As a quality control implementer, you may feel uneasy if the boss asks you to ensure product quality is in control and good before sending it out to a customer.
How to check the product to make sure the quality is ok?
Before start checking your product, you need to know what to check.
What is your product ‘Quality’?
Once you have identified what to check, summarize it on a quality plan spreadsheet.
Next, establish acceptance quality standards, method of checking, frequency of checking, records, and assign responsibility.
If you already have a quality plan, review, and update it for better quality control when necessary.
Let’s see how to check your product quality!
1. What is Your Product Quality?
Knowing your product’s ‘quality‘ is the first step you need to do before starting to control or check your product.
Below is a checklist for you to identify your product ‘quality’.
Write down the details in the column.
State ‘NA‘ if irrelevant. And ‘Nil‘ if you don’t know or are unsure.
| No | Product Quality | a. Which is related to your product? List the details. | b. What are your customer quality requirements? Write down the details. | c. Which has a customer complaint, warranty claim or return by a customer? List the details and number of cases. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Appearance, Surface Finishing (color, free from defects such as dented, scratches, damage, etc) | |||
| 2 | Specification (dimension, hardness, weight, etc) | |||
| 3 | Feature (functions/ fitting) | |||
| 4 | Safety, Regulations Requirements (cause illness, fire, explosion, death, harmful to human contact, etc) | |||
| 5 | Durability (long-lasting) | |||
| 6 | Environmental Friendly (recycle /non-hazardous materials, energy saving, etc) |
Table 1: Identify Product Quality Checklist
You can retrieve the (a) information from standard product specifications, catalogs, or marketing materials.
For (b), get it from customer drawing, product specification, contract, or purchase order.
Information (c) is from customer complaint, warranty claim, reject or return. If no records are available. You may interview the person in charge to get the details and list the number of cases.
Once you have filled in the checklist, the content will provide you with an overview of product quality checkpoints.
It will help you ensure your customers are happy when they receive your products with good product appearance. All specifications and functions are ok. The product is safe, long-lasting, and environmentally friendly, whichever applicable.
Click the button below to get the 《Quality Checklist & Quality Control Plan.xls》 template.
2. Prepare Your Quality Control Plan
Now, transfer the product quality checkpoints you identified in table 1 into table 2 (parameter column) below.
Table 2: Quality Control Plan
Herewith are the examples for each subject for your reference.
Control specification: dimension (10 +/- 1mm), color (as per master sample), appearance (free from dented, burnt marks)
Equipment: Calliper, measuring tape, micrometre, visual, impact test
Sample size: 100% inspection, acceptance sampling plan, 1st piece, last piece
Frequency: Each lot, Each color, Each order, Each shift, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly
PIC (Person-in-Charge): Operator, QC Inspector, Warehouse Staff, QA Executive, Product Engineer
Records: Inspection record, Test report, Certificate of Conformance (COA), Certificate of Analysis (COA)
Prepare Your Quality Control PlanToday!
It will become a proper method of controlling a company’s product quality. Reduce your frustration when repeated customer complaint decrease. Make everyone’s job easier and be confident about the product quality shipped to the customer.
The content of the quality control plan differs from company to company. The reasons are product differences, organization size, customer group, process complexity and operations control. So, table 2 gives some ideas for planning your quality control.
If you wish to get the 《Quality Checklist & Quality Control Plan.xls》 template, click the below button.
3. Train Your Employee
Once the quality control plan is ready and approved, train your staff.
Now, the employee can refer to the quality control plan. Get to know the product specification tolerance quickly, what documents to refer, the checking method, how many samples to take, and which form to use.
Remember to take training attendance. Employees who sign the attendance form have been trained and know what to do and their responsibility.
4. Start Checking Your Product Quality!
Set the date of implementation.
Let employees start checking the quality of products following the approved quality control plan.
Please distribute a copy of the quality control plan to the employee for easy reference when needed. If your company is practising e-documentation, grant an access right to the employee to view the softcopy documents.
Remember to state a revision on the quality control plan. Is easy for your to track the changes and updates. Control the documents to ensure everyone is referring to the latest revision.
Summary
Follow these 4 steps to push your start button in quality control!
Your employee will know what they need to do and how to check product quality. It’ll help reduce your frustration with lesser customer complaints!
- Identify Your Product ‘Quality’
- Prepare Quality Control Plan
- Conduct Training
- Start Implement Your Quality Control
Quality Control Plan is the foundation of quality control operations. If you still don’t have it, prepare it! It will help to solve your quality issues.
If this article is helpful for you, let us know in the comment section below. And please tell us your product or service, so we can prepare a blog post that suits your industry.
