Quality Control & Quality Assurance at Ryton.

The first 200 words of this essay...

Quality Control & Quality Assurance at Ryton

Whilst Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA) may sound similar they aren't the same. Quality control was originally defined as the maintaining of specific standards by inspecting, sampling, and testing the product at various points along the production of the product. Quality assurance, however, is making the quality of the product the responsibility of everyone and is designing the product to be a quality product (this goes down to details like choosing good suppliers etc).

There are a number of different types of quality assurance systems in use by different companies.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

This is an organisational culture committed to improving quality on a continuous basis within every function and every department. Everyone that works for the company must be looking to improve the quality of their work and the product. In these organisations the customer is always put first by, for example, having systems in place to provide effective customer service, and by conducting market research to find out what features the public wants.

Quality Circles

This is when a small group of people (5 to 10) from the same organisation meet regularly