18.23.
Quality Management principles and concepts are comparatively easy to grasp and they help to build the bridge of understanding in identifying the common Quality Mission.
It also aids and enhances the capability to attain the “Fitness For Use”.
At every stage to mutual advantage thus helping in short and long term fulfilment of the identified Quality Mission through “Customer Satisfaction”. Properly understood, this makes both sides responsive to an inescapable policy of “Team Work”.
Any Scientific Vendor Development Programme encompasses a Vendor Training programme for providing a platform for opening up a mutual dialogue for effective communication and mutual education through a common language and understanding, first at Upper Management level and thereafter at other levels. Managerial, Technical, Financial and other assistance flow from that understanding. One must strive for it to achieve continuously. Maturity of relationship comes only in time.
18.23.1.
Premises of Quality Management
Dynamic character of Quality—the urge for it.
“Quality is never an accident.
It is the result of intelligent efforts.
There must be the will to produce a superior thing”. System approach to Quality :
(a) Coordinates and integrates efforts of various groups in the organisation in response to environmental input output needs.
(b) Translate these efforts into a well coordinated plan of action.
(c) Spells out clearly the responsibilities and functions of each group as well as interfaces.
Quality Assurance comprises of:
All those planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that a system, structure or component will perform satisfactorily in service.
Quality Assurance includes Quality Control, Quality Control Comprises of those QA activities related to physical characteristics of a material, structure, component or system.
Which provide means to control Quality of those to predetermined requirements.
Here the emphasis is for on line appraisal of status for data base, for feed back, for QC by defect, prevention. Inspection in include in QC only as a means for appraisal in a postmortem situation, but is useful when designed for providing the required data base. We are speaking of the required. “Quality of Conformance” to specification, while QA takes up the planning for Quality.
Quality of design to meet customer needs, performance, ability, safety, aesthetics, life characteristics, etc.
Some amount of inspection is essential. Preplanning and on line appraisal assure Quality data generation and Quality Control. By itself it can merely segregate bad from the good, but cannot create Quality. Building Quality into the product calls for defect prevention through Quality Planning and Quality Control as part of systematical Quality Assurance measures.
18.23.2.
Principles of Scientific Quality Control
Good Quality depends on Good Process.
Proposition 1 : No Industrial process operates more than a short time in a state of adequate adjustment.
Proposition 2 : Knowing when and where differences and changes exist, or occur in a process are important bits of information.
By seeking clear specification, classification of Quality characteristics as to their seriousness and if possible demonstration about the use of the product, a vendor will be able to get his manufacturing facility in a state of readiness for production after mastering the financial and technical resources, including trained manpower.
But he will still need to know “Process Capability” by application of “Statistics” besides all those techno-managerial inputs. This is done by application of SQC.
(a) Quantifying the process capability i.e., evaluation of inherent variation in the process.
(b) Comparing the process capability with the Quality requirements.
Both these are control information based on propositions 1 and 2 mentioned earlier.
There is a paramount necessity to understand the relationship between process variables and product results through specific scientific data collection and analysis.
There are Quality Control tools available to measure process capability and Quality specialists shall be familiar with these tools. It is usually feasible to secure early assurance that the process will be adequate.
Quality Management for both successful control and breakthrough approaches require use of three different disciplines :
1. Management
2. Technology
3. Statistics
After understanding this, following steps can be taken :
(a) Launch a new programme at vendor’s premises with assurance that process is adequate.
(b) Establish sound plan for process controls.
(c) Train for supervision and work leading to a status of self-control.
(d) Improve current yield or productivity with focus on ultimate competitiveness.
18.23.3.
Organisation for Quality.
A suitable organisation should be setup on abroad premise of trust, to achieve the required standard of Quality. The Quality Management programmes should be based on the fundamental principle that the “Task Performer” shall own the responsibility to execute his tasks without defects and necessary resources and services will be made available to the “Task Performer” to fulfil this responsibility. Quality Assurance and Quality Control Departments render necessary services to different functional divisions and ensure that the total Quality Management is carried out effectively. The Quality Assurance Department, in particular, will endeavor to secure the customer’s confidence and provide assurance regarding performance by the organisation and its vendors, besides ensuring internally an assurance to the Unit and Corporate Management regarding the maintenance of the required Quality status all through, right from input through process to output at customer’s end.
Thus can be easily extended to vendor’s premises and Quality Management at vendor’s end demands a similar planned and systematic approach to Quality Assurance at every stage, enabling its every “Task Performer” to execute his tasks without defect with creation of evidence for his own and customer satisfaction.
Management, Technology and SQC are effective aids for Total Quality Assurance for both vendors and customers alike.
Basically all three above disciplines only enable a “Task Performer” to know :
(a) The means for knowing what he should be doing – e.g. Specification.
(b) The means for knowing what he is actually doing – i.e. measuring devices, instruments and observed/test data.
(c) The means for regulating the process, so that he can aim and Do Right at the First Instance in a Status of Self-Control.
Retaining this capability, a coordinated and integrated organisation frame can be suitably devised for various groups of “Task Performer” for different functionaries (including QA and QC) as a system and sub systems under it with defined interfaces. Health of each module of ,sub-systems and interfaces determines the system health and the effectiveness of contribution to the integrated company Objective of Quality.
18.23.4.
Pitfalls of Breakthrough in Quality
(a)
Pre-occupation with controls
(b) No alarm signal
(c) No standard approach
(d) Vague responsibility
(e) Fear of the amount of work required.
18.23.5.
Guidelines for Introducing Change-Seven Steps (a)
Study existing cultural pattern
(b) Identify those aspects which need change
(c) Secure active participation of others involved (within and without). This may involve customer participation as well as his active assistance.
(d) Start on a small scale and use results to broaden application
(e) Make use of available tools
(f) Provide sufficient time for mental changes to take place
(g) Avoid surprises.
18.23.6.
Quality Improvement Projects.
All quality improvements are made project by project and in no other way.
Studies are required, by application of simple to sophisticated tools of statistical quality control and operation research.
The training and self-development programme should also be carried out as planned projects for real Quality break-throughs.
18.23.7.
Advance Quality Plan, Surveillance and Quality Audit.
For assurance of self and customers, some amount of pre-planning always helps each Task Performer and makes coordination interaction far more easier. Advance Quality Plan, as part of contractual obligation, with specific check lists and minimum agreed customer “hold-points” serves this purpose to create evidences for Quality operation and confidence.
Similarly a vendor must mentally prepare and subject himself to Quality Surveillance from his customer, who wants to see evidence of planning and defect prevention as part of on-line-control.
Further, as periodic re-look at the system effectiveness to ensure that all is well on the Quality front, in-house Audits may be organised. The vendor can accept and welcome the Customer Quality Audit from a position of strength and confidence, preparing himself for further improvements.
