10.3 (50) Quality assurance in a growing business - quality issues standardisation and solutions

10/10 Key term test on standards and quality in production

1. Quality products - goods or services that meet customers expectations
2. Quality standards - the expectation of customers in terms of the minimum acceptable production or service standards
3. Quality assurance - setting and trying to meet quality standards throughout the business
4. Standardisation (SOPs) - ensuring that everything a business sources or manufactures is produced to the the same standard every time.
5. Procedures - methods a business develops as part of the manufacturing process.  These are usually made up of many steps.  Each step will have standards attached to it.
6. Consistency - ensuring that the same product quality and standards are created each  and every time that a product is made. Customers get much satisfaction and assurance from consistent and reliable products. 
7. Inspection costs -  the cost of inspecting the service or quality of a product or service to a business.  In retail these are known as mystery shoppers.  In a manufacturing business these are known as quality control inspectors
8. Quality Circles & Teams - teams set up in as business to work across all depratments to ensure quality is embedded into the culture and people that work in the business 
9. Outsourcing - using another business to make part or all of a product or provide aspects of the customer care
10. Total Quality Management - an approach to quality that aims to involve all employees in the quality improvement process.

Lesson objective

• Understand how to identify quality problems and the causes of them
• Understand the methods a business can use to maintain consistent quality.