Quality Assurance Management

This text on quality assurance management should help readers manage their business responsibilities to ensure that customer expectations are satisfied as economically as possible. It examines the writings of the interpreters of quality concepts and explores how their lessons have been adopted.

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The book is aimed towards students of quality assurance as well as an active practitioners. Moreover, since the advantages of formal quality assurance, and the benefits of practising it are becoming more widely appreciated in service companies, it should be of value to non-specialist executives in smaller companies. It will help you manage your business responsibilities to ensure that you satisfy the expectations of your customers as economically as possible, and in a way which gives you visibility of the status and progress of your 'quality'. It will direct your attention to the writings of the most influential interpreters of quality concepts, especially in the USA and Japan, and how their lessons have been adopted and adapted by successful businesses throughout the world.
In order to maximise the usefulness of the book to students studying for professional qualifications in Quality Assurance, the requirements of the following examinations were taken into account when planning the scope of the book: The Institute of Quality Assurance's Associate Membership examination syllabus (as revised April 1990) for papers: Al Introduction to Quality Assurance; A2 Specifications, Standards and Quality Audit; A3 Quality Assurance Management; The City and Guilds of London Institute's syllabus for course: 743 Quality Assurance This book is adapted and expanded from the course material which I created for the Quality Management module of the Durham University Business School's distance learning MBA degree. This evolved from a distance learning course prepared earlier for use by the Rapid Results College. As well as the cited authorities, the book draws on my interpretation of my own experience in quality assurance management within the microelectronics industry, and latterly as a consultant, a trainer and an assessor of quality systems.