Quality improvement

Quality Improvement is about adopting measures which can,

(i) increase quality and(ii) reduce risk
The two most important quality improvement measures are:
(i) Quality Assurance and(ii) Quality Control

Quality Assurance (generally shortened to QA) is concerned with ensuring that the processes, people and materials involved in the development of products and/or services are of a high standard.

Quality Control is concerned with ensuring that whatever is produced is fit for the purpose it was produced for. This includes meeting the requirements such as those defined by the customer and also ensuring that the level of risk associated with whatever’s produced is minimized.

So a company that makes cars for example, will use Quality Assurance to ensure that the processes, people and the materials involved with the car manufacturing are of a high standard. Whilst Quality Control will be used to ensure that the cars produced are fit for the purpose they’re produced for, that is they’re not defective and drive as expected. Aswell ensuring that anything that could go wrong with the cars once they’re sold can also be checked against and rectified prior to selling the car. Such as checking to see whether after 12,000 miles of use, no serious defects appear.

The cost effective approach for Quality Improvement is to use Quality Assurance and Quality Control effecively together. Without Quality Assurance the likelihood of more defects appearing increases and without Quality Control, the likelihood of defects going undetected increases. Both scenarios result in increased costs as a result of rectifying defects, which increases the risk to the organization supplying the product or service. In a worse case scenario, more defects could lead to increased litigation in the form of lawsuits and compensation claims.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What makes ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 so special

The ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 families are among ISO's most widely known standards ever. ISO 9000 has become an international reference for quality requirements in business to business dealings, and ISO 14000 looks set to achieve at least as much, if not more, in helping organizations to meet their environmental challenges.

The vast majority of ISO standards are highly specific to a particular product, material, or process. However, the standards that have earned the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 families a worldwide reputation are known as "generic management system standards". "Generic" means that the same standards can be applied to any organization, large or small, whatever its product - including whether its "product" is actually a service - in any sector of activity, and whether it is a business enterprise, a public administration, or a government department. "Management system" refers to what the organization does to manage its processes, or activities. "Generic" also signifies that no matter what the organization is or does, if it wants to establish a quality management system or an environmental management system, then such a system has a number of essential features which are spelled out in the relevant standards of the ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 families.

ISO 9000 is concerned with "quality management". This means what the organization does to enhance customer satisfaction by meeting customer and applicable regulatory requirements and continually to improve its performance in this regard. ISO 14000 is primarily concerned with "environmental management". This means what the organization does to minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities, and continually to improve its environmental performance.

Quality Profit

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a method (first developed for systems engineering) that examines potential failures in products or processes. It may be used to evaluate risk management priorities for mitigating known threat-vulnerabilities.


FMEA helps select remedial actions that reduce cumulative impacts of life-cycle consequences (risks) from a systems failure (fault).
By adapting hazard tree analysis to facilitate visual learning, this method illustrates connections between multiple contributing causes and cumulative (life-cycle) consequences.
It is used in many formal quality systems such as QS 9000 or ISO/TS 16949.


The basic process is to take a description of the parts of a system, and list the consequences if each part fails. In most formal systems, the consequences are then evaluated by three criteria and associated risk indices:


severity (S),

likelihood of occurrence (O),

and (Note: This is also often known as probability (P))

inability of controls to detect it (D)

Each index ranges from 1 (lowest risk) to 10 (highest risk).


The overall risk of each failure is called Risk Priority Number (RPN) and the product of Severity (S), Occurrence (O), and Detection (D) rankings: RPN = S × O × D. The RPN (ranging from 1 to 1000) is used to prioritize all potential failures to decide upon actions leading to reduce the risk, usually by reducing likelihood of occurrence and improving controls for detecting the failure.

ISO Misuse!!

Misuse of ISO name is becoming rampant in the services sector now. For anything and everything, the QAMs are calling for procedures in the name of ISO requirements. Their only aim is to prolong their existence
by periodic internal audits based on these procedures. But does the
core policy of ISO insist on such procedures? My own firm opinion is negative in this regard. ISO does not call for detailed written procedures for each and every one of those processes involved in any business. Those who have formulated the basic requirements for ISO certification are not foolish enough to insist on rigid procedures for inherently flexible activities like business development and invoicing.

Any business runs on certain unique skills of a single or set of individuals. And none of the activities or processes that depend on those special skills will be amenable to written down procedures applicable at all times. It would be foolish to tie down human creativity to ISO procedures.

Engineering industry is the most hit by the QAMs' misinterpretation of ISO policies. In many companies we can find procedures for even frivolous activities. The dirty work of an incompetent survivor in the form of QAM in the company will be very much evident in such cases.

Under the guise of an ISO requirement, the cheeky QAM will force the vulnerable CEO to go in for procedures in all areas of operation. It is now common knowledge that almost all aspects of Design and Engineering are standardized by the work of several professional bodies and associations. The need for additional ISO procedures to cover these activities is either unwanted or counter productive. Yet many such organizations fall into the trap set by the Quality Assurance brigade and become white elephants in no time.

The whole services sector is flooded with QAMs at present. And many of them are outdated professionals past their expiry date. One quick survey of the average age and health of QAMs in the services sector companies in one metropolis is enough to prove this point. The only way for these hangers-on to survive in the industry is to make procedural cocoons and trap those who are doing the real work.

Regular internal audits and making 'arrangements' for external auditors are some of the most 'sophisticated' exercises they can survive on. The immense damage they are doing to the name of ISO in the industry is something that shouldn't miss the attention of the ISO office bearers.

The sooner ISO come crystal clear about their minimum requirements in the service industry the better for the prestigious organization. Otherwise, ISO's would become an unwanted certification very soon, buried deep in the quicksand of unwanted procedures.

Quality Profit

Quality Management System for Automotive Sector

Automotive manufacturers require suppliers to certify their quality systems to the industry’s own requirements. It can be a challenge to make the right decision for your organization and develop a system that will satisfy your customers in the years ahead. To make a decision, it is critical that you understand the various options available, the contractual requirements, and deadlines from the automotive manufacturers.

There is one international standard, ISO/TS 16949:2002. In addition there are national standards like QS-9000 and VDA 6.1. Just like ISO/TS 16949:2002, the national standards all incorporate certification to the Quality Management System standard ISO 9001:2000, and are committed to the transition of all their certificates to the ISO/TS 16949:2002 edition.

It is important to note that the general trend is a move away from the national standard schemes to the international ISO/TS 16949:2002, but so far finalized transition dates have not been set for all of them.

Big automotive manufacturers like DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors have already set transition deadlines.

QualityProfit

ISO/IEC 17025 - General Information

With the trend toward globalization now well established, there is an increasing need for qualification of products and services that are accepted around the world. If your products and services are not tested or calibrated by an internationally accepted test or calibration service, your customers may require additional testing or calibration in their country, putting you at an competitive disadvantage.The Laboratory Recognition Services Program assesses calibration and testing laboratories to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard. The ISO/IEC 17025 standard establishes requirements for a laboratory management system that combines the quality management system with technical competence requirements. The standard can be thought of as a technically rigorous application of ISO 9001 to a calibration or testing laboratory.

ISO/IEC 17025 replaces a prior standard called ISO Guide 25. Where an ISO 9001 audit team includes people with the general industry code to audit a customer, an ISO/IEC 17025 assessment team includes not only one or more quality systems auditors, but also includes technical expertise in the specific tests or calibrations performed by the customer. There are rules for qualifications that are more stringent for ISO/IEC 17025 than for ISO 9001.We are ready to guide you through the recognition process in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025 in order to create transparency and comprehensibility for all processes.

ISO 14001 General Concept

General Concept

Increased awareness of sustainable development gives environmentally credible companies a competitive edge in national and international markets. A certified Environmental Management System proves that your business is taking active steps to fulfil your responsibilities.

Environmental regulations are getting stricter, and so is the law enforcement. Customers and shareholders increasingly demand that businesses diminish the environmental impact from their business, demonstrate what they do, and how they improve. An Environmental Management System helps your organization to be in control of and successfully manage the most significant environmental aspects, e.g. emissions, waste-handling, utilize natural resources, and energy-efficiency.