What is Quality

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Quality is defined as:

"The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability
to satisfy stated or implied needs"
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Definition of Quality Assurance

"All those planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that
a product or service will satisfy given requirements for quality"
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Quality System

The Quality System is defined as:

"The organizational structure, responsibilities, procedures, processes, and resources for

implementing quality management"
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Quality Program

To assure that the quality system is complete and properly defined all parts of it must be written
down an approved at management level.

The collection of documents is referred to as the "documented quality system".

The quality system can normally be documented in three basic tiers:-

1. The Quality Manual which sets out the general quality policies, procedures and practices of the
organization
2. The Departmental Procedures which prescribe the methods by which each department will do
its job. The Specifications or Work Instructions produced by each department to prescribe in
detail the work to be done by others
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Quality Control

Quality Control may be regarded as the "doing". It is the terms given to the activities, which verify
that all parts of the quality system are being maintained and that the product complies with
specified requirements. Design checks, Inspections and tests therefore are all parts of quality
control and Quality. Control is an integral part of Quality Assurance. Quality assurance in fact is:

"The operational techniques and activities that are used to fulfill requirements for quality"

Also at this stage it should be noted that we have discussed Quality Assurance in terms of
manufactured products, but Quality Assurance applies equally to activities where the outcome is
not a manufactured product but is a service. In such industries as hotels and transport this is
readily recognized. We can all specify the service we want and the hoteliers or transporters can
devise quality systems to provide these services. No doubt you can think of other 'service'
industries where quality assurance principles can be applied.
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 Quality Circles

A group of people who meet together on a regular basis to identify, analyze and solve quality,
productivity, cost reduction, safety and. other problems in their work areas leading to
improvement in their total performance and enrichment of their work life.
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Quality Circles Process

The following diagram depicts the steps involved:

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
PROBLEM SELECTION
PROBLEM ANALYSIS
IMPLEMENTATION AND RECOMMENDATION TO MANAGEMENT

Problem identification results from any of

The Circle members

Management
Staff or technical experts

Typically, several problems are identified. Problem selections is a prerogative of the Circle. The
Circle performs problem analysis with assistance, if needed, from the appropriate technical
experts and other functional agencies.

The Circle makes its recommendations and gives status report on its activities to its departmental
heads in the first instance once in 7-8 weeks and selected cases of all circles are presented to
the top management once in 3-4 months.
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Quality Circle Techniques

The most common techniques are:

1.Stratification of Data
2.Pareto analysis
3.Cause and effect diagrams
4.Flowcharting
5.Histogram / Scattered Diagram
6.Check Sheet
7.Control Chart
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What is QCC
QC Circles (QCC) activity is a small group activity, which operates in a business organization
following the principle of voluntaries. The concept of the QCC originated in Japan with the basic
objective of improving quality. The principle of voluntariness is reflected in the following:

Spontaneity in participation to QCC activity

Spontaneity in problem identification and theme election
Autonomy in problem solving and management of this activity
Self-reliance in evaluating the results.

The scope of QCC activity lies in the improvement of quality of

Work area
Working environment
Methods of working / manufacturing
Products & services

All the above improvements eventually results in

Lower costs
Higher productivity

Better earnings for an organization

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Input Requirement from Management
Top management commitments
The top management must be committed to providing all the support, encouragement and
necessary. Infrastructure for QCC activities. The inputs required from top management are:

Creating an environment filled with trust, confidence and respect for the workers to
unleash their hidden potential and capabilities to the fullest extent.
Impressing upon the workers on the need of launching QCC activities to their own
benefits, which would eventually improve quality.
Arranging training facilities/ programmes on QCC for workers.
Arranging appreciation programs on QCC for middle management and securing their
confidence. Support and involvement in QCC activities.
Building the required organizational infrastructure for forming the QC circles, motivating
and mobilizing them to actions and sustaining the OCC activities to the benefits of the
organization.
Constantly monitoring the QCC activities to eliminate shortcomings and Introducing
corrective measures for continuous developments

While structuring the QCC programmes the top management must be alive to the following
shortcomings:

Generally low educational level of the workers.

Poor working conditions with scant regard to environmental cleanliness
Poor economic level of the workers.
Poor health of the workers on account of undernourishment, malnutrition, lack of proper
medical facilities, lack of health consciousness.
Generally prevailing mutual distrust between the management and the workers.
Complicity and multiplicity of labour unions forming different interest and pressure
groups.
Poor understanding of teamwork on the part of the workers.
Traditional thinking about physical labour as a low-leveled job
Low level of culture of the workers because of the prevalent socioeconomic condition

Middle Management Commitments

To make the QCC effective and result-oriented, the middle management should

Make themselves knowledgeable and up-to-date about the concepts and working of the
QCC's,
Make themselves responsive to the ideas and contributions by one and all a shop floor.
Create a conducive and stimulating atmosphere for the workers such that their creativity
can be energized and properly channelised.
Develop an attitude to accept responsibility and stop blaming others.
Look at the top management as a group of senior colleagues and part of their own
working team.

It is Imperative that the above efforts of the middle management will be effective if the top
management shows their confidence and trust to the middle manages and give all the support &
encouragement required
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Basic Tools of QC

The workers should be given in-depth exposures to basic OC techniques (i.e. 7 basic tools of
QC), which are as follows:

1. Stratification
2. Check-sheets
3. Pareto analysis
4. Cause & Effect diagram
5. Histogram /Frequency distribution
6. Control charts / graphs
7. Scatter diagram

In the training programme, all the above tools should be taught with presentation of live case
studies drawn from the particular organization itself. Following classroom lectures, the
participating workers should be given live projects in their own work fronts with a view to make
them learn to utilize above tools of QC. The workers should also be directly and indirectly
exposed to successful QCC activities in other organizations.

A part from the training programme as basic tool of QC, various means as given below may be
followed for motivating the workers to undertake QCC activities

Formal presentation of the case studies by the workers themselves before the
management
Publication and distribution of in-house case study volumes
Publication in House Magazine
Awards for good case studies
Recording in personnel file

Participation of the workers (in small groups) in major forums

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Sustaining Development of QCC Activities

Infantile mortality failure of these QC circle has been found to be very high. Probe Into such
failures revealed that the following were the frequent modes of failures in general:

By-passing top management.

Not-convincing top management.
Non-committing by top management.
Lip sympathizing by top management.
Mistrusting by middle management.
Disassociating by middle management.
By passing the work force.
Poor leadership In QC circle.
Lack of team spirit and non. Cooperation among the members in a QC circles
Lack of proper guidance from the management in the face of difficulties experienced by a
QC circle while pursuing a problem
Lack of motivational measures for the QCC members.
Stagnating knowledge
Poor information feed-back mechanism
Therefore, to make the QCC activities a success, the top management of the business
organizations should be fully committed to the cause of quality.