Quality control is a system for ensuring the maintenance of proper standards in manufactured goods using periodic random inspection of the PRODUCTs. It is also used for optimizing PRODUCTION. Quality control incorporates the concepts of quality circles, in which groups of 10–20 workers are given responsibility for the quality of the products they produce. Quality circles are thought to have originated in Japan in the 1960s, but the U.S. Army also adopted the practice soon after 1945. It gradually evolved into various techniques involving both workers and statistical measures used by managers to maximize productivity and quality. Under quality-control guidelines, companies attempt to minimize scrap materials, wastes, and defective products. While many quality-control ideas were developed in the United States, Japanese manufacturers, under the tutelage of Dr. W. Edward Deming, greatly expanded its use in the 1950s. The Japanese term kaizen is the concept of continuous improvement through incremental change. Using quality circles and kaizen, Japanese manufacturers were global leaders in quality control by the 1980s. So many American managers visited Japan during that decade that the term kaizen became part of American business jargon. In the United States, the AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY (ASQ) is the leading organization promoting and training people in the concepts of quality control. Many International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines for environmental-management practices incorporate the ideas of quality control. From a marketing and MANAGEMENT perspective, quality control reduces COSTS and improves customer RELATIONS/SATISFACTION. Marketers know word of mouth is almost always the most important form of promotion for a product, and dissatisfied customers will often discuss their experiences with other potential consumers. Quality control attempts to address problems before the product is placed in the hands of consumers.
See also DEMING’S 14 POINTS; ISO STANDARDS.