What is Quality Control?

Quality control, often known as QC, is the procedure that ensures that a good or service conforms to a predetermined set of quality standards. Companies use this procedure to make sure they are satisfying consumer needs.

In this way, the company culture encourages management and staff to aim for excellence. Testing your product or service allows you to detect gaps in quality. Quality control is also achieved with intensive training and the creation of standards for measuring the quality of the product or service. 

Synonyms

• Quality Supervision
• Quality Check
• Quality Assurance
• Product Inspection
• Quality Management
• Quality Monitoring

Click here for additional information. 

How Quality Control Works

As a business, success lies in the satisfaction of your customers. Quality control is a great way to obtain that satisfaction. It’s a way to ensure you’re constantly meeting up with your customer’s expectations.

Here are the steps involved in the quality control process:

1. Establish Testing Guidelines

The first step is to decide on the standard you want to adhere to. This will set the stage for everything to follow. After deciding on a standard, you need to figure out how much work you’ll have to do. This includes the number of samples to take and examine. 

2. Examine Raw Materials and Different Phases

Routine testing of a company's production process is a part of quality control. Testing the quality at different phases allows QC personnel to detect problems early on. They typically start by examining the raw materials. And they continue to examine the product as it moves through the manufacturing process.

3. Fix Issues

QC workers are quick to fix any issues they find. This keeps the issue from happening again later. Different companies use different quality control methods. Factors like product type and industry affect the method that the company uses.

The QC workers in a food manufacturing company will test microbiologically and visually. Simply put, they’ll test to make sure the food is safe for consumption. And test that the packaging is appealing to customers. The quality control method chosen by another company will be different. Especially if they are not in the food industry.

4. Gather Information and Reach Conclusions

The next step is to gather information that will affect how things are done going forward. QC employees gather data from the real world and compile reports. These reports are presented to the management. From this, management can make informed decisions. 

A quality control analysis may reveal a faulty machine. This would cause the management to repair or replace those machines. Regular testing allows companies to keep an eye out for any issues that need to be resolved.

Quality Control Types

There are many types of quality control. Each one has unique characteristics that make it suit the companies that utilize it.

These are the categories of quality control techniques:

• Control Charts

Process changes are visually represented by control charts. Businesses can determine if their production or service operations fall within the control limitations by using statistical analysis. 

• Process Control

This type of quality control focuses on analyzing the process consistently. It involves ongoing process monitoring. And when necessary, an adjustment to meet standards and enhance efficiency. It typically uses techniques like industrial controls and feedback loops. 

• Statistical Sampling

This process helps to make well-informed decisions on product quality. A standard is set early on and QC personnel use statistical sampling to determine if a batch of items meets that standard. 

• Process Protocol

The goal here is to make sure that every stage of production or service delivery satisfies the required standard. This method lays out the design and implementation processes and sets evaluation indicators for each one. 

Importance and Benefits of Quality Control

There are many benefits of quality control. It’s a procedure that brings many advantages to companies and customers. And there’s the added benefit of gaining a competitive edge. Producing high-quality goods will make you a top contender in your industry.

These are the main advantages of quality control: 

1. Brand Reputation: Your reputation depends on the quality of your product or service. High quality boosts reputation and competitiveness in the market. 
2. Cost Reduction: QC techniques help save a lot of money. These techniques reduce waste, cut manufacturing costs, and increase efficiency, 
3. Enhanced Efficiency: Quality control improves output and makes operations more efficient.
4. Defect Prevention: By identifying and fixing problems early in the production process, defects are avoided.
5. Customer Retention and Loyalty: Converting people into loyal customers is easy when you offer high-quality products or services.
6. Customer satisfaction: Meeting and exceeding customer expectations is the goal of every business. Quality control helps you do just that. 
7. Regulations and Conformance: Quality control helps you follow legal requirements and industry standards. This helps you avoid legal problems and penalties. 
8. Risk Mitigation: Quality control analysis identifies risks and hazards. Firms can use this to take preventative measures and keep a safe working and consumer environment.
9. Continuous Improvement: Quality control encourages continuous improvement of goods, services, and procedures.