Quality control is a systematic and disciplined process to determine whether a product or service complies with specified quality standards. Quality control can be applied at every stage of the production process and ensures that errors are detected, corrected and prevented from repeating in the future.
The quality control process usually includes these steps:
Determination of Standards: Standards and acceptance criteria are determined for the quality control process. These standards define the product or service’s features, performance requirements, and other quality criteria. These standards may be based on factors such as customer demands, industry norms or regulatory requirements.
Sampling: Sample is taken for quality control. Samples can be products or services that are randomly selected from the manufacturing process, or represent a selected sample. Samples are sent to laboratories or quality control units for testing and analysis.
Testing and Analysis: Samples are subjected to various tests and analyzes to evaluate their compliance with the established standards. Different methods such as physical, chemical, mechanical or performance tests can be used. These tests are carried out through measurement, observation or experimentation and the results provide objective data.
Detection of Errors and Defects: According to the test and analysis results, errors and defects in products or services are detected. These errors can be caused by manufacturing defect, material quality, assembly problems, machining errors, or other reasons. The type, number and severity of errors are determined.
Corrective and Preventive Actions: Corrective actions are taken to correct the detected errors. This may be the repair, rework or rejection of faulty products. In addition, preventive actions are taken to prevent the recurrence of mistakes. Improvements can be made to production processes, training or procedures.
Documentation and Reporting: Tests, analyzes and activities performed throughout the quality control process are documented and reported.