UNIT 9: QUALITY

Vocabulary flashcards that cover key concepts in quality management from the lecture notes.

Quality

The ability of a product or service to meet customer expectations.

Quality Control

The process of checking for quality at the end of production.

Quality Assurance

The process of checking for quality standards throughout the production process.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

A philosophy of continuous improvement that focuses on quality at every stage of production to enhance customer satisfaction and reduce costs.

cycle times

how long various activities take to complete

scrap

materials or small parts that are no longer useful

warranty claims

the return of products, for example because they’re faulty or dangerousto recover the cost of repair or replacement from the manufacturer.

benchmarking

going outside the firm to see what excellent competitors are doing, and adopting the best practices

defect

a fault or imperfection or deficiency

durability

performance over a long period of time

goodwill

customers’ satisfaction with and loyalty to a company

reliability

regular performance according to specification

to scarp

to sell defective goods for the price of the recyclable materials they contain

serviceability

ease of maintainance and repair

warranty

a promise that goods will meet a certain specified quality level, or be repaired or replaced

tolerance

the amount by which a parameter can vary from the norm before the piece becomes a defect

ISO 9000

a set of international standards for quality management and assurance.

nonconformance

when a requirement has not been met. It doesn’t be a serious defect

six sigma

A well-known methodology aimed at improving process quality by identifying and eliminating defects.

Key performance indicators

(KPIs) are measurable values that demonstrate how effectively an organization is achieving key business objectives.

leading indicators

are metrics that predict future performance and outcomes, helping organizations make informed decisions.

lagging indicators

is a metric that reflects the success or failure of past activities, providing insights into longer-term performance trends.