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There are many different ways to define what quality means in terms of business, there seems not to be one definitive meaning. At the last quality meeting my department held at ???? I asked the team to define quality. What is their interpretation of what quality is? The two main answers they came up with are below: 1 . “Fit for purpose” – this means that the product or service should meet a standard which a reasonable person would regard as being satisfactory. For example: if the those things, then the car can be deemed as a quality product (therefore “fit for purpose”). . Meeting customers expectations” – this is knowing who your customers are and what they want and getting it right is key to customer satisfaction. To meet customer’s expectations an organization must deliver a consistent level of service that is based on the targets, which are set for each customer. In our field of Rehabilitation Engineering Services, we have many contracts with other NASH Trusts around the South of England. We have specified targets set out within tender documents or Service Level Agreements, which are our customer expectations.
Lots of people say the Parker pen because it is more durable, sturdy and made with better materials, but costs a lot more. Some people say the BIG birr because its cheap and disposable and you are able to buy 100 BIG pens for the same price as 1 Parker pen, negating that quality is better than quantity. Illustrate the processes of inspection and assurance Quality Assurance is an approach which uses processes to ensure an organization is providing the best possible products or services. Focus is made on enhancing and improving processes that are used to create an end result.
Parts of the process that are considered in quality assurance are; design, production, development, planning and service. There are a number of quality assurance tools that organizations use to help guide hem through the steps that are needed to ensure that their processes are as efficient and productive as possible. One of the most popular is the Shareware Cycle. This tool was developed by Dry. W. Edwards Deeming, a 20th-century American management consultant who named the tool after his associate, Walter A. Shareware.
The cycle consists of four steps: Plan, Do, Check and Act (PDA). This is depicted (source: http://lean-master. Com/l/post/2013/08/SCADA-before-you-PDA. HTML) At the end of Shareware Cycle, which also is called the Deeming Cycle or PDA Cycle, the steps are repeated to ensure that the process is being evaluated and improved n a constant basis. Quality Control 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.
Quality Control focuses on the end result. Armband V. Figment is an American quality control expert and businessman. Figment is the founder and president of General System Co. , an international engineering company that designs and implements total quality systems. In 1951 Figment originated the concept of total quality control in his book Total Quality Control. The book has been translated into many languages. The basic principles on which Figment based Total Quality Control was a series of descriptors of what ‘quality’ was.
Quality: is what the customer says it is and cost are a sum, not a difference requires individual enthusiasm requires teamwork is a fundamental mindset and way of managing a business and innovation rely on each other is a principle and a management ethic is based on continuous improvement is the most cost effective, least capital intensive route to productivity is ‘one system’ within an organization and connects the suppliers to the customers wrought the processes of the business Many of these statements will be very familiar in today’s organizations.
I have compared the two systems (quality assurance and quality control) in the table Quality Assurance Quality Control Set of activities to ensure quality in the process. Set of activities to ensure quality in the end product/service. Focus on the prevention of defects during the process. This is a proactive quality process. Focuses on identifying and correcting defects in the end product/service. This is a reactive quality process. All team members involved with developing the product/service is expansible for quality assurance.
Only the team members that test the products/ services for defects. This is a managerial tool where tasks are conducted by managers and third party auditors. This is a corrective tool where tasks are executed by experts who are directly involved in the design or manufacture of a product, such as an engineer etc. This makes sure you are doing the right things the right way. This makes sure that the results of what you have done are the results that are expected.
A quality assurance audit would focus on the process elements of a projects, such as; communication, establishing standards, developing checklists, conducting internal audits etc. A quality control review will focus on product elements such as; performing inspections, performing testing etc. Discuss a range of approaches to quality management There are two different approaches to quality management; formal and informal. The informal approach is relatively rare because of the lack of formal structure and guidance from external bodies.
The formal approach is much more popular with a number of different “systems” that can be implemented. I have listed some of these systems below and explained about them in more detail: hosannas of international standards to help organizations throughout the world do business more efficiently with one another. SISSIES is a standard which is focused on defining minimum business practices for the production/delivery of an organizations products and/or services by the means of a formal quality management system.
This type of formal system is made up of processes, documentation and other formal practices that control an organizations operations to ensure customer expectations are met on a consistent basis. Certification to this standard is carried out by means of a third-party auditing organization. The latest incarnation of this standard is SISSIES :2008 although it is currently under view and a new version will be released at the latter part of 201 5 (SISSIES :2015). IS014001 – this standard develops and implements a formal environmental management system which operates, controls and manages the environmental impacts associated with an organization.
It is applicable to any organization that wishes to establish and environmental management system and conformity is demonstrated by seeking certification via a third-party organization. The latest incarnation of this standard is IS014001 :2004. BEMA – the Business Excellence Model (BEMA) is a model which was originally developed by the European Foundation for Quality Management (FEES). The idea of the model is to conduct a self-assessment by comparing an organization to the model. There are 9 big ideas in the model that attempt to cover all of an organizations activities.
These 9 ideas are separated out into ‘enablers’ and ‘results’. The enablers are concerned with how the organization conducts itself, how it manages staff/resources, how it plans its strategy and how it reviews key processes. The ‘results’ are concerned with what the organization achieves. These encompass a level of satisfaction among the employees and customers, its social responsibility and the key performance indicators. The model is depicted below: (source: http://www. Stereotypically. Co. UK/HTML/business_excellence. HTML) PASO – this quality standard is the leading standard for voluntary and community groups. It was developed for the voluntary sector by the voluntary sector. The acronym PASO stands for ‘Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organizations’ but it is appropriate for all sizes of organization, not Just the small. PIP – this is the Investors in People (PIP) standard. This is a recognized framework that helps organizations to improve their performance and realism their objectives through the management and development of staff (investing in people).
Total Quality Management – this is a management system for a customer focused organization. This system uses data, effective communication and strategies to integrate quality into the culture and activities of the organization. In addition to these, my over-arching department are certified to ISO 3485:2003. This standard represents the requirements that medical device manufacturers must incorporate into their systems. This standard is primarily based on SISSIES but ISO 3485 removes the emphasis from SISSIES on continual improvement and customer satisfaction.
In its place is an emphasis on customer’s requirements, risk management and the need for effective processes for the safe design and manufacture of medical devices. The latest incarnation of this standard is ‘SO 13485:2003. A certificate showing our ISO 3485:2003 certification can be found below: Explain the similarities and differences between the different methods Using the systems answered in my question above, the similarities and differences teen these systems are as follows: Differences Similarities The majority specialist in certain areas, be it; size of the organization, what the standard is in place to monitor etc.
All are formal quality systems. The majority are generic systems, whereas IS014001 is industry specific. All govern the way you do things. Total Quality Management manages the whole organizations quality system, whereas all the others manage the quality of a specific product or service. All require participation from employees to some extent. The scope of the systems are different. All are results driven, whether that be throughout the process or at the end of the process, total systems or specific systems. The approach to each system is different.
Word of mouth is the best way for a business to grow. If an organization fails to satisfy their customer, this could have the reverse effect on the business. There are a few different types of customer and I have detailed these below and given examples: A loyal customer – these customers are completely satisfied with the product/service provided by the organization. These customers use the organization repeatedly and so it is pertinent to invest time and effort with them. Maybe find out what can be one to improve the product/service.
Listen to their views and feedback to help grow the business. An example of this type of customer is in the technology market. Generally people either veer towards one or other manufacturer depending on the type of technology they like. By and large, most people tend to stick with a manufacturer e. G. Apple. Most people repeatedly by the latest phone or pad as soon as it’s released because they are loyal to the brand. A discount/bargain customer – these customers are frequent and only really use the organization when offered with discounts on products/services.
The more the discount the more they tend to buy, the lesser the discount the less they tend to buy. An example of this type of customer would be a family where the parents shop around different supermarkets looking for offers on the things they regularly use. They will probably flit between supermarkets and not regularly visit the same one. Another example might be (and this also fits with an impulsive customer), an e- commerce customer. They will always shop around online for something, usually impulsively, but they will generally purchase from the website that sells it for the heaps price.
An impulsive customer – these customers are “on the spot” purchasers. They don’t always have a particular product/service in mind and will buy something impulsively if they like it, whether they need it or not. It is difficult to gauge and serve these customers because if they don’t even know what they want to buy, it is very difficult to assist them. A typical customer of this type would be a woman out with friends, shopping. A typical impulse buy would be a new pair of shoes or a handbag. Something they didn’t intend to buy, but did because they liked it when they saw it.
A customer with needs – these are product/service specific customers. They know what they need and go out and get it. They are no way impulsive at all. In a roundabout way, a patient in a hospital is this type of customer. Although they don’t always choose to need treatment, they know they need it and so they get it. Continuous improvement in terms of quality, is the process of identifying, describing and analyzing strengths and problems and then testing, implementing and/or revising the solutions.
It requires employees within the organization to be proactive and to support what is trying to be achieved. Kamikaze, which is also known as continuous improvement, is an approach that analytically looks to achieve small changes in processes in order to improve quality. Kamikaze was created following World War II in Japan. The word Kamikaze (meaning continuous improvement) comes from the Japanese word ‘kaki’ which means ‘change’ and ‘Zen’ which means ‘good’. It is a system that involves every single employee within an organization from the people on the board, right down to the cleaners.
Employees at all levels are encouraged to come up with improvement suggestions on a regular basis, be they mall or large. This is not expected infrequently, this is required continuously. In most cases the suggestions are small and people do not have ideas for major changes, which is ideal because Kamikaze is based on making little and often changes. Suggestions should not be limited to a particular area either, such as marketing or design etc. , Kamikaze methodology wants employees to be able to suggest changes anywhere in an organization that they feel can be improved upon.
Kamikaze involves setting standards and then continually improving those standards. To support these standards Kamikaze involves training and productive supervision for their employees, which in turn gives employees the qualities to achieve higher standards and continually maintain them. Kamikaze at -? (quote reference point to enable the reader to source) Illustrate the types of added values to be gained Quality is very important to organization and the customers it provides its products/ services to.
Customers like quality products/services and this can enhance an organizations reputation. It is a stereotypical view that quality products/services are owing to be more expensive, but this is not necessarily the case. Quality can be split into two separate categories; tangible and intangible. The tangible features are ones that you can see and can therefore assess. The intangible features are ones that cannot be seen are a matter of opinion.
Some examples of each are below: Tangible Intangible Reliability Appearance Brand image Longevity Exclusivity Performance Endorsements Strength/Durability As bullet points identify the main headings, additional ‘marks’ should be different. Select another from the bullet list – check through whole Assignment. There are any benefits of having quality systems in place and some of these reasons are: Reduction in errors – errors can be costly to an organization, particularly more so for small organizations who are not able to mass-produce products/services like the larger organizations.
Focusing on the source of the errors and fixing them will help to avoid problems going forward. Changes in markets – continuous improvement can assist an organization be better equipped to adapt to changes in markets/industries. Because continuous improvement is best to be carried out little and often, this means that reviews of the customer base are more frequent and any market changes can be acted upon quickly. Increase productivity – errors in productivity in the short term will happen as organizations introduce better processes, but this can lead to increased productivity in the long term.
Improve morale – this is one of the main benefits of continuous improvement. Employees are consulted on how to improve and this can really improve morale. Employees like to feel that they have a say and they can do this by making suggestions. This morale boost, in turn, increases productivity. Customer satisfaction- continuous improvement focuses on how to improve an organizations performance and ironing out any errors before they become a real issue.
This increases customer satisfaction as it shows that the organization is willing to adapt and change and provide what the customer wants. Describe the types of information made available to customers and the importance given to effective marketing Quality is an important part of service/product provision to a customer from a “supplier”. Looking after your customers can help to build a loyal customer base and in some cases this means that selling more frequently to existing loyal customers can