Definition of Quality Control

Candela Rocío Barbisan
Chemical engineer

Quality control is a way to ensure that a product or service meets design specifications and, in the case of a product, fulfills its function. That is to say, it is a process through which design standards, safety and crucial aspects are verified in order to validate that compliance with the standards with which the good is being sold, in such a way to certify before the client and the State the minimum standards required and provide their satisfaction, although the latter becomes a subjective variable depending on the expectation and experience each.

What is the importance of the quality control process?

At each step of the production chain of a good, there are quality controls carried out by different professionals and endorsed by different regulations, which can be internal to the company or external, at the provincial or national level or even international.

Therefore, this process must be accompanied by different aspects that must be studied and, from which estimates, control frequencies, correlations and others are generated.

However, the importance of this fundamental step in the productive chain lies in the possibility of evaluating the efficiency of a system, allowing to identify bottleneck in production lines, procedures improperly applied or non-existent, standards below the industry standard, etc. Likewise, after a quality control process, information is obtained on resources and forms of obtaining, which also accounts for the effectiveness of the line.

What methods exist to carry out quality control?

Undoubtedly this will depend on the strategy of each organization and of the product that is originating. That is to say, a quality management process of a good is not the same as that of a service. In the case of services, companies have high standards where, for example, a consulting report that is sent to a customer not be reviewed less than “x” number of times following certain rules. Likewise, detailed procedures are established to carry them out.

Another clear example are the companies that provide home services such as electricity, cable, telephony. After carrying out a technical repair at home by a company technician, you usually receive a call to answer a question survey of satisfaction, this is, without more, a clear example of quality control.

Well, in the case of products it can be carried out using different methodologies, among which stand out: control sheet and stratification. The first one is a form in the form of a check list where the personnel designated for the task will verify each item, being able to place a cross quickly. about the correct answer, identifying categories such as "acceptable", "not acceptable", "acceptable with observations" or other options that apply to each case in particular. In this process, very valuable data is obtained and it is the key point for the identification of failures, which are reported to the personnel or to the indicated area.

The second method, "stratification" as its name indicates, consists of dividing the information into "strata" or segments and gradually obtaining it and generating a statistical contribution. This gives us a more macro vision of the processes that are reviewed and that can be improved.

There are many other alternatives and methodologies to carry out the process, without going any further, each organization designs its quality control procedures according to the product and the most sustainable alternatives to maximize the production.

Periodicity

One of the most relevant aspects of the quality control process is the periodicity, that is, the The way to obtain reliable and representative data are the frequency intervals with which just. And here a standard cannot be mentioned, since there are companies that have two or more quality controls for certain products. per day, while other more extensive production processes or services have a single control when the product is culminates. What must be ensured is that the periodicity is such that it is sustainable over time and does not become a routine control in which fundamental aspects are missed.

However, regardless of the periodicity with which it is carried out in each company, there is something which is a pattern in all of them: an intimate link with a process of continuous improvement, that is, in each analysis and assessment of a quality control, the systems and modes of production are re-evaluated, it is sought to find breaking points and delays as well as exposing points in which the company is stronger regarding his competence. Therefore, the information provided by this management is a weapon to increase the productivity, maximize efficiency and maintain a constant standard in the good or product that reaches the final consumer.