What are the most common quality control mistakes in manufacturing?

In my experience I see that the lack of industry knowledge in oil and gas doesn’t help make QC roles easy nor the actual required level of inspection, I see to many examples of engineers who copy and paste and have no thought as to what they are measuring or for what reason, some recent examples are almost impossible GD&T on some parts, it makes the QC task a failure before its even begun…..

As many others have alluded to: 1) in-process inspection. You can have the most robust methods of catching it before it heads out the door, but you should strive to catch it as close to the point of creation as possible. Otherwise every minute spent is a minute wasted on a non-conforming product, with negative dollars or resources attached. 2) Thinking that a QMS is about a department and not the entire business. “Quality is everyone’s responsibility”. Too many are wrapped up in the idea that if you have 200 employees and 2% of them work in the Quality Dept. that somehow they’re going to catch any defect while the ones making the parts often seem to have little to no responsibility or care for their own work.

There are 8 types for QC mistakes 1- Lack of Communication and Collaboration among team 2- Insufficient Documentation 3- Failure to Establish Standards and Protocols 4- Inadequate Training and Education 5-Neglecting to Measure and Analyze Results 6- No Regular Auditing of processes 7- Minimum Use of Technology & depend on human 8- bad corrective and preventive action (CAPA) system

From my experience in Quality Control, a lack of knowledge or competence in what they are doing is a considerable mistake. They simply follow the instructions/protocols given to them and they lack enough training or knowledge on certain 'What if' factors. There may be some serious issues where the personnel should make their own decisions to sort it out and get things right without any expert's guidance. Just sticking to the basics without deep knowledge of any process is a considerable mistake in Quality Control.

Inorder to maintain the quality of the end product, in-process quality checks must be performed at various stages along the production process to capture and alleviate deviations that could compromise the end product quality.

What I have seen , appropriate inspection and test is key for quote control . Here's a big oops in quality control: not giving products a thorough check. Imagine not inspecting your goods enough – chaos! It's crucial to make sure they meet the quality rules and catch any problems. But, some cut corners – cost, time, or not-so-great tools. Bad move! This leads to lousy products, unhappy customers, and maybe even legal trouble. The smart move? Stick to proper, standardized testing and inspections at key points during production. It's like giving your products a superhero check-up.

After reading the thought of fellow QA or QC Inspectors here and see that you all make good points when comes to testing and inspecting products sufficient and consistent. Use of standardized testing and inspection methods all way through the process of interval inspections to final product is good, but what I see missing is the human side of this picture. Not all Inspectors are the same. Just because you want them to follow the plan does not necessarily mean that will happen. Every Inspector's feel is different, how they use instruments. If you take 2 to 3 Inspectors with same part and you will have different results maybe close or totally way off. It is the setup process. Not 2 parts are the same. Setup is affected, hense human error.

-Rushing QC testing to get products out -Inadequate personnel performs QC testing to get products out -Inadequate QC testings requirements set

Inadequate testing and inspection in manufacturing often stem from insufficiently defined testing protocols, leading to missed defects or incomplete assessments. Common mistakes include failing to test products at every critical stage of production, performing inspections only at the end of the process, or relying too much on spot checks rather than comprehensive, randomized sampling. Additionally, inconsistent or outdated inspection methods, inadequate calibration of testing equipment, and insufficient staff training on testing procedures can result in overlooked defects. These lapses can allow subpar products to reach customers, damaging brand reputation and increasing the risk of recalls or returns

A properly developed QMS needs to be the foundation for all processes and SOP's that are put in place. With digital tools that are available now its so much convenient to create SOP's and the right training for every operator and individual in the factory.

Poor documentation and record-keeping practices are common quality control mistakes in manufacturing that can have far-reaching consequences. Insufficient or inaccurate documentation can lead to confusion, inefficiency, compliance issues, and difficulties in tracing and resolving quality problems.

Mostly, ERP systems are meant for financial transactions around sales, purchase and accounting. Therefore, quality professionals resort to paper based registers, MS Excel worksheets or certain legacy systems that are possibly work in silo’s As a result, documentation on QA, QC activities take a back seat.

Poor SOP will be disaster: 1, On many comusmer products, top 1 issue is often linked to process/workmanship error due to poor SOP. 2, Most of SOPs are written by PE on their own without considering real operation (like convenient, human-engineering, etc..) 3, PFMEA is always staying at superficial for completing the task, not dig deeply enough for CTP how to minimize the risk, then correct preventive action will be missed and not being incorporated into SOP. 4, Sometimes SOP is only an"exhibition" on production line which is small A4 paper, unclear pictures, inaccurate opreation steps, etc.. Operator often ingores the SOP and just operate what they think is right. 5, To create an excellent SOP is very critical job.

Inadequate documentation and record-keeping in quality control and assurance pose significant risks. It hampers product tracking, impedes continuous improvement, and opens doors to compliance breaches and legal ramifications. Without clear records, proving quality performance becomes challenging, leaving organizations susceptible to regulatory fines and loss of credibility. Moreover, it makes holding individuals or processes accountable difficult, hindering effective issue resolution. To mitigate these risks, organizations must prioritize awareness, training, and robust documentation systems. Implementing clear procedures and secure data management ensures accountability and fosters continuous improvement.

Another most common mistakes are the interpretation some people know right interpretration of defects while others cant tell the diffrece in defects

In my experience, the right partner, whether, manufacturer, component supplier, or raw material provider - is integral to achieving a quality product. Therefore, building and maintaining those relationships, is critical to great understanding, communication, feedback, collaboration and ultimately the expected results.

In my 25+years as a quality control inspector,many as you know certain company are so cheap don’t want to spend on the right equipments or tools for inspector to checks the parts,without the proper tools that is the big mistake.also the blueprints .I had seen some of the blueprints out there is not legible,not enough details for inspectors to verify or check against the actual parts.

In my experience it is absolutely beneficial to have a key collaborator from QC that understands all upstream and downstream processes to some degree. It’s the same philosophy that the best managers are those that have worked up through the ranks. Effective communication and recognition of affected teams/parties comes from this exposure.

In my views, providing inaccurate product specifications is also one of the major leading contributions to the error. As when we deal with manufacturers, specificity is key. Example- "The way upwards ??" printed on a box for a fragile item to avoid any damage. By defining every detail in an official document, no excuses can be made when a shipment doesnot meet customers expectations or standards..!

The absence of root cause analysis and corrective actions is a significant quality control mistake in manufacturing. Root cause analysis is a systematic process of identifying the underlying causes of quality issues, defects, or problems, while corrective actions involve implementing measures to address these root causes and prevent recurrence.

In my experience the problem may not be the lack of root cause or corrective actions but rather the improper use of root cause analysis methods. Too often when an issue occurs a team will jump to conclusions and then fill in the gaps rather than properly working through a root cause analysis method. This may eliminate a symptom of the problem rather than the root cause which allows for reoccurrence. Ideally, when you find the root cause you can turn the issue on and off like a light switch.

The biggest shortcoming I meet in manufacturing is when people don't give enough time to root cause analysis. When a non-conformance is found, the appropriate time and resources must be utilised to find what exactly caused the problem to take effective action to prevent its re-occurrence. People tend to look more towards the short-term (let's solve it quickly) rather than the long-term (let's solve it properly) - costing more time and ultimately, money, in the future.

Es muy común que se hagan correctivos a corto plazo, porque resulta rápido, generalmente eso propicia la recurrencia de la no conformidad. Se hace necesario hacer un buen análisis de causa raíz, hacer una metódica implementación de la mejora, para que se consideren todos los factores de riesgo, para que haya efectividad en la acción. Los sistemas de gestión se desgastan mucho con las acciones correctivas que no se solucionan de manera adecuada.

Among my experience one of the main Achilles' heel of Quality and Engineering teams is the root cause indentification and analysis. Commongly problems are guessed or worse, driven by believes. Using from the Japanese school & tools to SixSigma DMAIC's approach, anything counts since clear problem definition and finding a root cause are backbone of Issue's resolution. Relies on 5W2H for problem's descrition, uses Ishikawa for Mapping potencial causes, determining statiscal relevance by Hipotesis tests of a root cause, validation through Red X (Turno on/Turn off the problem) the most time and efforts over root cause analisys, better best the chances to efectively solve the problem and most over, clearly define actions and it's effectiveness.

One of the most common QC mistakes is not having clear and measurable objectives for the quality of the products. Without defining what quality means and how to measure it, it is hard to set expectations, monitor performance, and identify problems. A good practice is to use SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) criteria to establish quality objectives and communicate them to all stakeholders.

I think improving your test plan can go a long way in maintaining quality, this can be done by re-evaluating your testing use cases to match the current usage of your customers. Executing multiple iterations using the same environment and plan would eventually saturate, so by introducing different environments and use cases would bring out the edges that would soon be upon you by a customer that uses your product in a different way than you normally test

I do believe that treating quality control as a static process rather than engaging in continuous improvement is also a key mistake. In todays, tech driven industry verticals -Without continuously improving QC processes, a company may fall behind industry standards, and quality may degrade over time..!! My experience in aerospace organizations, spanning more than a decade has led to my conviction that "Changes in the production process can introduce new risks, and without corresponding updates to QC procedures, these risks may not be adequately managed" .

“Nada é t?o bom que n?o possa ser melhorado”. Todo produto, servi?o, ou até mesmo etapa produtiva pode melhorar quando as pessoas se empenham para isso.

Très pertinent pour moi TQA Qualité pendant 10 ans à Choisy le roi usine transférée à Flins où je suis TQA depuis 2 ans supplémentaire.

A few common mistakes are: 1) No linkages of product and process characteristics with respect to PFD, PFMEA & Control plans. 2) No effective verification mechanism on Process controls like Insp, Measurement, Testing and Poka-yokes working. 3) Assuming received material is ok. 4) No specific identification on the material like OK/NG/Rework/Hold/Under deviation etc. 5) No specific identification on the Reworked or Reprocessed material. 6) No application of Control charts for the process improvements and reducing variation. 7) Maintain the inspection records in a siloed way. 8) No root cause analysis for internal concerns. 9) No past data usage for analysis & capability studies. 10) Not notifying the changes occurred in the shop floor etc.

Problem is that people didn’t get proper training so they keep following the same practice …for copy and paste and keep changing the company and copy to copy … this is my 18-20 years experience in audit ….

In summary, the article's focus on common quality control mistakes is valuable, but it's imperative to emphasize that quality management should be an integral part of the entire manufacturing process. By adopting a Quality by Design approach and fostering collaboration among various departments, manufacturers can ensure that quality is not merely controlled but managed effectively from concept to production. Furthermore, incorporating feedback loops and integrating quality into stage gate meetings can prevent potential misalignments between different functions within the organization. When all stakeholders work together to manage quality, the chances of delivering products that meet customer expectations is significantly improved.

I would add “No or inadequate training” after “Lack of Clear Objectives. Provide the training to learn and understand the required and expected product features, fits and functions. It is often a fallacy to think that product and manufacturing knowledge can be replaced with learning on the job, when an upfront knowledge of a product could give a trained personnel the upper hand in calling a right decision and realising a? discrepancy had happened. On job learning can come later, after the training. A well trained and knowledgeable staff is?in a better position to inspect, check, test, correctly record the expected outcomes, and participate in improvement initiatives.

Quality culture is critical and foundation for the above discussed factors. Most of the organisations do not focus the Culture aspects.