Key facts about quality assurance?
Quality: Means meeting customer expectations consistently.
Benefits: Better competition, higher prices, fewer returns, and improved staff retention.
Quality assurance: Essential for competitiveness and consumer confidence.
Standards and awards: CSES, ISO 9001, EFQM, and IIP focus on service quality, process management, and employee development.
What is quality assurance?
A Scottish food manufacturer provides a case study of a variety of quality methods.
NARRATOR: Businesses need to have quality methods in place to make sure their products or services are of the highest quality.
STEPHEN: The benefit of making a high-quality product is that you can receive repeat business, you retain customer base, and you've an option and an opportunity to grow.
NARRATOR: Ensuring the quality of raw materials is the first step in the production process.
STEPHEN: We use a merchant that we go through for our sourcing of our potatoes and they know what our specifications are. The grading machine takes out the small potatoes, it takes out the large potatoes, and it takes out the badly bruised and rotten potatoes.
NARRATOR: This company uses quality assurance procedures, which means that the product is tested at every stage of the production process. This ensures the quality of the final product and minimizes waste.
STEPHEN: At this stage, we're taking out the damaged crisps and the crisps that are unfit for the pack. The crisps have actually ed through the system. They are now being put into boxes. They will come across the time-stamp. This will then go on pallets. All our products have been recorded on our traceability sheet. It is then released from here into dispatch, ready for delivery to our customer.
NARRATOR: Recording when products were made by time-stamping makes them traceable and easier to recall. Making sure substandard products don't reach customers avoids complaints and also limits waste.
GEORGE: We always say that the most important thing that comes out of here on any given day is the quality of the crisp that's in the bag, and everybody is trained in all aspects of that so that we ensure consistency day in, day out.
NARRATOR: To produce a high-quality product, a business needs to have rigorous methods
What is quality?
“The constant achievement of all that customers require”.
In other words: it does what the customer expects it to do.
In business, this is described as: “fitness for purpose”.
What are the benefits of quality?
Competition: customers could be lost to other firms which produce better products.
Financial performance: the business can charge higher prices if the products are seen to be better made and more suitable than other firms’ products. Also, there will be fewer customer returns and refunds.
Recruitment/motivation/ retention: a firm which produces products which are seen as high quality will find it easier to recruit and retain staff, as there will be a sense of pride to be associated with that reputation.
How important is quality assurance in production?
Modern businesses whether they produce goods or services – are extremely conscious of the need to maintain high standards of quality if they are to retain their place in the market. Competition is fierce between producers, and consumers demand quality therefore they will go to the producer who offers the highest-quality items at the best prices.
For this reason, most businesses undertake the process to obtain recognised quality standards. Being awarded a recognised standard is an assurance to of the public that the business organisation has met the high standards required and this gives consumers confidence in dealing with that business.
What is the Customer Service Excellence Standard?
The government has developed the Customer Service Excellence Standard (CSES) to encourage public sector organisations to improve their effectiveness and efficiency (eg to provide better service and better manage their limited resources).
To achieve the award, there is a focus on:
quality, promptness, professionalism of service provision
customer satisfaction
information available to customers
The aims of the CSES are:
encourage continuous improvement of public service delivery
encourage public sector staff to be innovative and to learn new skills
reward organisations which deliver excellent service to customers who rely on them
What is ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 is a business management standard award designed to help organisations to manage their processes, and is subject to regular validation by external assessors. It concentrates on process management, checks that documented systems are in place and that everyone is sure of their role in the organisation.
ISO9001: Summary
An award for reflecting on what the business does and putting in place ways to improve them.
What is the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM)?
The European Foundation for Quality Management was created in 1988 by the presidents of 14 major European companies. The reason for its establishment was to encourage European business organisations to improve their standards so that European businesses would be world leaders and achieve total advantage over their competitors.
EFQM: Summary
An award for reflecting on what the business does and putting in place ways to improve them (eg just like ISO 9001)
What is the Investors in People award?
At the very centre of the award ‘ Investors in People’ (IIP) is the importance of the people who work in the business and the need to invest in their training and development.
IIP establishes a level of good training practise so that the people in the business can help the business to achieve its goals. Employees feel motivated by the process; resulting in all-round and continuous improvement.
The idea behind the Investors in People Award is that if the people who work in an organisation are improved, they will improve the organisation’s systems, which in turn will improve the performance of the entire organisation.
Investors in People: Summary
An award for providing training and career development for employees. It helps the business to attract and retain the best staff, which hopefully will make the business better.
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Final check
What is the primary focus of the Investors in People (IIP) award?
The Investors in People (IIP) award focuses on the importance of training and developing employees to improve overall business performance.