QualityAssurance&Change

NoelJackson

Introduction
QualityManagement
ControlorAssurance?
TheChangeProcess

CarRepair

CarRepair

CarRepair

WheeledVehicles
LifeExpectancyofWheeledVehicles
MotorCar
HeavyTruck
Locomotive

100,000miles
500,000miles
5,000,000miles

Atanaveragespeedof30m.p.h.amotorcarhasa
lifeexpectanceofapproximately20weeks!
Wouldyouaccept20weeksfromyouriPod?From
yourlaptop?FromyourCentralHeatingsystem?
Whyisthelifeexpectancysoshort?

QualityCarexample
Thequalityofaproductorserviceisthecollection
ofthosecharacteristicsthroughwhichtheproductor
servicewillsatisfytheexpectationofthecustomer.
Qualityisnotanabsolute.
Whatwouldyourexpectationsofqualitybe,asa
customerfor,aRollsRoycecomparedtoaFord
Focus.

QualityFoodexample
MacDonaldsversustheSavoyGrill
Thereareobviousdifferencesbetweenthefare
availableinthesetwoestablishments.
ClearlytheBigMacwouldbeunlikelytomeet
theexpectationsoftheSavoyclientelebutequally
clearlyisacceptabletoasubstantialproportionof
MacDonaldscustomers.
Converselyitisunlikelythattheclientsofafast
foodchainwouldbepreparedtowaithalfanhour
ormorefortheirfoodtobeprepared.
Thecustomerdeterminesthequalitysubjectivity

QualityAssurance
Traditionallyitwasbelievedthat
adequatequalitycouldbeachieved
throughthetestingandinspectionof
products.(QualityControlorQC)
Inrecentyearsithasbeen
recognisedthattheentire
manufacturingprocessmustbe
addressed.Thisapproachisknown
asQualityAssurance(QA).

QABasics
Finishedprojectscantake
hours,daysoryears.
Mostwillfollowaprocess
ofsomesort.
AnumberofQAsystems
areinexistence.
Noteverysituation
demandsthesamequality
processonesizedoes
notfitall.
Qualityissubjective!

Quality can be separated into two

areas:

Definitions

Quality of Conformance
The quality of conformance
is the degree to which the
production process
reproduces the design of
the product or service.

Quality of Design
The quality of design is the
degree to which a
conforming product meets
the customer expectations.

http://www.lbwebdesigner.com

Five Golden Rules

The labels attached to each stage will depend on what you are producing but
the overall process will look like:

1.Decide what to make then specify

2.Make Pre-Production Preparations (Design)
3.Make it (Implementation)
4.Carry out Quality Control and feedback results (Test and integration)
5.Establish long term plans for improvement

Quality in Education
A degree course in Electronics can be
regarded as a product delivered by the
University
Following the 5 golden rules this is how we
might proceed:

Quality in Education - Step 1

Decide what to make and specify:
The customers who have to be
satisfied are probably:
The general public as represented by
the Government
Students who pay their own fees and
their sponsors
Employers of graduates of the
degree programme

Knowing the customers enables the

requirements to be determined

Quality in Education - Step 1

A possible list of requirements could
include:
A supply of qualified graduates capable of making
a worthwhile contribution to National well being
Low drop out rate
High Academic standards
Strong Vocational Content
A qualification that will be acceptable to
professional societies and employers
A substantial course content of modern
electronics

From these customer requirements a

product specification could be produced.

Quality in Education - Step 1

The product specification could include:

The syllabus
Recommended text books
Lecture notes
Exam papers together with marking schemes
Timetables
A description of teaching methods
The course handbook
Course specification - Apart from the above, a document
would be required that describes the underlying philosophy
of the course and the impact it was designed to have on the
raw material (students)

The specification would also describe how the

customers requirement would be satisfied and
checked

Quality in Education - Step 2

Pre-Production Checks
Raw Material Specification

Entry qualifications
Motivation
Interest
Commitment to Electronics
Breadth of interest
Interview performance

Plant / Infrastructure
Lecture Rooms
Laboratories
Required AV support

Quality in Education - Step 2

Pre-Production Checks
Other materials
Books
Handouts
Laboratory supplies

Operatives (Technicians, Lecturers, Administrative

support)

Qualifications
Research background
Clarity
Enthusiasm
Teaching skills

Time - is there enough?

Quality in Education - Step 3

Deliver the course
Example - this one
Note the subjective nature of Quality
Individualistic
Personal perspective
etc.

Quality in Education - Step 4

Quality Control
Checks on Course Quality

Assignments
Tests
Tutorials
Exam results
External examiner
Student surveys
Student liaison committee
Industrial liaison committee

Quality in Education - Step 5

Feedback and Long Term Plans
Board of Studies:
Considers quality checks annually
Considers course results and implements changes
and improvements

Quality Plan
A formal description of the five steps
and their implementation for a particular
product is called a quality plan

Quality Manual
An organisation committed to QA will produce a
series of documents showing how each part of
the organisation contributes to the overall goal.
These documents will also describe how the
organisation functions as a whole in the
achievement of quality.
Individual quality plans will refer to these
documents. The collection is called the quality
manual

QualityAssuranceManual
Mostofyouwillneedtoproduceone!
Individuallyorasagroup

Dontpanic,outlinemanualsareavailabletomodify

DocumentControl
Contents
Introduction
Roles&Responsibilities
Deliverables
Methodology

RequirementsandSpecification
Design
Implementation
QualityAudit/Review
Improvementplanning
Source:cubicpharma.com

Standard Specifications
The production of specifications can be
exceedingly laborious. The task of production
can be eased by the use of standard
specifications.
A standard specification is one issued by
either:
A Trade Association
A National Standards Association
Some other recognised authority

Standards Bodies

British Standards Institute (BSI)

International Standards Organisation (ISO)
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
International Telecommunnications Union (ITU)
Deutsches Institut fur Normung (Germany) (DIN)

http://www.nist.gov/oiaa/stnd-org.htm

Trade Associations
There are many Trade Associations, usually recognised by their initials:
BASEEFA (British Approval Service for Electrical Equipment in
Flammable Atmospheres)
NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association)
ASCCI (Association of SADC Chambers of Commerce and Industry)
SADC (Southern African Development Community)
SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers)
IEE (Institution of Electrical Engineers) now IET (Institution of
Engineering and Technology) - UK wiring standards
ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
Standard specifications radically ease the task of specification writing!

Key Points
Design and conformance in quality are inter-related
Five golden rules govern the major quality factors
required in production:

Decide what to make and specify

Make pre-production preparations
Make the product
Carry out quality control and feedback results
Establish long term plans for improvement

Specifying what is required is more than describing

the product and will include
Purchasing
Manufacturing and
Standards

Standards bodies and trade associations can ease

the burden of writing specifications for every product

WherearetheoutlineManuals?
YourProjectModuleLeaderwillhave
accesstoanappropriateoutlinemanual.
Theyarenotidenticalitdependsonyour
specificprojectandsubjectmatterand
whetheryourcourseactuallyneedsone
AnexampleforMScinEngineering
ManagementcanbefoundontheProject
ManagementareaoftheVLE