Which of the following is not an element of a quality control system?

Quality control (QC) is a procedure or set of procedures intended to ensure that a manufactured product or performed service adheres to a defined set of quality criteria or meets the requirements of the client or customer. QC is similar to, but not identical with, quality assurance (QA). While QA refers to the confirmation that specified requirements have been met by a product or service, QC refers to the actual inspection of these elements.

QA is sometimes expressed together with QC as a single expression: quality assurance and control (QA/QC).

The quality control procedure

In order to implement an effective QC program, an enterprise must first decide which specific standards the product or service must meet. Then the extent of QC actions must be determined -- for example, the percentage of units to be tested from each lot.

Next, real-world data must be collected -- such as the percentage of units that fail -- and the results reported to management personnel. After this, corrective action must be decided upon and taken. For example, defective units must be repaired or rejected, and poor service repeated at no charge until the customer is satisfied. If too many unit failures or instances of poor service occur, a plan must be devised to improve the production or service process; then that plan must be put into action.

Finally, the QC process must be ongoing to ensure that remedial efforts, if required, have produced satisfactory results and to immediately detect recurrences or new instances of trouble.

See also: Total Quality Management

This was last updated in December 2019

Continue Reading About quality control (QC)

  • The perks of server virtualization in DevOps includes improved quality control
  • How a new Customer Experience Assurance platform is helping the quality control of customer services
  • Benefits of blockchain include improving quality control
  • How the use of AI in manufacturing processes can improve quality control
  • Tips for continuing appropriate quality control over trademark licenses


Figure 1: Quality System, Quality Assurance, and Quality Control Relationships

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance can be defined as "part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled." The confidence provided by quality assurance is twofold—internally to management and externally to customers, government agencies, regulators, certifiers, and third parties. An alternate definition is "all the planned and systematic activities implemented within the quality system that can be demonstrated to provide confidence that a product or service will fulfill requirements for quality."

Quality Control

Quality control can be defined as "part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements." While quality assurance relates to how a process is performed or how a product is made, quality control is more the inspection aspect of quality management. An alternate definition is "the operational techniques and activities used to fulfill requirements for quality."

Industry Perspectives on QA and QC

For some service organizations, the concept of quality control may be foreign because there is no tangible product to inspect and control. The quality assurance function in a service organization may not include quality control of the service but may include quality control of any products involved in providing the service.

A service may include products that are documents (such as a report, contract, or design) or tangible products (such as a rental car or units of blood). It may be necessary to control product quality in a service organization to ensure that the service meets customer requirements.

QA, QC, and Inspection

Inspection is the process of measuring, examining, and testing to gauge one or more characteristics of a product or service and the comparison of these with specified requirements to determine conformity. Products, processes, and various other results can be inspected to make sure that the object coming off a production line, or the service being provided, is correct and meets specifications.

Quality Assurance and Audit Functions

Auditing is part of the quality assurance function. It is important to ensure quality because it is used to compare actual conditions with requirements and to report those results to management.

In The Quality Audit: A Management Evaluation Tool (McGraw-Hill, 1988), Charles Mill wrote that auditing and inspection are not interchangeable: “The auditor may use inspection techniques as an evaluation tool, but the audit should not be involved in carrying out any verification activities leading to the actual acceptance or rejection of a product or service. An audit should be involved with the evaluation of the process and controls covering the production and verification activities.”

Formal management systems have evolved to direct and control organizations. There are quality management systems (QMSs) as well as environmental or other management systems, and each of these systems may be audited.

History of QA and QC

Quality has been defined as fitness for use, conformance to requirements, and the pursuit of excellence. Even though the concept of quality has existed from early times, the study and definition of quality have been given prominence only in the last century.

1920s: Quality Control

Following the Industrial Revolution and the rise of mass production, it became important to better define and control the quality of products. Originally, the goal of quality was to ensure that engineering requirements were met in final products. Later, as manufacturing processes became more complex, quality developed into a discipline for controlling process variation as a means of producing quality products.

1950s: Quality Assurance and Auditing

The quality profession expanded to include the quality assurance and quality audit functions. The drivers of independent verification of quality were primarily industries in which public health and safety were paramount.

QA and QC Resources

You can also search articles, case studies, and publications for quality assurance and quality control resources.

Books

The ASQ Certified Quality Auditor Handbook

The Certified Quality Inspector Handbook (CQI)

Process Quality Control: Troubleshooting and Interpretation of Data

Articles

Rethinking Statistics For Quality Control (Quality Engineer) As methods used for statistical process control become more sophisticated, it becomes apparent that the required tools have not been included in courses that teach statistics in quality control. A basic description of these tools and their applications is provided.

A Discussion Of The Software Quality Assurance Role (Software Quality Professional) The inability to identify who are actually customers limits the ability of software quality assurance engineers in the performance of their duties. Correcting this oversight enables the SQA engineer to provide greater value to customers by assuming the role of auditor as well as that of software and systems engineer.

Certifications

Quality Auditor Certification (CQA)

Quality Inspector Certification (CQI)

Courses

Certified Quality Auditor Certification Preparation

Certified Quality Auditor Question Bank

Certified Quality Inspector Certification Preparation

Certified Quality Inspector Question Bank

 

From The ASQ Certified Quality Auditor Handbook, ASQ Quality Press.

What are the elements of quality control?

The quality control policies and procedures applicable to a firm's accounting and auditing practice should encompass the following elements:.
Independence, Integrity, and Objectivity..
Personnel Management..
Acceptance and Continuance of Clients and Engagements..
Engagement Performance..
Monitoring..

What are the 4 types of quality control?

What are the four types of Quality Control? The four types of quality control are process control, control charts, acceptance sampling, and product quality control.

What are the 4 components of quality management?

When broken down, quality control management can be segmented into four key components to be effective: quality planning, quality control, quality assurance, and quality improvement.

What are the 6 types of quality control?

There are many different approaches to QC, with some of the more popular methodologies being statistical quality control (SQC), statistical process control (SPC), total quality management (TQM), Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma. Every approach, however, is based around the regular inspection of goods.