Standardized quality assurance

“Skilled worker for quality control” in the VEB sewing machine parts factory in Dresden, 1977

Quality assurance or quality control is a collective term for different approaches and measures to ensure specified quality requirements. → Main article: Quality assurance

Definition according to DIN EN ISO 9000

The quality management standard DIN EN ISO 9000: 2005 defines quality assurance in point 3.2.11 as "part of quality management aimed at generating trust that quality requirements will be met." The popular understanding of quality assurance deviates from the above definition according to ISO 9000 drops considerably and is often confused with quality management .

According to DIN EN ISO 9000: 2005, under 3.8.2, the term “inspection” is used for the English “inspection” instead of “control”.

quality control

Quality assurance are measures that are intended to ensure that a product or service achieves a specified level of quality . According to ISO 9000, it is not a question of optimizing the quality of a product, but rather of maintaining a specified - i.e. possibly also a low - level. The product can be material as well as a service provided or a method used. The quality assurance process is now often mapped in companies with computer-aided systems (→ CAQ systems).

In series production, quality indicators for the process can be determined using statistical methods (→ statistical process control ). In order to achieve equality, quality management standards such as international standards according to EN or ISO, national standards according to DIN or Önorm, in-house standards or other technical documentation such as RFCs are used .

Examples of elements of quality assurance:

Initial sampling : With the initial sampling , the supplier provides evidence that his products meet the quality requirements required by the customer. The approval procedures according to VDA 2 (PPF) or QS 9000 (PPAP) include both product and production process approval.
Incoming goods inspection : In order to be able to complain about defects, the customer is obliged to inspect the delivery immediately (Section 377 (1) HGB ).
Supplier evaluation : The information obtained from the incoming goods inspection is also used for supplier evaluation . Evaluations are made with regard to delivery quality, delivery reliability , adherence to deadlines, etc. The delivery quality can be determined according to VDA Volume 2, for example. The result is then a quality number (QZ), with which suppliers are divided into classes A, B and C. This can serve as a basis for measures to improve quality or for price negotiations.
Production control : measurements and tests in the production process. The control takes place on the basis of lot checks on an order or customer basis or iscarried outas statistical process control (SPC).
Test equipment management : Capable measuring and test equipment is a prerequisite for objectively assessable control results. The test and measuring equipment monitoring is necessary to ensure the availability of the required measuring and testing equipment.
Documentation : The results of all tests are to be documented and kept in accordance with statutory deadlines.

The necessary tests and procedures are determined by quality management.

Terms

The Quality Management defines procedures that are necessary to achieve the required product quality. This includes the definition of the test procedure , the sample size , the communication channels in the event of errors found, training measures for the personnel responsible for the tests and other things.

The quality assurance ensures the compliance with the requirements of quality management measures. For certain companies, it is legally stipulated that the quality assurance personnel report directly to quality management or the management so that they are not bound by instructions, for example from the production management (see for example JAR ).

With control of the regular aptitude test referred to by staff. (Health examination, examination of skills ). These controls are required by law for certain areas (passenger transport, pilots) (→ Flight Crew Licensing (JAR-FCL) ).

The term is also used as a synonym for the process of ensuring product quality exclusively through testing. In this case, unsuitable products can be sorted out, but the lack of feedback on the design and manufacturing processes does not eliminate the causes of the errors. This procedure does not correspond to the quality management standards and is therefore usually not state of the art .

The test includes the comparison of the measured values of the product with the specified limit values and the classification according to the test result (rework, rejects).

Quality assurance in the construction industry

Quality assurance in the construction industry is carried out during the construction process and for the building inspection by appropriate experts. Suitable test methods of the building envelope for the energetic assessment or airtightness of the building envelope include the blower door test and thermography .

Quality assurance for infrastructural services

Munich 2008. In previous years "quality assurance" had become a buzzword.

With the trend towards the service society and the growing economic importance of services, the need to expand the transparency of services and quality assurance for this economic sector is growing. For reasons of efficiency, the traditional paper checklists will increasingly be replaced by electronic instruments ( software ) in the future.

Quality assurance in medicine

See quality assurance in medicine

Test institutes

Konrad Adenauer said that we “need an institute for testing the quality of products that also evaluates them and gives them back to the people” . The result was the establishment of the Stiftung Warentest , which tests products in a comparative product test according to various criteria, gives the product a rating of 0.5 to 5.5 and publishes the tested products with evaluation in the monthly test magazine. The manufacturers of the evaluated products have the right to print the Stiftung Warentest seal with evaluation on their labels.

The tests made possible by the technical equipment of the institutes can also be used by manufacturers. The institutes therefore do not operate quality assurance - this is the responsibility of the manufacturer - but they can support it.

literature

Bernhard Mann: Nursing in transition using the example of quality assurance in care management . In: Bauch, Jost, Hörnemann, Gerd (ed.) Freedom and solidarity in the welfare state. Festschrift for Horst Baier. Hartung-Gorre. Constance 1998, ISBN 3-89649-262-4
Claudia Wiepcke: Quality management in e-learning through 360-degree evaluation. In: Hohenstein, A. / Wilbers, K .: Handbook E-Learning. Expert knowledge from science and practice, Neuwied 2007.