Inspection acceptance. Methods, types and means of quality control

The organization of production of a particular product in most cases involves the implementation by the responsible units of the firm of various types of control of the products. The methods used by specialists can be very different. Among the most common - acceptance inspection. What are its features? How does acceptance control affect the adoption of certain management decisions in the organization?

What is the essence of acceptance control?

Let us first consider the terminology in the framework of the sphere in question. Acceptance control is the verification of the conformity of the finished product to the established requirements at the enterprise that issued it, just before initiating the procedure for delivering the relevant goods to the consumer. Within the framework of this control, various defects can be identified at various stages of the production process, in particular, not detected during operational control.

The specific tasks of the procedure in question are predetermined by the sphere of economic legal relations, as well as by the peculiarities of the legislation in whose jurisdiction it is located. So, for example, in construction acceptance inspection of quality assumes conformity of the established list of indicators of building objects to various state standards, and also the approved project.

The sphere of construction is characterized by a definitely high level of integration of various types of inspections. Thus, the type of procedures under consideration in many cases in the construction of buildings will complement the operational control with regard to the formation of the list of information necessary for an adequate assessment of the compliance of the constructed building with state standards and criteria reflected in the approved project.

Practically any branch is characterized by features in the part of the organization of acceptance control. Further in the article we will study them on individual examples.

What are the types of control?

But for now we will study what kinds of production control can be presented. So, its classification is widespread, implying 2 main varieties - continuous and selective.

The control of the first type assumes the verification of each object, for example, the unit of the product produced by the firm. The second type of procedure assumes an assessment of the quality of the whole batch of goods produced based on the results of testing only part of the product - within the sample. A variety of selective - statistical control. It involves the use of special methods to ensure a high degree of reliability of verification results.

In fact, many researchers classify the acceptance control:

- on conducted on quantitative grounds;

- implemented by qualitative criteria.

Both procedures can be of a selective type. Thus, acceptance testing assumes in many cases the use of statistical methods. Let's consider their specifics in more detail.

Statistical methods in acceptance control

What can be associated with the use of appropriate methods and, accordingly, selective acceptance control? As a rule, this approach is predetermined by the scope of verification. For example, if a batch of goods produced in the amount of several tens of thousands is examined, it can be extremely difficult to conduct their continuous control from a technical point of view, and from an economic point of view it is undesirable. Therefore, in such cases, control means are used that allow, first, to determine the optimal sample of the goods, and secondly, to analyze it using different statistical methods to ensure compliance with the established quality requirements.

The main requirement for sampling is the inclusion in it of the same type of verification objects. Usually when serial production of identical products the occurrence of any defects on several products means the presence of similar defects on others, therefore in this case the application of the sampling principle is appropriate.

It can be noted that the type of acceptance control under consideration finds regular application as well as in the course of interaction between the supplier and the consumer of the goods. It is precisely how the system of approving plans and methods of control between partners is organized, which determines the choice of approaches to assessing the quality of the goods of each party.

In a number of cases, of course, deviations from the scheme are possible, which is determined in the negotiation process. For example, one side or the other can choose those controls that are most optimal from the point of view of the production model, are less labor-intensive, operative in implementation. They may not always coincide with the tools that the partner prefers to use.

Statistical acceptance control can be carried out by a third party. It can be, for example, an economic entity that owns the largest share in the share capital of the manufacturer. In this case, he may be interested in ensuring that the most effective types of quality control are introduced at his company as a condition for increasing the competitiveness of the business.

As a rule, the requirements to the parameters of the products are fixed at the level of normative documents approved by the company's management. Interested parties can also participate in their development.

As in the case of many other types of control, the implementation of the statistical plan applies a variety of quality checks of goods. In it, in particular, the rules regulating:

- then, on the basis of what criteria are selected specific forms of control that make up its procedures;

- the way in which the data obtained during the inspections are processed, as well as their interpretation.

Of course, this plan can also be compiled by the joint efforts of the supplier and consumer of the goods. A third party can be connected to the interaction between them.

Quantitative and qualitative methods for acceptance control

Above we noted that the acceptance control is classified into 2 varieties - quantitative and qualitative.

The essence of the first is to verify a certain quality attribute in relation to the measured quantities. The conclusion about the results of the sample analysis is based on the study of individual characteristics of the product, sometimes the average method is applied.

Qualitative control may involve the use of different methods of assessing the quality of the product, for example, by counting certain defective items within the sample or calculating the number of inconsistencies per one product in a batch.

Quality Assessment Plan

Both considered forms of control - quantitative, qualitative - in many cases are realized when using a common tool - a plan for assessing the quality of goods. By means of it, the researcher determines which batch of products corresponds to the established requirements, and which - not completely.

When quantitative or qualitative control is carried out through an appropriate plan, the sample size is determined , as well as the optimal characteristics for the acceptance conditions for the product series. In the case of quantitative control, this can be the limit indicators - the smallest and largest, which allow us to calculate the quality indicators based on the method of determining the mean values. If quality control is carried out, the corresponding parameter can be the maximum number of products with defects or the total number of inconsistencies that are allowed within a particular series of goods.

Conducting a statistical or other type of acceptance control involves the management of the firm or its responsible specialists of certain managerial decisions based on the results of inspections. Let's study this nuance in more detail.

Decision-making based on the results of acceptance inspection

The procedure under consideration in all varieties, for example, if acceptance inspection is carried out, presupposes, first of all, the acceptance by the specialists who conduct an appropriate inspection of the decision as to whether or not the investigated product corresponds to the established quality indicators on the basis of those parameters with which the studied product characteristics are compared. On the basis of the study, a variety of solutions can be made, for example:

- on the need to optimize technological processes in order to improve the quality of the goods;

- modernization or repair of production lines in order to eliminate the causes of defects or other inconsistencies on the products manufactured;

- the need to improve approaches to assessing the quality of goods, including through additional work involving partners.

The results of acceptance testing may also affect the implementation of other types of inspections. For example, based on the decisions taken based on the results of the work of the specialists at the acceptance, the operational control on the production lines can be changed in one way or another. Also, adjustments can be made to the procedures for accepting materials, raw materials and semi-finished products that are used in the release of goods.

Importance of acceptance control for business

Decision-making based on the results of acceptance control in the firm can also be carried out taking into account the opinion of the partner organization, the results of the corresponding inspections that it conducted, as well as considering the positions of other interested parties who, for example, may have access to the results of acceptance control in other organizations, As an option, also included in the holding. This allows interested parties in a number of cases to recommend, on the basis of available data, those approaches by which acceptance sampling or, if applicable, can be optimized in the enterprise, taking into account the experience of other firms.

Thus, the verification of the quality of products upon their release is a procedure that can affect not only the relationship between the firm and the supplier. In many respects, its results influence the policy of business management, the priorities of the company's management in terms of making decisions on investments in various production sites, on updating certain funds.

In fact, acceptance control is one of the tools for feedback between business owners and hired employees who hold positions at both the management level, that is, competent in making key management decisions and at the level of ordinary specialists who are directly responsible for the quality of products.

Practical application of inspection control

Consider how the control process can be carried out in the varieties under consideration in practice. Appropriate approaches can be used at different stages of product release:

- when receiving a series of products - in this case, the input control of materials, raw materials or, for example, semi-finished products;

- as part of a change in production operations;

- with the release of finished products.

At any stage of production, the task of the person responsible for conducting the acceptance inspection of the employee is to decide whether to approve the released batch of goods or to reject it. At the same time, the importance is how thoroughly the procedure for determining the optimal criteria for a defect or non-conformity of the goods to the established parameters has been worked out. If this procedure is too strict, then the control process may drag on and predetermine a slowdown in production. However, in the reverse situation, the quality of control may be reduced, as a result of which consumers may be sent goods with defects or other inconsistencies.

Therefore, the implementation of the control procedure is preceded by responsible work to determine the optimal criteria for checking goods, as well as its methods. In many cases, the way in which the goods should be checked, which specific types of quality control should be applied to the enterprise, is determined in the course of its interaction with partners and consumers. Let's study this aspect in more detail.

Quality control taking into account the consumer's opinion

Indeed, in a market economy, communications between suppliers of goods and consumers play an important role. The ability of the manufacturer to find a common language with the buyer in terms of determining the desired indicators of product quality is an exceptionally significant factor in increasing the growth of the firm's competitiveness. In the framework of interaction of partners on issues, in particular, acceptance control, the following issues can be agreed between them:

- limit values for the number of defective products within the consignment;

- specific parameters of product quality;

- return, exchange of goods that have defects and other inconsistencies;

- feedback mechanisms between the consumer and the producer in terms of improving approaches to assessing the quality of products, as well as to improving it.

In many cases, only after agreeing the appropriate conditions for communication with the consumer, manufacturers develop specific methods of technological control, approaches to the analysis of quality and algorithms for interpreting the conformity assessment of manufactured products to the established parameters.

It will be useful to consider how the methods of acceptance control are implemented in practice in various industries. So, the acceptance control in the pharmacy is very common. Let us study its features.

Execution of acceptance control in pharmacies

It can be noted that the implementation of acceptance control in pharmacies in many cases is based on the provisions of regulatory legislation, in particular, legal acts regulating how to accept those drugs that are issued directly in pharmacies. The main task of pharmacists in this case is to prevent the receipt of substandard medicines on the counters that do not meet the established requirements.

Acceptance control in the pharmacy is, as a rule, carried out by checking the incoming medicines for compliance with those criteria that are correlated with the description, packaging and labeling of the goods. In addition, an assessment of the quality of execution of various financial documents, verification of the availability of certificates or certificates of drugs certifying their quality, as well as other similar documents can be carried out.

If we talk about the description of the drug, its verification involves studying its appearance, in some cases - the smell, for compliance with the established criteria. If the pharmacist doubts that the medicine is of high quality, then he can send it for examination to a special laboratory. If the inspection control performed with respect to a given medicine showed that its quality does not correspond to the established parameters, this product is rejected and placed in the pharmacy separately from other medicines.

Checking the packaging involves studying first of all its integrity. It also matters how much it corresponds to the physicochemical properties characteristic of a given drug.

The next inspection object in the pharmacy is the marking of the goods. The implementation of control in this case involves, in particular, the study of drug labels for the presence of:

- the name of the manufacturer of the product or the organization that carried out its packing;

- the name of the medicine, its mass, volume, concentration;

- serial numbers, drug analysis;

- the expiration date, as well as the date of packing the product.

In a number of cases, the presence of indicators of units of action on the drug label is correlated with one gram of plant raw materials or a milliliter of the drug.

Verification of marking also involves an assessment of the content of primary, secondary, and group packaging. In addition, the presence of inserts in Russian is checked inside the package or in a pack.