Business review

Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort.” John Ruskin.

Efforts produce results and that is what quality assurance is all about. This isn’t a geeky management concept. It’s for real, and the better you implement it, the more you benefit.
Quality assurance covers all the activities in a series of planned actions necessary to provide customers with the product they expect. It plays a role throughout – be it in designing, developing, manufacturing, installing or servicing. Quality is sometimes defined as doing things right the first time and this is the ultimate objective of quality assurance. Naturally, that also means savings in cost and time.

Many businesses have well developed quality assurance systems that have emerged over a period of time, and are regularly reviewed. Hence, it is important that new businesses also incorporate a quality assurance policy in order to stay competitive.

Grab a pen and paper to take down some tips on total quality control:

Devise quality policies: This is the first and foremost document to be framed. Ensure that you have a quality policy that lists the procedures to maintain quality control. Remember to circulate the document across the organization so that everyone knows what is expected. This will help your staff streamline workflows to achieve maximum qualitative output. It is difficult to implement quality if there isn’t a common understanding across your staff.

Upgrade infrastructure: Make sure you have the required infrastructure capable of implementing the policies. You will need to invest in relevant resources ranging from technical expertise and investment in software, hardware and training to staff development. At the same time, you will need to protect your systems infrastructure adequately. Systems Continuity Plan Pro software protects your Information Technology (IT) assets: facilities, power, network, systems, storage, operating systems, applications and documents.

Employ periodic checks & audits: It is essential that you employ periodic checks to ensure that quality policies are implemented well. Without such checking procedures you might fail to keep a tight focus on implementing total quality control. Also, provide a system of audit trails to track results of periodic checks. This will help you look into potential failures which might pose a threat to the overall quality system.

Learn from others: If starting from scratch seems difficult, seek help from professionals. You may also find helpful case studies on quality assurance. Again, if there are people with prior experience within your organization, ask them to share their valuable knowledge. Books like ‘The Handbook of Software Quality Assurance’ and ‘Customer Oriented Software Quality Assurance ‘’ can give you a headstart when trying to develop a quality assurance plan.

Set realistic goals: Do not aim for perfection! Be realistic and aim for “fitness for purpose”. This is based on available resources, such as funds and expertise. Often, while seeking the best you may drive out the good. Hence, keep goals within reach.

Last of all, remember that quality assurance is for you to implement. It is for you to ensure that the deliverables are up to the mark. Seek to deploy quality assurance procedures throughout the length and breadth of your company. For more information, read about the ISO 9000 quality assurance standards.

Hi, I'm Akhil Shahani, a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed. If you like to work smart, check out http://www.SmartEntrepreneur.net . It's full of articles and resources to help you start and grow your business successfully. Please visit us & download our special "Freebie of The Month" at
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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Quality Assurance Management