What is a quality control plan?

A Quality Control Plan It is a document where exactly the procedures, resources and processes that must be apply, as well as, at what exact moment it should be done, in addition to defining who are in charge of run it. In this way, compliance with the requirements and their realization is guaranteed.

More specifically, a quality control plan should also show the points, stages and moments that must be met during and after the product manufacturing process. Having that plan document approved before starting production is an essential first step.

It is an open document that outlines the procedures to be developed for quality control. Likewise, the contributions and the delivery of the resulting products that meet or satisfy the client's requirements. You must also specify the measurements, inspections and controls system and their location in time, in order to control the parts that make up the production and processes.

What are the benefits of a quality control plan?

When you run a business and especially one that has to do with manufacturing, almost the most important thing is to implement quality control procedures throughout the process and in all its parts.

Between the benefits of a quality control plan are the following:

• Promotes quality awareness in employees. One of the biggest benefits is the impact that quality control has on them. When they know the importance of this and that it will also be monitored, it generates benefits for both the employees and the company.
• Effective use of resources. The available resources that you have should be used, but effectively so that nothing is lost and you do not have to worry about the budget.
• Low inspection costs. A quality control plan helps reduce control costs because you have a better and more reliable idea of ​​the processes that allow you to manufacture products without errors.
• Customer satisfaction. Using instruments and tests to monitor the processes, not only ensures that your products comply with what is required, but that your customers will not be disappointed. The better the quality of your products, the happier the customer will be.
• Morale boost. Applying procedures for better quality control can really boost the morale of your employees because they feel that they are creating high-quality products for the market.
• Improve production methods. Collecting the correct data from the manufacturing process is possible to improve production and choose the best equipment that achieves the quality of the product, its performance and the efficiency of the operation.
• Uniformity of the products. It is necessary to ensure that each resulting product meets the same high quality standard. Otherwise, customers would react and turn their back on the company.

How to improve quality control planning?

Locate on the calendar the dates when the measurements will be made at the critical or key points of the process. Assign a high priority to control those cases that if they fail will generate a great impact on your schedule. Therefore, you should anticipate if one fails, have enough space to relocate it and that it is not too late to handle the problem.

Track the time spent in applying the test to better predict future workload or load. If you know the estimated effort and you keep track of the time taken to measure the test, you can automatically calculate the effort that will be needed by the time you touch to apply the pressure measurement again. is.

Use goals or milestones to measure progress and keep advocates on track and connected to what's happening. Avoid holding meetings for very long periods, instead, use milestones to keep meetings short and focusing on the specific point.

With the previous information you have all the data on one page. For example, the number of tests you applied, what has failed and where and when they were relocated, and how many measurements or tests remain to be applied. All this with the idea of ​​achieving total quality control.

Aspects to consider when creating a quality control plan.

The quality control plan seeks to manufacture quality products according to customer requirements. Here are some aspects that you should consider when planning quality control.

• Inputs and products of the process.
• Product measurements and specifications.
• Reporting frequency and sampling method.
• The processes involved.
• Information registration.
• Corrective actions.
• Report.

What should a quality control plan include?

In a quality control plan you must handle some basic tools such as histograms, flow charts, checklists, charts, and Pareto diagram, among others. In the plan you must include the following information:

• Goals and objectives: it must contain the specifications of the product. Its use, its aesthetics, cycle time, materials and costs.
• The steps or stages of the process or procedures.
• Distribution of responsibilities. Who does what and when.
• Standards. What are the practices and procedures that need to be applied.
• Requirements for testing. When will these take place? Who will do it and where?
• Changes and modifications in the procedure. It will give you the way to follow up on changes in the project or in the process.
• Measurement or analysis of the quality of the process. It is a way of measuring the value of the document and the quality itself.
• Other actions that are required to achieve the objectives.

Finally:

Nowadays, quality is not optional, it is a requirement to be able to survive in the face of tough market competition.

A correctly applied quality control plan protects the project, the product, the client and the manufacturing or supplier contract because it establishes all written expectations with advance.

When a company has a well-founded and elaborated quality control plan, it is able to identify the origin of the quality problem, if it exists, and from that knowledge work to ensure that the products resulting from the project and the working conditions in general meet the quality requirements agreed.