Quality is the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service which bears on its ability to meet stated or implied needs” (Holmes, 1992).
Required:
i) Distinguish between Quality management, Quality assurance and Quality control. (6 marks)
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- Quality management is concerned with controlling activities with the aim of ensuring that products or services are fit for their purpose, and meet specifications. Quality management encompasses quality assurance and quality control.
- Quality assurance focuses on way the product or service is produced. Procedures and standards are devised with the aim of ensuring defects are eliminated (or at least minimised) during the development/production process.
- Quality control is concerned with checking and reviewing work that has been done. Quality control therefore has a narrower focus than quality assurance.
ii) Outline any TWO of the five general activities involved in quality management systems. (4 marks)
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- Step 1. Establish Plan:
Standards of quality for a product (e.g. software package) or service (e.g. an IT helpdesk)
Procedures or production methods that ought to ensure that these required standards of quality are met. - Step 2. Device suitable instruments and techniques to monitor actual quality.
- Step 3. Compare actual quality with planned quality using quality measures.
- Step 4. Take control action when actual quality falls below standard. Quality auditing involves a systematic inspection to establish whether quality objectives are being met.
- Step 5. Review the plan and standards to ensure continuous improvement. The activities and steps above describe a general approach to quality management. (Any 2)
(Please note: the steps or activities could be in any order.)