What Exactly Is Quality Assurance?

Quality assurance, abbreviated as QA, is a program involving the systematic monitoring as well as evaluation of different facets of a storing facility, service, or product. This is done to make sure that the facility or service meets the set standards of quality. It becomes the duty of the unit owner to provide quality assurances to his or her customers that the quality of their stored items will be maintained inside the unit. Only when the customers are sure of the quality, they prefer to go for a particular service.

One thing should be clear that the program sponsor determines the quality. You should not expect absolute guarantee of quality from QA. However, you can expect a high possibility of superior quality. So, if a storage unit speaks about providing quality assurance, this does not mean nothing can happen in the unit. There is always a possibility of mishap, which may damage your stored items. But, at least you are assured that the unit is better than any ordinary storing place in your house or office. It has all the security features in place and working. The walls are sturdy and so are the gates, along with proper lighting in and around the building.

There are two fundamentals that characterize QA. The first is: Fit for Purpose. This means that the service, facility, or product must be suitable for the purpose it is designed for. The second is: Right First Time. This means there should be no place for errors. Efforts should be made that the service or product comes out high-class in the first attempt. It should show no room for improvement. Quality assurance includes controlling the quality of raw materials, components of the product, assemblies, production process, management, and inspection. In case of storage facilities, it includes the infrastructure of the place, quality of security installed, and customer service.

Another important thing to know is that it,s not the society at large that determines the quality of a service, facility, or product. The users determine the quality. There is a difference between a real quality product and the common phrases like "high quality" or "expensive" used by the common mass. Many people measure the quality of any service or facility by looking at its price tag. This is not a surefire way of quality assurance. Products or services at a lower price can be of high quality too, if they cater to the demand and need of the market.

QA can be tricky at times. Different people have different concepts when it comes to determining quality. This is the reason that QA is done best by experts who use certain tools to access the superiority of a particular service or facility. These tools work stepwise and provide an accurate result. One of the most popular tools for quality assurance is the Shewhart cycle, devised by Dr. W. Edwards Deming. It consists of PDCA, which are the abbreviations of four steps viz; Plan, Do, Check, and Act.