quality control

Definition:
The monitoring of outputs (usually goods but the term also applies to service delivery) to ensure that they meet the standards necessary to deliver the satisfaction expected by the purchaser. Traditionally, quality control has been achieved by regular samples of individual units of output to determine that they meet the agreed standards for content and performance. More recently it has been recognized that quality is something you build into a PRODUCT or service and not something which you seek to control after it has been produced. To encourage the development of attitudes and practices which maintain and improve quality, many firms now encourage the formation of quality circles which are informal groups of people concerned with the production process who are made responsible for both maintaining and improving quality.

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