Quality Control Management

What is quality?
• Quality is meeting customer requirements.

• Quality refers to the characteristics of a product or service that defines its ability to
consistently meet or exceed customer expectations.

• Quality- “Fitness for use,” Juran

• Each & every features some special characteristics for which it is in demand by
consumers. History of quality is as human civilization itself.

• Aristotle 2500 years ago defined quality as following:

• Quality is the difference between products.

• It is the goodness or badness in a product.

• This definition holds true till this date.

• Quality can also mean meeting or exceeding customer expectations --- all
the time.

• The expectations of quality and the ability to distinguishing various quality

characteristics also vary from one group of customers to another.

• Generally the more educated and sophisticated the customer, the more
specific are the expectations of quality and more precise the ability of the
customers to explore those expectations.

 (ISO 9000)
Quality is the degree to which a commodity meets the requirements of the
customer at the start of its life.

 The late American Management guru Peter F. Drucker said,

“Quality in a product or service is not what the supplier puts in. It is what the
customer gets out and is willing to pay for.”

Quality means customer needs is to be satisfied.

There are a number of factors on which quality fitness of garment industry is based such
as - performance, reliability, durability, visual and perceived quality of the garment.

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Definitions of Quality:
 People have found many ways to define what quality is. Some of the most popular
definitions for quality are listed below. All of them are right, as they each contain
a key element of what quality means to users of products and services.

 A degree of excellence

 Conformance to requirements

 Totality of characteristics which act to satisfy a need

 Fitness for use

 Fitness for purpose

 Freedom from defects

 Delighting customers

Types of Quality:

As per excellence of satisfaction quality may be grouped into three categories:

Quality of general acceptance

Quality of satisfaction
Quality categories of higher delight

Some quality related important terms:

Quality Control:

In the ISO 9000 standard, clause 3.2.10 defines Quality Control as:

“A part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements”

QC is a system in manufacturing of maintaining standards. Here, the focus is on the

finished product, i.e., making sure it is defect-free and meets specifications and standards.

QC focuses on what happens after the producer makes the product.

According to Joseph Manueb:

“Quality control is a system of inspection, analysis and action applied to a manufacturing

process so that, by inspecting a small portion of the product currently produced, an

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analysis of its quality can be made to determine what action is required on the operation
in order to achieve and maintain the desired level of quality.”

Quality Assurance:

QA is a program for the systematic monitoring of all aspects of production, a project, or a

service. The aim is to make sure that the producer and what the producer makes meet the
required standards.

Clause 3.2.11 defines Quality Assurance as:

“A part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality

requirements will be fulfilled”

Quality Plan:

A document setting out the specific quality practices, resources and activities relevant to
a particular product, service, contract or project.

Quality improvement:

QI is the systematic approach to the elimination of waste and losses in the production
process. Sometimes, it also includes the reduction of waste and losses. QI involves
weeding (prepare) out what is not working properly, and either improving it or getting rid
of it.

Importance of Quality Control:

Garment industry has a complex supply chain where garment makers source materials,
stitch garments and sell goods to retailers. Through buyers and retailers quality garments
reach to end user located all over the world. No wearers will buy a garment with poor
quality and visible defects. So buyers and retailer knowingly do not purchase a product
that does not meet the quality requirement. Quality conscious buyers have a strong
quality inspection system in place to avoid purchasing of defective goods.

1. Encourages quality consciousness:

The most important advantage derived by introducing quality control is that it develops
and encourages quality consciousness among the workers in the factory which is greatly
helpful in achieving desired level of quality in the product.

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2. Satisfaction of consumers:

Consumers are greatly benefited as they get better quality products on account of quality
control. It gives them satisfaction.

3. Reduction in production cost:

By undertaking effective inspection and control over production processes and

operations, production costs are considerably reduced. Quality control further checks the
production of inferior products and wastages thereby bringing down the cost of
production considerably.

4. Most effective utilization of resources:

Quality control ensures maximum utilization of available resources thereby minimizing

wastage and inefficiency of every kind.

5. Reduction in inspection costs:

Quality control brings about economies in inspection and considerably reduces cost of
inspection.

6. Increased goodwill:

By producing better quality products and satisfying customer’s needs, quality control
raises the goodwill of the concern in the minds of people. A reputed concern can easily
raise finances from the market.

7. Higher morale of employees:

An effective system of quality control is greatly helpful in increasing the morale of

employees, and they feel that they are working in the concern producing better and higher
quality products.

8. Improved employer-employee relations:

Quality control develops to better industrial atmosphere by increasing morale of

employees which ensures cordial employer-employee relations leading to better
understanding and closeness between them.

9. Improved techniques and methods of production:

By supplying technical and engineering data for the product and manufacturing
processes, improved methods and designs of production are ensured by quality control.
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10. Effective advertisement:

Organizations producing quality products have effective advertisement. They win the
public confidence by supplying those better quality products.

11. Increased sales:

Quality control ensures production of quality products which is immensely helpful in

attracting more customers for the product thereby increasing sales. It is greatly helpful in
maintaining existing demand and creating new demand for the product. It has been
rightly pointed out that quality control is a powerful instrument with the help of which
markets both at home and abroad can be expanded.

12. Facilitates price fixation:

By introducing quality control measures, uniform (consistent/regular) products of same

quality are produced. This greatly facilitates the problem of price fixation. One price of
standard products becomes prevalent in the market.

Nine dimensions of quality:

Performance: Performance refers to a product's primary product characteristics. This
refers to appropriate function ability of the product or whether the product performs
satisfactorily as desired or expected by the customer. It involves the various operating
characteristics of the product. For a television set, for example, these characteristics will
be the quality of the picture, sound and longevity of the picture tube.

 Example (The comfort of a user using long wear contact lenses.)

Features: Secondary Characteristics, added features, such as remote control. Features are
additional characteristics that enhance the appeal of the product or service to the user.
These are characteristics that are supplemental to the basic operating characteristics. In an
automobile, for example, a stereo CD player would be an additional feature.

Reliability: Consistency of performance over time. Reliability of a product is the degree

of dependability and trustworthiness of the benefit of the product for a long period of
time. It addresses the probability that the product will work without interruption or
breaking down.

 Consistency of performance over time.

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Conformance: Meeting specifications or industry standards. It is the degree to which the

product conforms to pre- established specifications. All quality products are expected to
precisely meet the set standards. Conformance is how well something, such as product or
system, meets a specified standard.

Durability: Useful life includes repair. It measures the length of time that a product
performs before a replacement becomes necessary. The durability of home appliances
such as a washing machine can range from 10 to 15 years.

Service: Resolution of problems and complains, ease of repair. Service ability refers to
the promptness, courtesy, proficiency and ease in repair when the product breaks down
and is sent for repairs.

Aesthetics: Aesthetic aspect of a product is comparatively subjective in nature and refers

to its impact on the human senses such as how it looks, feels, sounds, tastes and so on,
depending upon the type of product. Automobile companies make sure that in addition to
functional quality, the automobiles are also artistically attractive.

 Products look, feel, taste and smell.

Perceived quality: An equally important dimension of quality is the perception of the

quality of the product in the mind of the consumer. Honda cars, Sony Walkman and
Rolex watches are perceived to be high quality items by the consumers.

 Quality as viewed by a customer or clients.

Reputation: Past performance and other intangibles, such as being ranked first.

Quality Control Steps:

1. Setting benchmarks:

Determine the required quality target in terms of a trade off (transaction) between cost &
quality characteristics/ aspects (such as performance, reliability, etc).While setting
benchmarks or standards, manufacturability of machines and equipment and skill of
manpower need to be taken into account.

2. Appraising conformance:

Regular monitoring and evaluation are essential for measuring key characteristics of
quality, preferably in quantitative terms which should be followed by appraisal
(judgment) for ensuring conformance as per specifications.

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3. Acting when necessary:

If conformance appraisal shows deviation (difference) from the benchmarks, or stipulated

(fixed) output, necessary correct measures should be taken in order to avoid such
occurrence. Necessary diagnosis must be performed to identify and subsequently remove
their causes throughout the complete value chain functions such as procurement, design,
production, maintenance, delivery etc. which influence customer satisfaction.

4. Planning for improvements:

As control functions have significant impact on quality, necessary plans must be

formulated for future better quality control.

Consequences of poor quality

Loss of Businesses: Customers quietly stop buying. Customers complain rarely reach to
the upper management. The most severe problem of bad quality is loss of business.
Failure of a product while in use can severely damage the organizations image, which is
detrimental for business.

Loss of Materials: In many cases, the defective products can not be reworked for further
use. This may mean rejection, which not only means loss of material, but also loss of
other resources and useful time spent in producing those products.

Loss of Productive time: Productivity in Japanese industries is very high for many
reasons, one being the philosophy- “ Right the First Time”, which means no defectives at
all, even no loss of time through trial and error.

Liability: Due to damages and injuries resulting from poor quality (design, conformance,
ease of use, service). Poor quality increases certain other costs. These include liability
costs in terms of warranty cost, replacement and repair cost after purchase, and any other
costs expended in transportation, inspection in the field, and payments to customers or
discounts used to offset the inferior quality.

Low Productivity: Rework or scrap. More input but does not increase the output.
Productivity and quality are closely related. Since poor quality means rework and
rejection, it adversely affects productivity in manufacturing process.

High Cost:

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Evaluation of quality system:

Inspection Based Quality Reactive

Quality Control (QC) Reactive

Quality Assurance Proactive

Total Quality Management Preventive

Total Quality Management:

 A philosophy that involves everyone in an organization in a continual effort to
improve quality and achieve customer satisfaction.
 Continuous improving
 Involvement of everyone
 Customer satisfaction
Simple Objective of TQM:
“Do the right things, right
the first time, every time.”
TQM & organizational Cultural Change:
Traditional Approach TQM

Lack of communication Open communications

Control of staff Empowerment

Inspection Prevention

Internal focus on rule External focus on customer

Stability seeking Continuous improvement

Adversarial relations Co-operative relations

Allocating blame Solving problems at their roots

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