Quality Assurance is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize the probability that minimum standards of quality are being attained by the production process.QA cannot absolutely guarantee the production of quality products.
Two principles included in QA are:
Quality is determined by the product users, clients or customers, not by society in general. It is not the same as 'expensive' or 'high quality'. Low priced products can be considered as having high quality if the product users determine them as such.
QA is the process of verifying or determining whether products or services meet or exceed customer expectations. Quality assurance is a process-driven approach with specific steps to help define and attain goals. This process considers design, development, production, and service.
The most popular tool used to determine quality assurance is the Shewhart Cycle, developed by Dr. W. Edwards Deming. This cycle for quality assurance consists of four steps: Plan, Do, Check, and Act. These steps are commonly abbreviated as PDCA.
The four quality assurance steps within the PDCA model stand for:
Quality Assurance (QA) activities include a planned system of review procedures conducted by personnel not directly involved in the inventory compilation/development process. Reviews, preferably by independent third parties, should be performed upon a finalized inventory following the implementation of QC procedures. Reviews verify that data quality objectives were met,ensure that the inventory represents the best possible estimates of emissions and sinks given the current state of scientific knowledge and data available, and support the effectiveness of the QC programme.
Quality Control (QC) is a system of routine technical activities, to measure and control the quality of the inventory as it is being developed. The QC system is designed to:
(i) Provide routine and consistent checks to ensure data integrity, correctness, and completeness
(ii) Identify and address errors and omissions;
(iii) Document and archive inventory material and record all QC activities.
QC activities include general methods such as accuracy checks on data acquisition and calculations and the use of approved standardized procedures for emission calculations, measurements, estimating uncertainties, archiving information and reporting. Higher tier QC activities include technical reviews of source categories, activity and emission factor data, and methods.
Two principles included in QA are:
- "Fit for purpose", the product should be suitable for the intended purpose; and
- "Right first time", mistakes should be eliminated.
Quality is determined by the product users, clients or customers, not by society in general. It is not the same as 'expensive' or 'high quality'. Low priced products can be considered as having high quality if the product users determine them as such.
QA is the process of verifying or determining whether products or services meet or exceed customer expectations. Quality assurance is a process-driven approach with specific steps to help define and attain goals. This process considers design, development, production, and service.
The most popular tool used to determine quality assurance is the Shewhart Cycle, developed by Dr. W. Edwards Deming. This cycle for quality assurance consists of four steps: Plan, Do, Check, and Act. These steps are commonly abbreviated as PDCA.
The four quality assurance steps within the PDCA model stand for:
- Plan: Establish objectives and processes required to deliver the desired results.
- Do: Implement the process developed.
- Check: Monitor and evaluate the implemented process by testing the results against the predetermined objectives
- Act: Apply actions necessary for improvement if the results require changes.
Quality Assurance (QA) activities include a planned system of review procedures conducted by personnel not directly involved in the inventory compilation/development process. Reviews, preferably by independent third parties, should be performed upon a finalized inventory following the implementation of QC procedures. Reviews verify that data quality objectives were met,ensure that the inventory represents the best possible estimates of emissions and sinks given the current state of scientific knowledge and data available, and support the effectiveness of the QC programme.
Quality Control (QC) is a system of routine technical activities, to measure and control the quality of the inventory as it is being developed. The QC system is designed to:
(i) Provide routine and consistent checks to ensure data integrity, correctness, and completeness
(ii) Identify and address errors and omissions;
(iii) Document and archive inventory material and record all QC activities.
QC activities include general methods such as accuracy checks on data acquisition and calculations and the use of approved standardized procedures for emission calculations, measurements, estimating uncertainties, archiving information and reporting. Higher tier QC activities include technical reviews of source categories, activity and emission factor data, and methods.
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Quality assurance is a proven management concept that is intended to enhance organizational functions - like design, finance, engineering, production, marketing and customer service - to fulfill organizational objectives and customer expectations. Quality programs consider a company as an integrated collection of processes. Therefore, quality-monitoring programs maintain that companies must continuously endeavor to improve these processes by enhancing the knowledge and experience factors of its employees.
Implementing QA/QC
Implementing QA/QC procedures requires resources, expertise and time. In developing any QA/QC system, it is expected that judgements will need to be made on the following:
• Resources allocated to QC for different source categories and the compilation process;
• Time allocated to conduct the checks and reviews of emissions estimates;
• Availability and access to information on activity data and emission factors, including data quality;
• Procedures to ensure confidentiality of inventory and source category information, when required;
• Requirements for archiving information;
• Frequency of QA/QC checks on different parts of the inventory;
• The level of QC appropriate for each source category;
• Whether increased effort on QC will result in improved emissions estimates and reduced uncertainties;
• Whether sufficient expertise is available to conduct the checks and reviews.
In practice, the QA/QC system is only part of the inventory development process and inventory agencies do not have unlimited resources.Quality control requirements, improved accuracy and reduced uncertainty need to be balanced against requirements for timeliness and cost effectiveness. A good practice system seeks to achieve that balance and to enable continuous improvement of inventory estimates.
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ELEMENTS OF A QA/QC SYSTEM
The following are the major elements to be considered in the development of a QA/QC system to be implemented in tracking inventory compilation:
• An inventory agency responsible for coordinating QA/QC activities;
• A QA/QC plan;
• General QC procedures (Tier 1);
• Source category-specific QC procedures (Tier 2);
• QA review procedures;
• Reporting, documentation, and archiving procedures.
For purposes of the QA/QC system, the Tier 2 QC approach includes all procedures in Tier 1 plus additional source category-specific activities.
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Many people including some quality professionals do not know what quality control vs quality assurance is. Both these terms are often used interchangeably. However, both terms are different in meaning as well as purpose. Given here are main points of quality control vs. quality assurance
Although both quality control and quality guarantee are different processes, but because of their strong interdependence, it becomes difficult to pin point the differences between the two. In fact, there is a very thin line that separates the two functions. Moreover in some organizations, one department performs the functions of both. All this leads to confusion between quality control vs quality assurance .
Key Aspects of Quality Assurance
Quality assurance is a proven management concept that is intended to enhance organizational functions - like design, finance, engineering, production, marketing and customer service - to fulfill organizational objectives and customer expectations. Quality programs consider a company as an integrated collection of processes. Therefore, quality-monitoring programs maintain that companies must continuously endeavor to improve these processes by enhancing the knowledge and experience factors of its employees.
Quality checking activities have a simple objective - to consistently do things right, the first time. Quality assurance as an effective management tool is equally applicable in public sector and service organizations. Different industries continue to create their own versions of quality programs from a common concept.
Important Activities:
To successfully implement quality systems in an organization, it is crucial to focus on 8 key aspects. These are integrity, ethics, training, trust, leadership, teamwork, communication and recognition. All these aspects must be practiced by all personnel in departments like R&D, engineering, HR, sales, marketing and purchasing.
Quality systems constitute the foundation for many activities in an organization. Some of these activities include
- Implementing all policies of quality assurance related to meeting customer expectations
- 100 percent commitment from all the employees, including the senior management
- Adopting measures to reduce product and service costs
- Ensuring reduction in development cycle time
- Empowering just-in-time improvement teams
- Integration of strategic planning
- Ensuring focus on improvement plans and vital processes
- Meeting challenges of benchmarking and defined goals
- Involving and empowering staff in the quality programs
- Streamlining the smooth functioning of quality systems
- Confirming ownership of line management
- Recognizing and celebrating achievement of quality-related goals
- Advancing By Minimizing Errors
The basic objective of quality assurance is to ensure continuous enhancement of all processes in an organization from top-level decision-making and strategic planning to accurate execution of work .By avoiding mistakes and defects, quality monitoring continues to improve employees, processes, technology and capabilities.
The central idea in quality improvement is that although people make mistakes, most of these errors actually stem from faulty processes or systems. Once such flawed systems are identified, the occurrence of errors can be reduced or even eliminated through preventive measures that include
- Preventing errors from occurring through mistake-proofing
- Preventing a flawed product from passing down the quality assurance quality control chain through inspections at various levels
- Stopping the production process until the defect is identified and corrected
Implementing QA/QC
Implementing QA/QC procedures requires resources, expertise and time. In developing any QA/QC system, it is expected that judgements will need to be made on the following:
• Resources allocated to QC for different source categories and the compilation process;
• Time allocated to conduct the checks and reviews of emissions estimates;
• Availability and access to information on activity data and emission factors, including data quality;
• Procedures to ensure confidentiality of inventory and source category information, when required;
• Requirements for archiving information;
• Frequency of QA/QC checks on different parts of the inventory;
• The level of QC appropriate for each source category;
• Whether increased effort on QC will result in improved emissions estimates and reduced uncertainties;
• Whether sufficient expertise is available to conduct the checks and reviews.
In practice, the QA/QC system is only part of the inventory development process and inventory agencies do not have unlimited resources.Quality control requirements, improved accuracy and reduced uncertainty need to be balanced against requirements for timeliness and cost effectiveness. A good practice system seeks to achieve that balance and to enable continuous improvement of inventory estimates.
**************************************************************************************************************
ELEMENTS OF A QA/QC SYSTEM
The following are the major elements to be considered in the development of a QA/QC system to be implemented in tracking inventory compilation:
• An inventory agency responsible for coordinating QA/QC activities;
• A QA/QC plan;
• General QC procedures (Tier 1);
• Source category-specific QC procedures (Tier 2);
• QA review procedures;
• Reporting, documentation, and archiving procedures.
For purposes of the QA/QC system, the Tier 2 QC approach includes all procedures in Tier 1 plus additional source category-specific activities.
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Quality Control vs Quality Assurance – The Difference Between Them
- Approach
- Sequence
- Activities
- Interdependence
Although both quality control and quality guarantee are different processes, but because of their strong interdependence, it becomes difficult to pin point the differences between the two. In fact, there is a very thin line that separates the two functions. Moreover in some organizations, one department performs the functions of both. All this leads to confusion between quality control vs quality assurance .
