Quality Assurance circles

Fig. 1.1. The various steps of the quality assurance and quality control of the analytical laboratory can be presented on a circle, from the problem definition to the answer to the customer. When properly organised the last step leads to useful answers to the question posed by the customer. Alternatively, when the answers are not fully adequate, the analyst and the customer redefine another approach based on the results of the first circle. Due to the experience of the first investigation, this second circle has an increased chance of solving the problem. It is the start of a quality spiral (adapted from ref [10]).

In agribusiness and the food industry, management of quality is often assumed to be a rather controllable process. This may be illustrated by the great attention paid to the development and implementation of quality systems in the past decade. These quality systems are commonly based on procedures and control circles as mechanisms to control and assure quality. After implementation, however, it often appears in practice that the intended results are not obtained and exact reasons are not clear. ... 

With this type of system in force, the supervisor is no longer responsible for completion of the task the group has that responsibility and control. The supervisor s main duty becomes one of advising, providing feedback, and assuring that all materials and tools are available to accomplish the job. This approach has also been very successful with quality circles but may not work in all environments since the end product is not the same for all individuals and in all situations. 

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