UNIT 5: QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY COMPLIANCE IN BUSINESS

Key Unit competence:

To be able to maintain effective quality compliance system in business

Quality assurance and compliance case study:

The government of Rwanda through Rwanda Standards Board is mandated
to provide National standards and conformity assessment guidelines that
entrepreneurs/traders ought to follow during production and selling of their
goods and services. These guidelines help entrepreneurs to be cautious and
careful with the quality and measurements of raw materials used, goods
produced and the technology used. If your business conforms to the required
quality management, assurance and compliance standards, it reduces
mistakes and inconsistencies that could make these goods unsafe. If you
manufacture a food product, your quality control processes should monitor
temperature and foreign bodies to decrease the likelihood that you will make
someone sick. Ensuring customer safety saves your business money and
averts damage to your reputation.

One of the ways that the business can strengthen its quality is by listening to
its customers and incorporating their feedback in the business processes and
production systems. Product quality issues that customers normally report
should be tracked and managed through a rigorous process of investigation
and resolution. These and more processes help the business to continually
enhance customer satisfaction. It’s also important that businesses are
genuine in their measurements of goods produced and sold.

Questions

i. Referring to the above case study, answer the following questions
below;
ii. What does the National Standards and conformity assessment
guidelines expect entrepreneurs to do?
iii. What are likely negative effects the business may face if customers are
not satisfied as a result of wrong measurements of the goods bought?
iv. What strategies would you propose to the entrepreneurs to implement
and ensure the safety of their customers?
v. Design a simple quality management system of the business idea you
intend to start in your community.

5.1 Quality assurance and quality compliance

Explain the meaning of:
i. Quality assurance,
ii. Quality compliance and
iii. Quality management

5.1.1 Meaning of quality assurance

Quality assurance (QA) is any systematic process of determining whether a product
or service meets specified requirements. It is also referred to as the maintenance
of a desired level of quality in a product or service, especially by means of attention
to every stage of the production process or delivery.

A quality assurance system is meant to increase customer confidence and a
company’s credibility, while also improving work processes and efficiency, and it
enables a company to better compete with others.

Quality assurance is very important because it helps a company create products
and services that meet the needs, expectations and requirements of customers. It
yields high-quality product offerings that build trust and loyalty with customers. The
standards and procedures defined by a quality assurance program help to prevent
product defects before they arise. Quality assurance includes two principles: 

“Fit for purpose” (the product should be suitable for the intended purpose);
and “Right first time” (mistakes should be eliminated).
It includes management of the quality of raw materials, assemblies, products
and components, services related to production, and management, production
and inspection processes

5.1.2 Meaning of quality compliance

Quality compliance means acting in accordance with systematic processes
of determining whether a product or service meets specified requirements
at every stage of the production process or delivery. Complying with the
quality requirements helps the business in different ways such as satisfying
customers’ needs, increasing the level of sales due to a large number of
customers attached to the product or service, complying with the state’s
quality requirements among others.

Using typical examples, differentiate quality assurance from quality compliance.

5.2. Measurement standards

1. Study the illustrations below and answer the questions thereafter.

Measurements are often made using instruments such as measuring tapes,
weighing scale, rulers, clocks, etc. Measurement is a comparison process. It
involves comparison of the quantity to be measured with a chosen standard or
unit. In the past, for example, the length of an object was compared with familiar
lengths: strides, length of a man’s foot, arm and fingers. Ancient people also used
stones or seeds as their standards or units to measure weight. The position of
the sun and the moon were used to tell time and seasons, the dimensions of the
human body. Below are some of measurement standards that are used in business
activities.

The base quantities according to the International System of Quantities (ISQ) are
listed in the following table:

Other quantities are derived from the base quantities and some of them are
listed in the table below.

For the business you intend to start in your community, analyse different
measurement standards you would emphasize, and why?

5.3. Role of quality compliance in business

Why is it important to comply with quality requirements in business?

Compliance means meeting the regulatory requirements.
1) Quality compliance in business ensures that the product satisfy their
intended use.
2) It also reduces the risk of fines, penalties and closure of businesses. When
a business does not meet some compliance requirements it faces the law.

3) It leads to improved health and safety.
4) It leads to improved health and safety quality improvement.
5) Quality compliance maintains or increase market share for the
businesspeople.
6) There is fair competition among businesses hence increasing customers’
satisfaction from the products.

1) Research on the Rwanda Standards Board website about the requirements
needed to get an ‘S’ mark for the products in the school business club.
2) use the link below and explain the importance of the program
“Zamukana Ubuziranenge
“http://ryaf.rw/?p=2333

For any product you produce in the school business club: Discuss and write
down the steps, measurements and procedures of making that product to
ensure standardization of practices in your business, align with the acceptable
RSB standards and make an action plan to acquire RSB certification for services
or products that your business club produce or offer. Then, share with the class.

1. James and Rosset intend to start a business of making Chapati and
mandazi, but they have a challenge of ensuring consistency in quality
(maintaining the same test, size and thickness). With your knowledge on
quality assurance and standardisation;
a) Advise James and Rosset on how they can set quality standards in
their business.
b) What measurement tools could they use to achieve the quality
standards?
2. Explain the importance of accreditation for certification services and
testing laboratories.

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