Starting a QA Program
Quality Assurance at its best is, like safety, a corporate culture. Everyone in the organization is constantly thinking of ways to make the product, or service, better. Once described as "the relentless and never ending pursuit of perfection", quality assurance can seem like an obsession. This is difficult and takes time to achieve but it serves as a long range goal.
It's best to start implementation with the simplest and least costly schemes.
Order Tracking
Order tracking is perhaps the easiest first step. All products should be marked with a production number for tracking purposes. The tracking system should make it possible to track a product from the initial order through production and to delivery and finally to disposal.
Retain Samples
Retain samples from production are valuble and relatively easy to take and store. They should be clearly marked with the production number, date, etc. They should be stored for a realistic period in a suitable area where they are easy to maintain and find a given sample. Retains can be used to trace production problems and check product lifetimes.
Archive Workers Comments
All stages of production will benefit from archived comments from the workers responsible for each stage of production. These comments can be used to create a best practices data base. Archived comments are especially useful and easy to maintain if they can be incorporated into the computerized database system and if they fit within any already paperwork system.
QC Tests
Quality control tests are useful in many situations. Even simple tests like density, pH, conductivity etc. can help make products more consistant. Liquid products are easier to do and benefit more from these tests. Solids can be added later, after the system becomes routine.