Quality assurance: Its history and meaning

Abstract

The objectives of this article are to relate Quality Assurance to the profitability of the organization, to investigate the history and identify the scope of Quality Assurance and to develop a model that illustrates why the management of product quality has certain key result areas. The relationship between product fitness for use and net profit is identified and this indicates that the management of product quality is an important business objective in order to optimize net profit. The historical development of quality assurance leads up to the modern concept which defines the parameters for product fitness for use and identifies those functional areas of the organization that influence product quality. The importance of having to establish key result areas for the management of quality becomes obvious from this exposition. The conclusions are that product quality is tied to net profit and that effective management of quality will in fact optimize net profit. Quality Assurance extends beyond inter-departmental boundaries and involves everyone in the organization. As such the identification of key result areas for the management of quality becomes vitally important.
Die doelstellings van hierdie artikel is om Kwaliteitsversekering in verband te bring met die winsgewendheid van die organisasie; die geskiedenis van Kwaliteitsversekering na te gaan, die omvang daarvan te identifiseer en 'n model te ontwikkel wat illustreer waarom daar in die bestuur van produkkwaliteit sekere sleutelprestasieareas bestaan. Die verhouding tussen die produk se gebruiksgeskiktheid en netto wins word identifiseer en toon dat die bestuur van produktiwiteit 'n belangrike bedryfsdoelwit is ten einde netto wins te optimaliseer. Die historiese ontwikkeling van kwaliteitsversekering lei tot die moderne konsep wat die parameters vir produkgebruiksgeskiktheid definieer en funksionele areas van die organisasie wat produkkwaliteit beinvloed, identifiseer. Die belang van vasstelling van sleutelprestasieareas vir die bestuur van kwaliteit word duidelik en die gevolgtrekkings is dat produkkwaliteit gekoppel is aan netto wins en dat effektiewe kwaliteitsbestuur dit sal optimaliseer. Kwaliteitsversekering oorskry interdepartementele grense en betrek almal in die organisasie, dus word die identifikasie van sleutelprestasieareas van die uiterste belang vir kwaliteitsbestuur.