How do you set up and define your quality control processes? This is a common question for many businesses, both large and small. With the fast-paced advancements in technology and ever-changing consumer demands, it’s crucial for companies to have efficient quality control processes in place to ensure their products or services meet high standards of quality.
Use our guide to ensure you deliver the right quality in every product and service.
People often use “quality control” and “quality assurance” in the same way, but they are actually different. Quality control is part of the bigger quality assurance framework.
Quality assurance builds confidence among everyone involved. It shows how you achieve version control and maintain quality standards throughout the whole process—from raw materials to the final product.
Within this, quality control refers to inspection and assessment. It involves checking that your quality assurance methods are delivering the expected results. This can be through testing, sampling, or other methods.
On the other hand, quality assurance is a proactive approach that focuses on preventing defects and ensuring consistency in processes. It involves identifying potential issues before they occur and implementing measures to prevent them.
Let’s look at how to establish quality control process, step by step.
1
Creating quality control processes isn’t as simple as setting up a quality management system and stopping there. You need to know what quality standards you are aiming for.
Think about what your customers expect from your products and services, and how you can meet or even surpass these expectations. Look at your competitors’ products and consider how you can compete with and improve upon them.
2
Even though you should apply quality control to all parts of your products and services, you still need to focus on a few key areas. At this point, consider your most important products and services, and what matters most about them, as you decide on key priorities for your customers and your business.
This isn’t about ignoring quality control in some areas. Instead, you need to know what to look for, define your priorities, and make sure these quality standards are met.
3
Once you’ve set your quality standards, you need to create procedures that make sure these standards are followed correctly. This will require open communication and involvement across your organization, bringing team members from all departments together.
These team members need to know what’s expected of them as they carry out these quality control processes, including any tasks like document creation. This will help ensure that the final product or service is of the highest quality.
4
Testing your processes is important because it gives you information to improve them in the future. Set up an internal team to conduct testing and analysis so you know your quality standards are working well.
5
Analysis gives you lots of data to help you see how effective your quality control process is. However, you need to gain further insight to confirm that your protocols are working as they should.
Talk to others involved in your supply chain—how do your processes affect their businesses? Reach out to your customers and clients too—are they experiencing better quality? Do you have any concerns that need to be addressed?
6
Quality standards are only useful if they keep evolving and improving over time. Use feedback from your team and stakeholders to improve your processes.
Remember, you designed your business to scale, not just to stay the same. This means you need quality control protocols that meet your customers’ needs as your products and services grow. You need to keep gathering data and developing your quality control process—keep collecting information as you work, and keep improving your quality assurance.
7
You need to write down the control procedure, creating standards and resources for training, assessment, and other purposes. This means deploying a document management system to implement a document control process that is effective.
Your document control procedures should include access control, so only authorized personnel can access and edit important documents. This helps you manage access and ensures that only the right people are accessing documents. You should also include security measures to protect sensitive information.
When creating a document, make sure to include important details like the date and version number to help with version control. Regular document review and approval are essential to keep your procedures up to date and compliant with regulatory requirements.
By setting up these systems, your team can easily have documents retrieved when needed, ensuring that everyone has the most current information.
In our years working in automation and process control, we’ve seen many examples of quality control mistakes. Often, the same common mistakes cause these missed opportunities.
1
One common mistake businesses make when setting up their quality control process is depending too much on key people. Your current team may manage the control process well, but what if they leave your company? Document everything, so you have reliable resources for future training.
2
As your processes change, you need to review and approve your quality control documents to make sure they still work. Then, dispose of obsolete documents and replace them with improved quality control protocols. Failing to do this can lead to confusion and inefficiency.
3
All your team members must understand the importance of quality control. You achieve this through open communication and discussions about quality assessment processes. If some of your team follow your control process but others don’t, the whole system will fail.
4
Setting your quality control standards and deciding on key priorities are the first steps in building your quality control process. Getting these standards wrong means you’re starting off on the wrong foot.
The obvious benefit of quality control is that your products and services become more consistent. Your customers can rely on the quality you provide, and this will become part of your reputation and even your identity. But there are other benefits that may not be immediately apparent:
Maintaining quality control is essential for any business striving for success. As industries grow, so does the need for up-to-date documents and standard operating procedures to manage processes efficiently. Effective quality control can be challenging, but staying current with documentation and procedures is key to meeting customer expectations.
At Process Equipment & Controls (PEC), we understand the importance of reliable, high-quality equipment in achieving your business goals. Our solutions are designed to support your operations with efficient, industry-compliant equipment and processes.
From implementing advanced systems to creating the right environment for seamless production, we provide the tools that enhance your quality assurance efforts. Explore how PEC’s process equipment solutions can take your operations to the next level.