Quality Function and its Assurance

The existence of a comp'my, whether a manufacturing industry or a process industry or a job order shop, depends on the income that it receives from selling of its products and services. Again this selling is dependent on the "fitness for use" dictated by customer. Therefore, the company functions concerned with quality or achieving fitness for customer's use are known as quality functions. It includes the complete journey of the product right from its conception till it reaches in the hands of customer. Therefore, it is said that quality is not the baby of quality control department rather it permeates through each and every activity of organisation either directly or indirectly. 

The journey of the product begins with the market survey and market research data to probe what does customer want out of a product. 

Research and development specialists try to create a product which can meet customer's stated and implied needs. Depending upon the advice of R&D persons, process and product design engineers prepare product and material specifications considering the quality requirements. Similarly, process engineers specify about the process, machines and the tooling/instrumentation capable of producing the products with requisite quality. 

Purchasing specialists buy materials and components processing appropriate qualities after careful selection of vendors. Operators are also trained to use the process and tools and equipment  so as to ensure that the products are as per design and would satisfy customer's requirements. 

The final judge  is of course customers. He is king of business, therefore feedback either in the form of complaints or suggestion is carefully tapped and is used as a basis for redesign, modification or alteration resulting in improvements. Thus the cycle is repeated. 

"Quality assurance" deals with ensuring the desired quality, durability and other aspects of product (performance,  field complaints or other characteristics) through scientific engineering and management techniques. The job of critical evaluation of company's activities with respect to quality reporting the results of evaluation to all concerned for information and necessary Acton and subsequent action taken is known as "Quality assurance function". 

Obviously, there are three distinct stages in consideration of total quality of product; related to quality assurance. 

1. Design stage assurance (when the product is on papers, conceptual level) : The idea is to assure that quality of designs and engineering detailing is according to needs of the customers. 
2. Manufacturing stage (transformation stage when the product is changing from conceptual stage to physical reality) : To assure that whether the product manufactured conforms to design specifications. 
3. Field stage (when the product is in the hands of user or user's reactions while using that products) : It is associated with observing the performance in actual field, analysing and critically reviewing the performance, maintenance aspects, life, with a view of improvement in the products in next generation if any.