3. What’s the message here?

4. And this….

5. Read this…..when you lose or abuse the QA/QM code of conduct!
How much can it really cost when you fail your own QA/QM on your products? Read this….

6. Quality
Quality: those features of a product or service that allow it to satisfy (or delight) customers.
Think of a product and list five ways of measuring the quality of that product.
Does everyone have the same list?
Quality is subjective — a matter of personal opinion — and views of it will vary from individual to individual.
Define quality as providing what the customer wants at the right time, to the right standard of product and service and therefore satisfying customers

7. Quality of different products
Which products need and have high quality?
Aircraft? Cars?
M&S, Waitrose, Tesco – food?
Apple? Gucci? Primark?
Eye surgeon? Hairdresser?

8. Benefits and costs of quality to a business
What are the main benefits of high quality?
increase in sales volume
creating a unique selling point (USP) and enhancing the firm’s reputation
Therefore a greater scope for increasing the selling price
pricing flexibility, as customers will want to buy the product even if price is changed
possible reduced manufacturing cost and reduced wastage if high-quality materials and processes improve the efficiency of the production process

9. Benefits and costs of quality to a business
Are there any costs?
Quality can cost money
May need to spend more on better raw materials or components
Camera or smartphone with more functions, faster laptop, all cost more
Training staff also matters
So issue is the balance of benefits and costs

10. Costs of low quality to a business
Marketing costs
Business costs
Loss of sales
Scrapping of unsuitable goods
Loss of reputation
Reworking of unsatisfactory goods – cost of labour and raw materials
May have to discount prices
Lower prices for ‘seconds’
May impact on other products in range
Handling customer complaints
Retailers may not stock the product
Loss of consumer goodwill and repeat purchases

11. Quality control and quality assurance
How can companies make sure quality is high enough:
Quality control
Inspectors are employed to check the accuracy of completed work
Quality assurance
Detailed systems are put in place to govern quality at every stage of the production process, so that it is right first time

12. Quality control
Quality control is the traditional method to manage quality
Workers concentrate on producing as much as possible
Quality control inspectors check the output meets a minimum acceptable standard
It may involve inspecting every product, eg car
Or checking one product from each batch (and then checking the whole batch if one is faulty)

13. Quality control plus and minus
Advantages
Inspection at the end of the process can prevent a defective product reaching the customer
Can be safer than trusting every individual to do his or her job properly
Inspectors are well trained (Ofsted for schools)
Disadvantages
Defective product can slip through
Staff focus on a minimum level of quality rather than the best quality
Not motivating for staff

14. Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance is a system that aims to achieve or improve quality by organising every process to get the product ‘right first time’ and prevent mistakes ever happening
Firms put in a documented process
This mandates that every stage, from raw materials to the finished product, is managed
Self-checking is crucial to quality assurance
Could think of whole process in SHS – schemes of work, resources, lesson observation, training, sharing best practice

15. Quality assurance plus and minus
Advantages
Ownership is with the workforce rather than with an independent inspector, giving them greater responsibility
Theorists such as Herzberg argue that the responsibility will motivate workers
Lower costs since there should be less waste — any faults should be discovered during the process
Because an individual will not want to be blamed for a faulty product, each worker should check what he or she receives, reducing the possibility of a faulty product
Disadvantages
Since it is a paper based system, have to ensure employees do not see it as a box ticking exercise

16. Quality Assurance vs Quality Control

17. Total Quality Management
Quality assurance (QA) may be seen as a box ticking exercise
Quality management systems include QA as part of a total approach to quality management. These are fully certified systems, but involve a change in philosophy
Total Quality Management is the best known approach
TQM can be defined as a management philosophy committed to a focus on continuous improvements of product and services with the involvement of the entire workforce
Everyone in the workforce is concerned with quality at every stage of the production process
Staff are educated and trained to take responsibility for their own work. Should think that of the next person in the production chain as a customer
Staff are encouraged to take pride in their work

18. Issues involved in introducing and managing a quality assurance system
Costs
Quality procedures require a great deal of administrative expense to set up and monitor
Training
The introduction of a quality assurance system, particularly if part of TQM, relies on a well-trained workforce that is able to understand and implement the quality system
Disruption to production
In the short run, the training programme provided can be quite disruptive to existing production methods
Culture
TQM requires a change in culture supported by strong leadership. Strong leadership is often missing in an organisation

19. Some questions
Name 2 industries which need to produce products/services to a high quality
Name 2 industries for which quality is less important
List 3 benefits of producing high quality goods/services
List 2 costs of producing high quality goods/services
List 4 costs to a business of low quality
What are the 2 main ways companies make sure quality is high enough
Describe quality control

20. Other quality initiatives
TQM may also include other initiatives:
Quality chains
Where an employee views others in the firm as customers. The chain exists from the start of the process for a good/service, eg suppliers, to the final customer. It is intact if the final customer is happy
Quality circles
A group of employees meet together regularly to identify problems and make recommendations of how these can be fixed. This should improve both the product and process

21. Other quality initiatives
Zero defects
Firms aim to produce products with no defects. This can help build a USP, which leads to repeat business and therefore more demand (and so revenues and profits
Examples?

22. Other quality initiatives - Kaizen
Quality system based on continuous improvement
Kaizen (a Japanese term meaning ‘continuous improvement’) is a policy of implementing small, incremental changes in order to achieve better quality and/or greater efficiency.
These changes are invariably suggested by employees and emanate from a corporate culture that encourages employees to identify potential improvements.
Employees have to think they have 2 jobs. First is the job itself, and second to look for ways of doing it better
Familiar in sport – Sir David Brailsford pioneered marginal gains in cycling