What is Quality Assurance?

Quality assurance is a term the average person in the street has heard. Actually, how many people really know what it means? This phrase, trips off the tongue with cavalier intent, but often with poor understanding. Indeed, there are a range of “Quality” phrases associated with products and services that fall into the area of poor public understanding. However, their use promotes strongly evocative meaning. Unfortunately, this situation blinds us to reality. Thus, the aim in this article is to help iron out some of the wrinkles in ‘quality’ definitions.

Quality Assurance is not about Perfection

Frequently, people hear the word ‘Quality’ and almost equate it with perfection. Such is the power of marketing. Unfortunately, our media use the word to persuade the hapless consumer that the riches and technology of modern industry combine to provide the perfect product. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. In the end, there is no magic involved.

In reality, the ultimate goal of perfection is not attainable. It is an idealist state. A state that stays just out of your grasp because something always comes along that is better. And yet, we aspire to want good quality products and services and acknowledge them when we see them. Incidentally, the Internet meme of ‘Love, Like or Loath’ reporting universally recognises that principle.

The point is, a less romantic word than “Quality” lies behind the term “quality assurance”. In short, that word is maintenance.

So, what is Quality Assurance?

“Quality Assurance” is the set of activities that together maintain, and possibly improve, a desired level of quality in a product or service standard. Ultimately, the aim of a quality assurance process is to ensure customer satisfaction, and sustains that satisfaction over time.

What does that mean? Well, in modern times we have sophisticated processes behind our services or products. Those processes in manufacturing and service delivery represent a comprehensive attempt by the management to assure the quality of their product. Further, they work to maintain or improve that standard over time. In addition, those products should continue to meet or exceed customer expectations.

“Quality Management” – the set of principles that govern the administration of quality assurance

All processes, in product and service industries, maintain some sort of standards. Ultimately, a quality product or service must realise those standards through effective management. That involves all the management activities of the organisation. Actually, that is a large proportion of the administration of a business overall. Consequently, the management need to be able to provide consistency, continuity, compliance, control of and support to the workflow. So, Quality Management standards, like ISO 9001, set out the Quality Principles. Through guiding documents and tight specifications, those principles support the product or service. In other words, Quality Management is the set of principles that create the operational environment in which to nurture Quality Assurance.

Yes, in the modern world, management has well defined methods and principles that determine successful outcomes. Basically, Quality Assurance perpetrates and supports Quality Management. Actually, both work together to provide what the customer wants and also at the standard the customer needs. Moreover, that co-dependence underpins one of the strengths of business ‘quality’ principles.