together or should be performed together.

Examples include mechanical, visual, and electronic specifications.

Quality cost concepts

Two broad categories

Cost of failure to control quality

Cost of controlling quality

Cost of failure to control quality

Internal failure cost

The cost of correcting problems that occur while the goods are still in the production facility

External failure cost

The cost of correcting problems after goods or services has been delivered to the customer.

Costs of controlling quality

Prevention costs

The cost of avoiding trouble by doing the job right in the first place.

Appraisal costs

The cost associated with checking and auditing quality in the organization.