QUALITY MANAGEMENT, THEORY IN PRACTICE, PRACTICE IN THEORY

Quality management can be considered to have four main components: quality planning, quality control, quality assurance and quality improvement. Quality planning is the key factor since it set up quality level which is the company target. Or in the other words using the definition: level where customer expectations are met. In practice, quality planning is quite often ignored although it should be strategic decision, one of the most important taken by company. Actually, quality planning is out of Quality Department responsibility due to historical reason. Quality management is not the right name for them, more proper one should be Quality assurance. The right quality management means establishing quality level (not necessarily the highest one from technical point of view) with participating of Quality representative as a member of top management.