Quality Assurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Quality Assurance - Essay Example Total quality control thus means that a system is developed and implemented which delineates the procedures, policies, specifications and standardizations to be followed by the entire organization. This system is developed and continuously improved by maintaining a cross- functional viewpoint at all times involving all the departments: the issue of quality thus becomes the concern of all departments, not that of the quality control department alone. This means quality and process manuals need to be rigorously followed, and updated from time to time based on cumulative work experience to improve productivity and quality. Total quality control also means that the organization is specialized and prefers to work with its core strengths, outsourcing peripheral goods and services to other organizations specialized in those areas: a car manufacturer, for instances, focuses on assembling cars and leaves the business of manufacturing machine parts to its suppliers. Outsourcing in this way is geared to improve efficiency, but may go totally wrong if the goods supplied are not the right quality, or run in short supply. This brings us to the issues crucial to just-in-time inventory management strategies, which are indispensable not only in terms of economy and cost cutting, but also crucial in terms of maintaining control over purchase. Just-in-time implies that a company times the purchase of the correct kind and amount of goods or services exactly as and when needed for its production processes: the right material, at the right time, at the right place, and in precisely required amounts, thus eliminating the need for warehousing or other infrastructure. This ensures that a lot of expenses made on storage are eliminated, which is absolutely according to the principles of total quality control that insists on continuous identification and eradication of waste in a company's manufacturing process. Having no inventory to call from, it obviously follows that all the goods procured have to be of a quality level certified for use in the manufacturing process, otherwise the process gets delayed or experiences frequent stoppages. Possible supply shocks also need to be prevented by anticipating changes in demand for the goods required for the process, so that the process does not come to a halt because of lack of material f or processing. Certified quality levels in goods purchased from vendors can only be maintained if the total quality regimen extends to supply quality assurance as well. The organization has to work with various entities such as supply stream managers, internal customers, technical staff, relevant field personnel, and last but absolutely not the least, suppliers. These different groups need to be integrated as part of on-going supply management processes, which may include product and supplier selection, assessment, and providing support in quality and performance improvement. Since the supplier needs to be top-notch with all its goods each and every time, it follows that the purchasing organization would have to invest in training, auditing and testing, and build up a great, long-term relationship with hand-picked vendors. The organization woul