Quality Assurance & ChangeNoel Jackson

IntroductionQuality ManagementControl or Assurance?The Change Process

Car Repair

Car Repair

Car Repair

Wheeled VehiclesLife Expectancy of Wheeled Vehicles

Motor Car100,000 milesHeavy Truck500,000 milesLocomotive5,000,000 miles

At an average speed of 30 m.p.h. a motor car has a life expectance of approximately 20 weeks!Would you accept 20 weeks from your iPod? From your laptop? From your Central Heating system?Why is the life expectancy so short?

Quality - Car exampleThe quality of a product or service is the collection of those characteristics through which the product or service will satisfy the expectation of the customer.

Quality is not an absolute.

What would your expectations of quality be, as a customer for, a Rolls Royce compared to a Ford Focus.

Quality - Food exampleMacDonalds versus the Savoy Grill

There are obvious differences between the fare available in these two establishments.Clearly the Big Mac would be unlikely to meet the expectations of the Savoy clientele but equally clearly is acceptable to a substantial proportion of MacDonalds customers.Conversely it is unlikely that the clients of a fast food chain would be prepared to wait half an hour or more for their food to be prepared.The customer determines the quality - subjectivity

Quality AssuranceTraditionally it was believed that adequate quality could be achieved through the testing and inspection of products. (Quality Control or QC)

In recent years it has been recognised that the entire manufacturing process must be addressed. This approach is known as Quality Assurance (QA).

QA BasicsFinished projects can take hours, days or years.Most will follow a process of some sort.A number of QA systems are in existence.Not every situation demands the same quality process one size does not fit all.Quality is subjective!

DefinitionsQuality can be separated into two areas:Quality of ConformanceThe quality of conformance is the degree to which the production process reproduces the design of the product or service.

Quality of DesignThe quality of design is the degree to which a conforming product meets the customer expectations.http://www.lbwebdesigner.com

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

Decide what to make then specify

Make Pre-Production Preparations (Design)

Make it (Implementation)

Carry out Quality Control and feedback results (Test and integration)

Establish long term plans for improvement

Quality in EducationA 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 1Decide what to make and specify:The customers who have to be satisfied are probably:The general public as represented by the GovernmentStudents who pay their own fees and their sponsorsEmployers of graduates of the degree programme

Knowing the customers enables the requirements to be determined

Quality in Education - Step 1A possible list of requirements could include:A supply of qualified graduates capable of making a worthwhile contribution to National well beingLow drop out rateHigh Academic standardsStrong Vocational ContentA qualification that will be acceptable to professional societies and employersA substantial course content of modern electronics

From these customer requirements a product specification could be produced.

Quality in Education - Step 1The product specification could include:The syllabusRecommended text booksLecture notesExam papers together with marking schemesTimetablesA description of teaching methodsThe course handbookCourse 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 2Pre-Production ChecksRaw Material SpecificationEntry qualificationsMotivationInterestCommitment to ElectronicsBreadth of interestInterview performance

Plant / InfrastructureLecture RoomsLaboratoriesRequired AV support

Quality in Education - Step 2Pre-Production ChecksOther materialsBooksHandoutsLaboratory supplies

Operatives (Technicians, Lecturers, Administrative support)QualificationsResearch backgroundClarityEnthusiasmTeaching skills

Time - is there enough?

Quality in Education - Step 3Deliver the course

Example - this one

Note the subjective nature of QualityIndividualisticPersonal perspectiveetc.

Quality in Education - Step 4Quality Control

Checks on Course QualityAssignmentsTestsTutorialsExam resultsExternal examinerStudent surveysStudent liaison committeeIndustrial liaison committee

Quality in Education - Step 5Feedback and Long Term Plans

Board of Studies:Considers quality checks annuallyConsiders course results and implements changes and improvements

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

Quality ManualAn 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

Quality Assurance ManualMost of you will need to produce one!Individually or as a groupDont panic, outline manuals are available to modifyDocument ControlContentsIntroductionRoles & ResponsibilitiesDeliverablesMethodologyRequirements and SpecificationDesignImplementationQuality Audit/ReviewImprovement planningSource: cubicpharma.com

Standard SpecificationsThe 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 AssociationA National Standards AssociationSome other recognised authority

Standards BodiesBritish 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 AssociationsThere 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 standardsANSI (American National Standards Institute)

Standard specifications radically ease the task of specification writing!

Key PointsDesign and conformance in quality are inter-relatedFive golden rules govern the major quality factors required in production:Decide what to make and specifyMake pre-production preparationsMake the productCarry out quality control and feedback resultsEstablish long term plans for improvementSpecifying what is required is more than describing the product and will include PurchasingManufacturing andStandards Standards bodies and trade associations can ease the burden of writing specifications for every product

Where are the outline Manuals?Your Project Module Leader will have access to an appropriate outline manual.They are not identical it depends on your specific project and subject matter and whether your course actually needs oneAn example for MSc in Engineering Management can be found on the Project Management area of the VLE