3.2 Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance Requires the seller to ensure that the products and services delivered to the buyer conform to the contract’s requirements. – Book The planned and systematic activities implemented in a quality system so that quality requirements for a product or service will be fulfilled. – American Society for Quality

Quality Assurance Tools Total Quality Management (TQM) “Six Sigma” The International Standards of Organization (ISO)

Total Quality Management A continuous process improvement tool focused on customer satisfaction Enjoyed widespread attention during the late 1980s and early 1990s before being overshadowed by ISO 9000 and Six Sigma

Six Sigma A quality assurance process that developed from TQM that focuses on controlling processes to + or – six sigma standard of deviation Seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects Developed by Motorola in 1986 and became famous when Jack Welch made it central to his successful business strategy at GE. Levels: (Champions, Black Belts, Green Belts, and Yellow Belts)

International Standards of Organization (ISO) Consolidates many different quality standards. ISO 9000 Quality management ISO Environmental management ISO 3166 Country codes ISO Social responsibility ISO Energy management ISO Risk management ISO Food safety management ISO Information security management ISO Sustainable events

ISO 9001 Does not determine the seller’s quality goals because it is not a measurement tool. Does have several key elements which include Having a quality manual Requiring effective document control Establishing quality records control systems Providing measurement analysis and improvement

ISO 9001 Based on eight principals Customer focus Leadership Involvement of people Process approach System approach to management Continual improvement Factual approach to decision making Mutually beneficial supplier relationships

Acceptance Testing A way to determine if a deliverable meets the requirements Can include a formal written acknowledgement Can even require first article testing Contract should also state the process for what happens if the product does not pass acceptance testing

Contract Manager’s Role Document results of the inspection process Responsible for invoices being sent and paid in a timely manner. Ensuring that the contractor’s performance is in accordance with the contract. “Contract managers that are actively engaged in the Quality Assurance process help ensure a successful contract outcome.”

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