Imagine a home chef doing a happy dance as he realizes his new stainless steel cookware is exactly what he wanted: a sturdy pan that evenly distributes heat.
This kind of reaction is possible because of rigorous testing to ensure the cookware’s durability and performance, statistical process control to maintain consistent manufacturing standards, and thorough inspections to guarantee a flawless finish. These steps are all components of a quality assurance process with an end goal of delivering products that meet customer expectations.
Read on for more about the types of quality assurance methods and how to establish and maintain a robust QA program.
What is quality assurance?
Quality assurance (QA) ensures a company’s products or services meet its or an industry’s quality standards. The multistep process helps a quality assurance specialist identify and prevent potential issues during the development, production, and delivery stages so the final product aligns with the established criteria.
For instance, a cosmetics company producing a face cream would employ QA measures to verify the production process results in a well-formulated cream that delivers on expectations.
By investing in QA, you can proactively address quality concerns, minimize errors, reduce costs associated with rework and customer complaints, improve customer satisfaction, and strengthen brand loyalty.
Quality assurance vs. quality control
While quality assurance and quality control (QC) both deal with delivering high-quality products, the processes are distinct. Quality assurance is a proactive process to prevent defects and ensure your company meets quality standards throughout the production process.
On the other hand, quality control is a reactive process to identify and correct defects or inconsistencies in the final product or service before it reaches the customer. QA aims to prevent quality issues from occurring, while QC seeks to detect and rectify any issues that have already occurred.
Quality assurance methods
- Failure testing
- Statistical process control
- Total quality management
- Process and product quality assurance
Businesses can employ quality assurance methods so their products or services meet the desired quality standards. The method you choose depends on the nature of the product or service, industry regulations, and your company’s specific quality goals.
Failure testing
With failure testing, you deliberately subject a product to extreme conditions or stresses to identify potential weaknesses or failure points. This method helps you determine the limits of your product’s performance and durability, allowing you to make necessary improvements.
For example, a retailer might conduct failure testing by exposing its footwear to various weather conditions, impact tests, and stress tests to ensure the shoes can withstand normal wear and tear.
Statistical process control
Statistical process control (SPC) uses data to monitor and control the quality of a product or service during the production process. By collecting and analyzing data at various stages, you can identify any deviations from the desired quality standards and take corrective actions.
A clothing retailer might use SPC to monitor the consistency of garment sizes, fabric quality, and stitching accuracy throughout the production process.
Total quality management
Total quality management (TQM) is a more comprehensive approach that integrates quality assurance principles into every aspect of your business, from product design to customer service. TQM emphasizes continuous improvement, employee involvement, and customer satisfaction. By adopting TQM, you can foster a culture of quality throughout your organization.
Gogo Sweaters is a handmade luxury knitwear brand based in Calgary, Canada. It creates stunning sweaters sold at retailers like Free People, Revolve, and Holt Renfrew. To maintain its standards, the team has worked with a single partner supplier for a decade, sourcing the best quality wool from Italy.
Despite working with a large team of local knitters, the company has developed guidelines to ensure uniform quality control, like avoiding “overwork” on knits. It’s also integrated technology into its production process to improve each sweater.
“We do production on apps now, where the knitter gets their order to their phone,” president and designer South Van Deer Lee says on the Shopify Masters podcast. “I try to inspire the knitters to do their best, because this is their work. This is a product they have made themselves. It’s not a machine that made this.”
Process and product quality assurance
Process and product quality assurance (PPQA) ensures the quality of the production process and the final product. This approach involves establishing quality standards, monitoring compliance, and identifying opportunities for improvement. By implementing PPQA, you can prevent defects, reduce waste, and improve efficiency.
For instance, a furniture retailer might use PPQA to ensure its manufacturing processes adhere to industry standards like ISO 9001, raw materials like wood and fabrics meet specific quality grades, and finished products undergo rigorous inspections for workmanship and structural integrity before being shipped to customers.
Quality assurance process
The quality assurance process typically follows the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) model, also known as the Deming Cycle (named after economist W. Edwards Deming). This iterative four-step approach helps businesses continuously improve their products or services by identifying areas for improvement, implementing changes, and monitoring the results. Here are the steps:
Plan
First, establish quality objectives, define processes, and determine the necessary resources to deliver high-quality products or services. From there, set clear, measurable goals and develop a detailed action plan to achieve them.
Do
Here, you execute the plan, implement the processes, and produce your product. Documenting all steps and collecting relevant data for analysis is key.
Check
At this point, monitor and evaluate the results against the quality objectives you defined in the first step. Look for any deviations or nonconformities and determine the root causes of quality issues.
Act
Based on your findings, take corrective actions to address any identified quality issues and make necessary improvements. This step also involves standardizing the successful changes and communicating the improvements to relevant stakeholders at your company.
Tips for successful quality assurance
- Establish clear quality objectives and standards
- Document quality control measures
- Choose the right quality assurance method
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement
Implementing a successful quality assurance program requires careful planning, execution, and continuous improvement. By following these best practices, you can establish a robust quality assurance system that helps you consistently deliver high-quality products to your customers.
Establish clear quality objectives and standards
Define measurable, achievable, and relevant quality goals that align with your customers’ expectations and industry benchmarks. These objectives may include product performance, customer satisfaction rates, defect reduction, or compliance with specific regulations or standards.
Your quality objectives will vary based on your industry and customer needs. For instance, an ecommerce business selling handmade jewelry may focus on consistent craftsmanship, timely order fulfillment, and responsive customer service. Meanwhile, a medical device manufacturer would prioritize compliance with strict regulations, such as FDA standards, product reliability, and safety.
Document quality control measures
Developing a comprehensive quality system that outlines the processes, procedures, and quality control measures will help your team meet objectives. Create detailed documentation, like quality manuals, work instructions, and inspection checklists to ensure everyone in your organization understands and consistently follows the established quality standards.
Choose the right quality assurance method
Evaluate various quality assurance methods to determine which approach best suits your products, services, and business goals. For example, a company producing outdoor furniture may choose to focus on failure testing to ensure its products can withstand various weather conditions and maintain their structural integrity, while a manufacturer of baby formula may opt for statistical process control to guarantee consistent product quality and compliance with strict industry regulations.
Consider factors like the complexity of your development process, available resources, and the potential impact on customer satisfaction when selecting a quality assurance focus.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement
Encourage a mindset of ongoing improvement throughout your organization, from product design and development to customer service and support. Through training and resources, employees can understand their roles in maintaining quality standards and identify opportunities for improvement. Establishing a feedback loop will allow for the timely identification, analysis, and resolution of quality issues.
Quality assurance FAQ
What is the difference between QA and QC?
Quality assurance (QA) focuses on preventing defects throughout the production process, while quality control (QC) involves identifying and correcting defects in the final product.
What is the difference between software quality assurance and product quality assurance?
Software quality assurance ensures that software products meet specified requirements and are fit for use, while product quality assurance covers a broader range of products, including physical goods, to ensure they meet the desired quality standards.
What is the role of QA?
The role of quality assurance is to establish and maintain a process that ensures products or services consistently meet or exceed customer expectations and comply with industry standards.
What are the four points of quality assurance?
The four points of quality assurance are: plan (establishing quality objectives and processes), do (executing the plan and producing the product), check (monitoring and evaluating results against quality objectives), and act (taking corrective actions and making improvements based on the findings).
