Quality is an outcome  a characteristic of a product or service provided to a customer, and the hallmark of an organization which has satisfied all of its stakeholders.

To understand quality is one thing, but achieving quality control is quite another. There is no doubt that quality must always be the top priority and seamlessly incorporated into every design, change, production and quality control process. The challenge is that the Quality Control is not a linear process, but an exponential one. For instance, in 2010, Toyota's quality failures impacted their reputation as a Quality Leader in the industry because of removable floor mats that caused the accelerator to stick and led to 52 deaths and a recall of  9 million cars in the US.

For a proven TQM method of enhancing quality control and meeting these various objectives in the organization, follow these 5 key tips:

Managing Proper Processes

Quality control starts with processes. Without great processes, it's impossible to have good quality control. The reason is simple: quality control is formulaic. Ensure that the right processes are in place, so employees have no doubts about how to do their job.

Ensure Managers are Properly Trained

Ensure that managers have sufficient delegation, communication and leadership skills to build and implement these processes. The best starting point here is to make sure you have proper systems for management training and to verify that all managers are on the same page, with their focus and attention on quality control.

Hold Unscheduled Equipment Use Tests

An unscheduled equipment use test is like a pop quiz for safety. During an unscheduled equipment use test, select a group of employees at random and ask them about the utilization of all relevant machines.

Quality control begins with quality vendors

Choosing vendors that have quality control processes in place and have the right capabilities and qualification will help ensure that they consistently deliver high-quality products.

Continuous attention to standards and guidelines are important

If results are communicated in real-time, this will allow adjustments to be made quickly, before errors turn into waste, low quality products, missed deadlines, and customer dissatisfaction.