subject: Steps In A Quality Assurance Plan [print this page] If you've been in business long enough, you've most likely already heard about setting up a quality assurance plan. A lot of businesses, big and small, already have theirs in place. If you don't have one yet, you might want to get started creating one.
The phrase is a clear clue itself if you want to arrive at some kind of definition. This points to the need for a company to make a thorough plan to manufacture or provide products and services that are so excellent that customers will keep on patronizing them. In a sense, quality assurance promises customers only the best.
If you look at it closely then, it's easy to see the connection between quality assurance and customer satisfaction. A fantastic quality assurance system simply provides near absolute satisfaction. The happier your customers are the better it is for your business. Customers will keep on trooping in or they can keep on recommending your products and services to others. This means you'll be in business longer.
To secure the quality and integrity of your products, there is a need for you to make a highly organized plan with concrete steps to follow. The first move that you would have to make is to define and write down your objectives. The best objectives always consider the needs and desires of customers. To find out what you need to give them, you can ask for outright feedback.
Once you know what you need to concretely accomplish in a quality assurance program, the next step is to define roles and responsibilities. This simply means putting on the table who is in charge of what. All members of your team should be encouraged to ask questions to promote a thorough understanding of what is expected of them and what needs to be done.
The following step is to review relationships with other project teams and how coordination can be established. These other teams are usually given the task of focusing on other business standards and elements. The quality assurance team must therefore check if its own system jives with what others have in place. Not doing so can lead to contradictory actions that could prove disruptive to the development of a business.
Quality assurance plan task and schedule definition is the final planning step. This involves outlining what specific tasks need to be done and accomplished within a set time frame. This wraps up the brainstorming component in a comprehensive program and is followed by the phases that cover implementation, checking and action.
A quality assurance program is not just limited to satisfying people. It can also be used to boost a company's identity, image and status. A great system can pave the way for ISO certification. Although this is not a legal requirement, it still makes a lot of sense to apply for it. Companies that receive certification become more popular and trusted among customers and business sectors. This is because certification proves that they have systems that meet international standards.
Every business stands to gain from an outstanding quality assurance system. By constantly delivering the best, customers and associates will prefer to do business with you than with the competition.