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What is Quality Control?

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  • Originally Written By: N. Madison
  • Revised By: A. Joseph
  • Edited By: Niki Foster
  • Last Modified Date: 02 October 2017
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    2003-2017     Conjecture Corporation
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Quality control is a process that is used to ensure a certain level of quality in a product or service. It might include whatever actions a business deems necessary to provide for the control and verification of certain characteristics of a product or service. Most often, it involves thoroughly examining and testing the quality of products or the results of services. The basic goal of this process is to ensure that the products or services that are provided meet specific requirements and characteristics, such as being dependable, satisfactory, safe and fiscally sound.

Companies that engage in quality control typically have a team of workers who focus on testing a certain number of products or observing services being done. The products or services that are examined usually are chosen at random. The goal of the quality control team is to identify products or services that do not meet a company's specified standards of quality. If a problem is identified, the job of a quality control team or professional might involve stopping production or service until the problem has been corrected. Depending on the particular service or product as well as the type of problem identified, production or services might not cease entirely.

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Usually, it is not the job of the quality control team or professional to correct quality issues. Typically, other individuals are involved in the process of discovering the cause of quality issues and fixing them. After the problems are overcome and the proper quality has been achieved, the product or service continues production or implementation as usual.

Many types of businesses perform these types of quality checks. Manufacturers of food products, for example, often have employees who test the finished products for taste and other qualities. Clothing manufacturers have workers inspect garments to ensure that they are properly sewn. Service-oriented companies often have representatives who observe the services being performed or who do follow-up checks to ensure that everything was done properly.

Quality control also might involve evaluating people. If a company has employees who don't have adequate skills or training, have trouble understanding directions or are misinformed, the quality of the company's products or services might be diminished. This is especially important for service-oriented companies, because the employees are the product that they provide to customers.

Often, quality control is confused with quality assurance. Though the two are similar, but there are some basic differences. Quality control is concerned with examining the product or service — the end result ‐ and quality assurance is concerned with examining the process that leads to the end result. A company would use quality assurance to ensure that a product is manufactured in the right way, thereby reducing or eliminating potential problems with the quality of the final product.

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Discuss this Article

anon990961
Post 104

What is the importance of quality control in cosmetics in general?

anon351524
Post 102

I found out I worked as quality control officer in a food organization after reading this post.

anon283812
Post 97

What does quality control has to do with a juice manufacturing company?

anon274989
Post 96

What are the opportunities for quality control in present day life?

anon256254
Post 95

How can I define quality for a product?

anon245355
Post 93

What is the hierarchy of quality control department in industry?

anon241214
Post 89

I want to know the instrument used in QC departments?

anon219184
Post 86

I have been working for a jewelry company for the last 10 years. Would you guide me in quality assurance? --from bala

anon213535
Post 85

I have been working in quality control for five years and everything I have learned has been on the job training. I am now looking to get my asq certification for qc tech. I mostly have been on the qc side of things but now I am on the qa side of things. I am trying to learn all the different facets of quality. However, one thing I have learned is that unless you find a place to get a formal education in say, quality engineering, you will not learn much about the seven tools of quality, let alone anything else.

I personally am getting used books from the internet to study on my own. I have chosen to start

with Kaoru Ishikawa. However, I will be taking some courses through asq before my certification exam. I am taking the next year to study and take the certification exam sometime next fall.

If you want a career in quality control, you simply have to educate yourself, do the research and when you see an opening in quality, jump on it and keep trying until you get what you want. Quality control in an industrial situation is the control of quality in process, not letting quality issues of the product escape, finding the root cause of the issue and finding ways to fix it. quality assurance is more the measuring of product, example would be macros to ensure weld penetration, calibration of measuring tools, use of CMM or a vision system, testing of product like tensile testing, etc.

I don't really have any advice to any one wanting to pursue this field, but to just pick a place and start learning, but make sure your math skills are there; you will need them.

anon195484
Post 83

what is involved in quality control in a food manufacturing company and how does a microbiologist fit in?

anon192033
Post 82

Thanks for the article. It's really helpful.

anon191116
Post 81

I am really glad to see this article and details about the quality control program.

But I need a book with all these details. Would you please kindly advise me where I can get this for my future career as well.
anon184106
Post 80

What is the difference between Quality Control and Total Quality Management?

anon167441
Post 79

Please where can I undergo a QC and QA program in Lagos, Nigeria?

anon158428
Post 75

you normally use diagrams to solve the flow in the control usually if the intervals exceed the upper and lower limits, then there is a problem with your control to help you are already out of control.

anon157861
Post 74

i want to be a quality control manager. how do i do about this? what kind of training do i need?

anon145884
Post 72

What is the relationship between reliability and quality control and product design and manufacture?

anon140947
Post 71

what is the difference between quality control and quality assurance?

anon133277
Post 68

i am working in a non-ferrous manufacturing unit and working in the quality department, but what is the future for this and how do I make better prospects for the future?

anon133267
Post 67

what is qa qc in structural manufacturing and boiler components of pressure parts?

anon126268
Post 66

what is column efficiency? how do we check it?

anon102097
Post 64

what are the applications of quality control?

anon98132
Post 63

what is ISO and their role in chemical and pharmaceutical industry? What are the types of ISO and differences between them in simple language.

anon97226
Post 62

about a difference between qc and qa. how to control it? What is an important factor of qc organization. what is the function of quality control manager or officer in a manufacturing industry?

anon94337
Post 61

Please tell me about QA/QC in the pharmaceutical industry and all the tests about QA/QC. Dr. israr

anon93381
Post 59

What are the 10 most important components of a quality control organization?

anon93380
Post 58

please tell me all the details about QC, how to control it, what are the different assurances in quality control and about a job with a quality center.

anon92140
Post 57

please tell me all the details about QC, how to control it, what are the different assurances in quality control and about a job with a quality center.

anon91842
Post 56

what are the functions of a quality control manager/officer in a manufacturing industry?

anon90425
Post 53

can you tell about quality control jobs and related tests?
anon90232
Post 52

what can i do to win a job in the quality control department of a company?

anon88625
Post 51

where can i find a quality control training center in mumbai.

anon86897
Post 50

I am very much interested in pursuing a program in quality control, but will be more than happy should i get the different options you can have under this program.

anon84368
Post 49

quality control is the process of controlling the product variability in an organization.

anon81991
Post 48

what is quality control in the business industry?

anon81941
Post 47

i have my diploma in mechanical engineering and am interested in quality control. Can you please tell me the courses related to my field?
anon79875
Post 46

i am mechanical engineer at a petroleum company so I need to know about qc + qa in the petroleum companies and what is the best way to join in any institute for that and how to help me in my job.

anon74485
Post 44

What are the 10 most important components of Quality Control Organization?

anon73085
Post 42

what is quality and how we can control it? Quality assurance is related to quality or someone?

anon72196
Post 41

what is the definition of quality control in the pharmaceutical industry?

anon68134
Post 40

Please specify the functions of quality control manager in the garment manufacturing company.

anon67360
Post 39

I am a microbiologist, and i got a job in as a quality control officer.I want you to tell me all about it.

anon64883
Post 37

Can anyone explain what DR stands for?

The basic difference between NCR (Non confirmative) and DR.

anon63437
Post 36

Can anybody explain to me the difference between Quality Control and Quality Assurance with live examples? Thank you.

anon62364
Post 35

what are some steps business can take to ensure it produces a good quality product?

anon57872
Post 32

Please provide real life examples of quality assurance.

anon55398
Post 30

If you have a business, describe two quality control measures the business should adhere to.

Hum
Post 28

what's software quality control?

anon49059
Post 26

Where we can get the quality control training?

anon47894
Post 25

Please give me the full information.

anon45384
Post 23

The term quality in technical sense simply means anything that can be measured. So one of the facets of a purchasing officer's responsibility and principles is to know his function and the character he possess in his duties.

anon44204
Post 22

Where we can get the quality control training?

anon43726
Post 21

can you discuss more about centralized quality control?

anon43537
Post 20

Hi, could you please explain how quality control affects the final product in regards to chicken, duck, goose and other avian products?

anon42259
Post 19

what is a centralized quality control?

how does it work for a furniture selling industry?

anon41974
Post 18

Where I can found the source of this definition? Can I read a specific book about quality control and find this definition?

Thanks in advance.

anon41721
Post 17

i am working in a RFID (radio frequency identification device) manufacturing company. how can i control the quality system?

anon41458
Post 16

Describe the ways in ways of ensuring high quality control for a service, for example, a chocolate company that opened a theme park.

anon41332
Post 15

what does an orange have to have to be passed by the quality control workers?

anon39251
Post 14

what are the point you will keep in mind about the concept of quality control and inspection if you are the quality systems manager of a rubber products manufacturing unit?

anon38725
Post 13

Hi, could you please explain how quality control affects the final product in regards to chicken, duck, goose and other avian products? Thanks, Eddy

anon38260
Post 12

How can we control the quality in present day midday meal production?

anon22215
Post 10

Can we have a standard product, that has quality issues?

anon17709
Post 7

what is the statistical quality control?

anon15816
Post 6

I have been reading about quality control. I would like to get more data on its impact on organisational performance.

anon14592
Post 5

Dear Sir, What is an ideal set up? The Quality Assurance is under by a Quality Management System or vice versa? Thanks, Leovie

mogapij
Post 4

Dear Sir/Madam

I am very much interested in studying Quality Control, where do I start? Do you have a school of your own?

Kind regards

Mogapi J.

anon9008
Post 3

what is the relationship between principalship and quality educational assessment?

anon8892
Post 2

What is the importance of quality control in present day soap production?

anon7800
Post 1

How can I define the term Quality in the technical sense and what are the various facets of a purchasing officer's responsibilities and principles which these duties are based?

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