QUALITY Quality assurance The definition of quality assurance in BS 4778 Ptl, Quality Vocabulary is “All those planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that a product or service will satisfy given requirements for quality”. Quality assurance is regarded as being @ management tool, a method of maintaining and improving quality whilst controlling costs. A quality system operates on the theory that if there is time and budget allocation to rectify mistakes within a process, then it is preferable to allow a little time to “get it right first time” at reasonable cost. (By using mathematical tools like Pareto Analysis on a production line, eliminate the most frequent fault and reparation is often halved, then eliminate the next most frequent.) Companies employing quality systems produce procedures for every task performed, if everyone works in a formalised way to achieve the requirements of the specification, then consistency of quality should automatically follow. If quality is improved and costs reduced than a company can be more competitive and consequently improve its position in the market place. Quality assurance is not solely operated by production, but is throughout an organisation, and deals with every aspect of a companies operations from planning and design and training through to packing the final product, transport and marketing. control Qu: BS 4778 Pt] definition “Operation techniques and activities that are used to fulfil requirements for quality”. The inspection function provides information in order that quality control can be maintained by adjusting the process to eliminate any deficiency. Quality related standards BS EN ISO 9000 series Quality systems. BS 4778, Quality vocabulary (EN 28402 ISO 8402). BS 7229 Quality systems auditing. BS EN 30011 Guidelines for auditing quality systems, Painting Inspection Grade 3/2, Rev 1 April 2004 "WORLD GENTREFOR Quality 24 (MATERIALS JOINING Copyright © 2003, TWILtd TECHNOLOGYQuality related definitions (from the above) 1 ‘Painting Inspection Grade 372, Rev 1 April 2004 Code of practice Instruction Normative document Procedure Regulation Specification Standard ‘Technical specification Document that recommends practices or procedures for the design, manufacture, installation maintenance or utilisation of equipment, structures or products. Provision that conveys an action to be performed A document that provides rules guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results. A specified way to perform an activity. A document providing binding legislative rules that is adopted by an authority. ‘The document that prescribes the requirements with which the product or service has to conform. NB. A specification should refer to or include drawings, patterns or other relevant documents and should also indicate the means and the criteria where by conformity ean be checked. Document, established by consensus, and approved by a recognised body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given content. ‘A document that prescribes technical requirements to be fulfilled by a product, process or service. NB. A technical specification should indicate, where ever appropriate, the procedure(s) by means of which it may be determined whether the requirements given are fulfilled. A technical specification may be a standard, a part of a standard or independent of a standard. Quality Copyright © 2003, TWILtd TWI wortocayrrsror 22 TY Boi