Approaches to Managing Quality

Quality considers the…

characteristics and features of a product that satisfy the needs of customers

Businesses needs to maintain a level of quality that…

continues to attract and retain customers

Quality Control

Inspecting the quality of output at the end of the production process

• Quality specialists are employed to check standards

• An inexpensive and simple way to check that output is fit for purpose

• The rejection of finished goods is a significant waste of resources

• There is little focus on the causes of defects

Quality Assurance

Inspecting the quality of production throughout the process

• Quality issues are identified early so products may be reworked rather than rejected

• The cause of defects is the focus so future quality issues may be prevented

• Controlling quality throughout the production process can be expensive, but it could ultimately reduce costs because defects don’t then have to be dealt with

• Staff training and a skilled workforce is required so labour costs may be increased

• Reworking may lengthen the production process