Question

What is quality control ?

Hint:

Remember that Quality Control (QC) is about 'checking' the product. It's like a final exam to see if the product passes the test before it goes out to the customer.

Answer 1

Quality Control (QC) is a process through which a business seeks to ensure that its product quality is maintained or improved. It is a reactive process focused on identifying and correcting defects in finished products before they reach the customer.
The main components and objectives of quality control are:

Setting Standards: The first step is to establish clear and measurable quality standards for the product or service. These standards can relate to dimensions, weight, colour, performance, reliability, etc.

Inspection and Testing: QC involves the physical inspection and testing of products at various stages of production (raw materials, in-process goods, and finished goods). This is done to check if they conform to the pre-set standards.

Defect Identification: The primary goal is to find defects. Products that do not meet the quality standards are identified.

Corrective Action: Once defects are found, corrective actions are taken. This might involve reworking the defective items, scrapping them, or analyzing the root cause of the defect to prevent its recurrence in the future production process.

Quality Control is a part of the broader concept of Quality Management. While QC focuses on inspection and defect detection ({product-oriented}), the wider concept of Quality Assurance (QA) is proactive and focuses on preventing defects by improving the production process ({process-oriented}).