What is product quality control. Product quality control

posted in the section: Quality management

It may refer to any action necessary to control and verify certain characteristics of a product or service.

The main purpose of quality control- ensure that the product (service, process) meets specific requirements and is reliable, satisfactory and financially sustainable.

In fact, quality control involves checking a product, service or process to determine compliance with a certain minimum quality level. The purpose of the work of employees involved in quality control is to identify products (services) that do not meet the established quality standards of the company. If problems are identified, the functions of the department or quality control specialist may include a temporary stop in production. Depending on the specific service, product, and type of problem identified, the production of goods or services may not be completely interrupted.

Functions of quality control specialists

As a rule, the functions of quality control specialists do not include the elimination of the problem itself. Usually, other people are involved in solving the quality problem and fixing it. After solving the problem, the product, service or process continues to be produced (provide, function) as usual.

Quality control can cover not only products, services or processes, but also people. Employees are an important part of any company. If a company has employees without the appropriate qualifications or training, there are problems understanding instructions, or having the correct information, quality can be seriously affected. When quality control concerns personnel, these are always fixable problems. However, they should not be confused with personnel management issues.

Quality control ≠ quality assurance

Quality control is often confused with quality assurance. Although they are similar, there are several fundamental differences. Quality control is related to the product, while quality assurance is always process-oriented.

Even with such a clear distinction, determining the real difference between them can be difficult. Basically, quality control involves the evaluation of a product, activity, process or service. In contrast, quality assurance makes the processes sufficient to achieve the stated objectives. Simply put, quality assurance ensures that a product or service is being produced, delivered, or created in the right way, while quality control only assesses whether the end result is satisfactory.

Types of product quality control

According to the stages of the production process, control is divided into:

Input (control of the supplier's products received by the consumer/customer and intended for use in the manufacture, repair and operation by the customer);

Operational (control of products during the execution or completion of certain operations);

Acceptance (comprehensive control of finished products, the results of which can lead to process adjustment).

According to the completeness of the check, the control is:

Continuous (control of each unit of production, which is usually carried out at the stage of product development, when the technological process is still not stable, as well as with high quality requirements in a single production environment):

Selective (control based on statistical methods, which is used in mass and large-scale production, in conditions of high labor intensity of control).

According to the impact on controlled products, control is divided into:

Destructive (control, during which part of the product is destroyed, i.e. loses its properties);

Non-destructive (control, during which the properties of the product are not lost).

According to the level of technical equipment, there are:

Manual (control without the use of additional devices), mechanized (control using mechanized devices);

Automated (control carried out automatically);

Active (control having feedback from the technological process and influencing it).

Control methods include:

Instrumental (control carried out using various measuring instruments, devices and devices);

Organoleptic (control carried out with the help of the senses - taste, smell);

Visual (control made with the naked eye or with the help of an optical device).

According to the inspection period, control is divided into

Continuous (control used in an unstable technological process, when it is necessary to constantly ensure quantitative and qualitative characteristics);

Periodic (control to which stable technological processes are subjected);

Volatile (control, which can be carried out both in accordance with the plan, and suddenly).

According to the structure of the organization, there are

Self-control - quality control of work is carried out by its direct executor;

Single-stage control carried out by the contractor himself and the technical control department;

Multistage control - control performed by several structural units in addition to the control of the performer.

Organization of product quality control at the enterprise

Quality control - tracking specific results of project activities in order to determine their compliance with quality standards and requirements and determine ways to eliminate the causes of real and fundamental inconsistencies.

At the enterprise, control operations are carried out by various services, workshops and departments.

Control over the correct use of standards, specifications and other normative and technical documentation in the process of preparing production is carried out by the standard control service.

Quality control during the manufacturing process is carried out by the technical control department (QCD), as well as performers and heads of production units.

The quality of finished products is controlled by test results. A prototype (pilot batch) is manufactured and tested to verify the compliance of the designed product with the requirements of the technical specifications.

When conducting product quality control, statistical methods of control are most often used.

The organization of quality control in the management of production is shown in fig. 1.

Rice. 1. Organization of quality control

Quality control costs include

1. Inspections and tests: payment for the work of inspectors and test personnel, during scheduled inspections of production operations. Re-checks of rejected elements, their testing, sorting, etc. are not included.

2. Checks and tests of supplied materials:

Payment for the work of inspectors and test personnel associated with materials purchased from suppliers, including inspectors and employees at various levels;

The cost of laboratory tests performed to assess the quality of the supplied materials;

The costs associated with the work of inspectors and test personnel who evaluate materials at the supplier's production.

3. Materials for testing and inspections:

The cost of consumables used in control and testing;

The cost of materials, samples, etc. subjected to destructive testing.

The cost of test equipment is not included.

4. Process control: pay for personnel who are not subordinate to the quality manager, performing control and testing on production lines.

5. Acceptance of customer's products:

The cost of launching and testing the finished product in production for delivery to the customer before delivery;

The cost of acceptance testing of products at the customer's site before delivery.

6. Inspection of raw materials and spare parts: the cost of monitoring and testing raw materials, spare parts, etc., associated with changes in project specifications, excessive storage time, or uncertainty caused by other problems.

7. Product audit:

The cost of auditing the quality of technological operations, either in the production process or on the final product;

The cost of all reliability tests carried out on manufactured products;

The cost of validating the quality of a product by external bodies such as insurance companies, government agencies, etc.

Quality control is an important function in quality management in an enterprise.
GOST 15467-79 “Product quality management. Basic concepts" regulates product quality as a set of properties that determine the suitability of products to meet specific needs in accordance with the purpose. Each product has certain properties that characterize the quality. General criteria for assessing quality are established in regulatory documentation: technical regulations, standards, specifications for specific types of products. Thus, cosmetic products must be manufactured in accordance with the requirements of TR CU 009/2011 and standards for a certain type of product, for example, GOST 31460-2012 “Cosmetic creams”. In addition, each product has its own consumer properties.

Thus, the concept of "quality" is associated with meeting consumer expectations for a particular product, which means it is an important component of the product's competitiveness and a guarantee that the product will be sold and will win a large audience in any economic situation.

What is quality control?

A number of sources give the following definitions of the term "control". In the ISO 9000:2015 standard, control refers to the determination of compliance with specified requirements. According to GOST 15467-79, quality control means checking the compliance of product quality indicators with established requirements. This activity is carried out in order to confirm that the manufactured finished products meet or do not meet the requirements established in the regulatory documentation.

Quality control, regardless of the methods used, involves, first of all, the separation of relevant products from defective ones. Of course, product quality will not improve due to rejection, but, as a rule, an effective quality control system in most cases contributes to the timely prevention or reduction of failures and errors in work, followed by their correction with minimal material costs and losses. Therefore, in the control process, special attention is paid to careful control of production processes and the prevention of defects.

As a rule, production control confirms the fulfillment of established (specified) requirements for processes and products and includes:

Input control of purchased resources (raw materials, packaging materials);

Quality control in the production process;

Quality control of finished products.

Quality control is subject to:

Purchased raw materials, materials and other resources;

Produced semi-finished products and finished products;

Availability of regulatory documents for testing, including sampling;

Availability of necessary premises, equipment, consumables.

The control procedure, as a rule, is regulated by the documents of the management system and is carried out at regular intervals and is reduced to measuring certain indicators and comparing them with the reference ones. A mandatory requirement is the separation and isolation of non-conforming products (rejects) from the rest. When nonconformities are identified, further production should be suspended, and resumption is possible only after the causes of the nonconformity have been eliminated. Therefore, control is not always carried out according to plan. It is also possible to carry out unscheduled (emergency) control in conditions when at any stage of production a threat to quality is identified and recorded or there is a danger of violations. For example, in case of problems with water supply, it is possible to increase the number of laboratory tests of water or control some additional parameter of water quality.

The main role in the organization of the control process is played by the distribution of responsibility and authority. It is necessary that each employee meets the requirements for skills and experience, and strictly performs their duties. Here, an important point is the formation of the ideology of unacceptability and inadmissibility of marriage, the ideology of personal responsibility of the employee responsible for the performance of work and the quality of products. The level of control, first of all, depends on the qualifications of the personnel, their attention to the process of control and production. The most reliable way to minimize discrepancies is to organize training and certification of personnel.

Thus, quality control is based on the responsibility of each employee for the work performed, which makes it possible to monitor the quality of products in a timely manner: to suspend the production of defects in a timely manner without passing it on to subsequent stages of production, to take timely measures to normalize the process of production of products that meet the established (specified) requirements . But, nevertheless, priority must be given to the prevention of deviations, and not to the identification and elimination of defects.

As a rule, the quality control process includes taking samples (samples) at certain stages of the product life cycle, conducting established tests, and recording test results. All logged data is analyzed for possible failures that could lead to quality degradation and stored for a set amount of time.

Based on the results of the control, one of the following decisions can be made:

Recognition of products that meet the established (specified) requirements;

Identification of marriage (non-conforming products) and implementation of actions to manage such products;

Processing of products with subsequent re-control;

Making changes to processes.

In addition to recording, the result of the control can be confirmed visually, where appropriate, for example, by marking with labels or tags.

Important in the process of quality control is the constant desire to improve quality by attracting the latest technologies. Science is moving forward, higher quality standards are emerging. It is important to monitor the emergence of modern equipment and new test methods.

Input control

Most often, the company does not produce all the necessary materials from which it manufactures its products. A significant part of them is purchased from other enterprises. In order to confirm the conformity of the products purchased from the supplier, an incoming control is carried out. Such a check makes it possible to identify inconsistencies and deviations from the norm even at the stage of acceptance and to prevent the production of non-conforming raw materials, on which the quality of the finished product directly depends.

Input control, as a rule, involves an external inspection (packaging integrity, labeling, quantity) and testing for certain quality and safety indicators.

Each batch of incoming materials must be subjected to incoming control, so the process is very laborious. But by building mutually beneficial relationships with suppliers, when criteria for evaluating and selecting suppliers are established, when the supplier is verified and “approved”, it is possible to reduce the amount of input control. Therefore, incoming control is often considered as one of the elements of the relationship with the supplier.

The effectiveness of incoming control is evidenced by the absence or reduction of cases of transfer of non-conforming raw materials and materials to production. Imperfection of the input control process can bring losses to the manufacturer, because the lack of an adequate level of quality of incoming raw materials can lead not only to defects in manufactured products, but also to delays in fulfilling obligations to the customer (consumer), to an increase in the cost of production due to the elimination of defects.

Control in the production process

Control in the production process is associated with tracking quality directly during production at certain stages. At the same time, samples (samples) are taken and their quality is controlled. It is important not to pass defects to subsequent stages of production in order to avoid unplanned and unnecessary costs associated with the processing or disposal of such products.

Control involves checking products for compliance with reference samples, including appearance parameters, correct labeling, as well as laboratory tests for certain quality indicators. The main goal is the timely detection of deviations and, if necessary, the adjustment of technological processes to ensure that the quality of the products produced is consistent. Therefore, it is necessary to manage not only the quality of the products themselves, but also the processes. It is necessary to control compliance with the requirements of technological instructions and standard operating procedures (SOPs) at all stages of the production cycle, including the stages of storage and transportation, where product damage is also possible.

In addition, it is important in production to carry out microbiological monitoring of production equipment, premises, air entering the production premises, control of microbial contamination of hands and workwear of personnel, control of the technical condition of equipment, control of compliance with safety regulations and compliance with order. It should be noted that the order in the workplace contributes to the improvement of the quality of products, increases productivity. While disorder leads to sloppiness and errors in work, increasing deviations from established requirements.

Finished product control

The purpose of quality control of finished products- establishing the conformity of finished products with regulatory requirements and protecting consumers from inadvertently receiving non-conforming products. This type of control is the resulting stage. Finished products can be sold only when their quality meets the established requirements of regulatory documentation.

Production control

Quality control- an integral part of production processes, playing an important role as one of the functions of enterprise management. It is known that the leading position in the market is achieved by enterprises that are able to ensure the quality of their products. At KorolevPharm LLC, one of the principles is consumer orientation. Each employee understands that the enterprise functions at the expense of its consumers, and therefore it is necessary to produce products that meet all the specified requirements, characterized by stable quality. Control is carried out at all stages of the production cycle within the framework of the management system. A full range of tests of raw materials, packaging materials, semi-finished products, finished products in terms of physical, chemical and microbiological parameters, as well as microbiological monitoring of production is carried out by specialists of the Analytical Laboratory. To ensure quality, KorolevPharm LLC annually spends funds that it invests in modern equipment for quality control of purchased raw materials and manufactured finished products, mastering modern control methods, as well as staff development.

The main task of the quality control system- identify the stages at which problems may arise, and thus optimize the work of quality control personnel: pay attention where it is needed, and do not do unnecessary work where this is not required. The company considers the quality of its products to be one of the most important indicators of its activity.

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See what "Quality Control" is in other dictionaries:

quality control- (quality control; QC): Carrying out inspections or tests for compliance with the requirements of specifications. Source: GOST R 52249 2009: Rules for the production and quality control of medicines ... Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation

- (quality control) Product quality control system. Quality control is carried out before the sale of goods and / or at earlier stages of production. If during quality control the product can be destroyed or damaged, then control is carried out ... Economic dictionary

quality control (QA)- quality control QA (ITIL Service Transition) The process responsible for ensuring that the quality of a service, process or other service asset meets the required value. The term "quality control" is also used to refer to... ...

Quality control- - is an integral part of the Quality Assurance, which is the existence of operational methods and activities used to fulfill the requirements. [RMG 76 2004 GSI] Heading of the term: Types of control Headings of the encyclopedia: Abrasive ... Encyclopedia of terms, definitions and explanations of building materials

quality control- Quality assurance measures to determine the quantitative and qualitative indicators of the properties and characteristics of products and processes. [MU 64 01 001 2002] Topics production of medicines Generalizing terms quality ... Technical Translator's Handbook

quality control- kokybės tikrinimas statusas T sritis radioelektronika atitikmenys: engl. quality audit; quality control vok. Qualitätskontrolle, f rus. quality control, pranc. contrôle de qualité, m … Radioelectronics terminų žodynas

quality control- kokybės kontrolė statusas T sritis Standartizacija ir metrologija apibrėžtis Kontrolės priemonės ir veiksmai kokybei garantuoti. atitikmenys: engl. quality control vok. Qualitätskontrolle, f rus. quality control, pranc. contrôle de qualité, m … Penkiakalbis aiskinamasis metrologijos terminų žodynas

Control of parameters and cv in products and their components. K. to. on the strands consists of the input K. to. of incoming materials and semi-finished products, control of technological. processes, QC of manufactured components and acceptance control ... Big encyclopedic polytechnic dictionary

QUALITY CONTROL- QUALITY CONTROLQuality is considered one of the components of efficiency along with speed, resource utilization, service and flexibility. K.k. means checking that goods and services produced or received conform to certain standards... Encyclopedia of Banking and Finance

quality control- control of all parameters and properties of products and / or their components in order to determine their compliance with technical requirements; See also: Ferroprobe testing Destructive testing … Encyclopedic Dictionary of Metallurgy

Books

Product quality control No. 2 2014 , Absent. Product Quality Control (until January 2014 Conformity Assessment Methods) is a monthly scientific and practical journal for managers, specialists and experts, focused on… eBook