What is Quality Control?

Quality control is the set of processes used by an organization to ensure that a desired product quality level is attained or surpassed. This is done with proper employee training, management oversight, and quality measurement systems. Having a well-run quality control system may be a key part of an organization’s strategic plan, since it can result in significant improvements in its profitability, efficiency, and customer satisfaction - all of which improve its competitive position.

How to Create a Quality Control System

An adequate quality control environment is achieved by pursuing the following activities:

Establishing support of the quality control program by the senior management team
Creating a quality training program for all employees
Establishing benchmarks for the quality standards to be met
Testing products throughout the process for anomalies
Bringing quality issues to the attention of those who can provide fixes
Adjusting the employee compensation system so that it rewards behavior that supports quality control

The types of quality controls used, as well as the nature of the control environment will vary depending on the type of business. For example, quality control systems will vary markedly for the food service, chemicals, and consumer electronics industries.