Let's face it – Quality control in product development can be a real pain.
You're juggling a million things, trying to bring your product to market, and then once clients start to get your products, suddenly you're drowning in QC issues you never saw coming.
Sound familiar?
Quality control issues are brutal. Not only does it cost money to correct your wrongs with your customers with replacements and refunds, but it erodes trust, can hurt your brand, and causes all sorts of customer service issues.
Couple that with the fact that finding the source of QC issues can be a game of whack-a-mole in its truest sense if you don’t have a solid process in place to manage things.
But here's the thing: nailing your quality control process isn't just about avoiding headaches (though that's a nice bonus). It's about building products that kick ass, keeping your customers happy, and ultimately, driving your business forward.
In this comprehensive guide, we're going to walk you through everything you need to know about quality control in product development.
We'll cover:
So buckle up. By the time you're done reading this, you'll have the knowledge and tools to transform your QC process from a constant headache into a well-oiled machine. Let's dive in.
Let's start by clarifying some key terms related to quality control and what that means in product development. At the top, you have a Quality Management System or QMS. This defines how your company manages quality across all functions and processes. It includes your company’s policies, procedures, and guidelines for producing great products.
Quality management is about more than identifying defects at the end of the production line - it's a comprehensive approach to ensuring all of your company’s products meet or exceed expectations at every stage of development.
A Quality Management System (QMS) has two main parts:
It is especially important for growing companies to focus on these areas as they get more established:
To fully grasp quality control, it's important to understand its relationship with quality assurance (QA). These terms are often used interchangeably, but they represent distinct, complementary processes:
Quality Assurance (QA): This is the strategic, systematic approach to preventing quality issues. QA involves setting up systems, processes, and standards to ensure quality is built into your product from the beginning. It's about creating an environment where quality can thrive.
Quality Control (QC): This is the tactical, hands-on process of inspecting, testing, and verifying that your product meets the standards established by your QA processes. QC is about identifying and addressing any deviations from these standards.
Both QA and QC are crucial for successful product development. A robust QA system provides the framework for consistent quality, while effective QC ensures that this framework is properly implemented and maintained throughout the production process.
Quality Assurance (QA) aims to achieve several key objectives:
Quality assurance is an ongoing process that evolves with your product. It's not a one-time task, but a continuous commitment to excellence. It involves documentation, governance, consistency, and accountability in order for it to be effective in preventing problems before they get out of hand.
In the next section, we'll explore how to start implementing quality assurance from the earliest stages of product development - the prototyping phase. By considering quality from the outset, you can save time, resources, and potential headaches down the line.
If you’ve only recently discovered quality issues as a result of customer complaints or anytime after you’ve already started production runs of your products, I have some bad news.
You’ve waited too late to try to get a handle on quality issues, and you’re going to have your hands full trying to build this plane why you fly. Finding where the problem lies at this stage might seem like you’re chasing ghosts since your manufacturers aren’t being held accountable and nothing is documented. It’s time we change that going forward.
If you’re still in the process of developing your product, you’ll want to start building your quality assurance plan once you start prototyping, and no later.
At Product EVO, we've learned through experience that the prototyping phase is the easiest time for scrappy, entrepreneurial companies to start laying the groundwork for your quality control strategy. During this crucial stage, we begin developing two key documents: the Process Audit and the Quality Control Checklist. The Process Audit helps us understand and document every step of how your product will be manufactured, while the Quality Control Checklist outlines the specific quality standards and testing procedures for your product.
It makes sense, right?
When you’re prototyping, you’re making key decisions about how the product will be made, how it will function, how it will perform, and more. This is the perfect time to start documenting the key information that you need to build a proper QA and QC strategy.
These documents aren't set in stone at this point – they're living, breathing entities that will evolve as we learn more about your product and its manufacturing process. But by starting them now, we ensure that quality considerations are baked into every decision we make moving forward. We've found that this proactive approach pays dividends in the long run, helping to prevent costly mistakes and ensuring a smoother transition to full-scale production.
If you need to convince your product development team to take this approach, here are some benefits that you can convey:
A crucial part of starting QC in the prototyping phase is establishing initial quality standards. These standards serve as a baseline for what constitutes acceptable quality in your product.
Here's how we approach developing these initial standards at Product EVO:
Think of these initial quality standards as your product's DNA. We're not just slapping together a prototype and calling it a day. We're creating the genetic code that'll determine whether your product turns out to be a champion or a dud.
As we inch closer to production, these standards will evolve. But having them in place early gives us a solid starting point. It means we're not just guessing about design tweaks or choosing manufacturing processes. We've got actual data to back up our decisions.
And here's the kicker - these standards aren't about ticking boxes on a QC sheet. They're about nailing down what's going to make your customers choose your product over the competition. It's about turning "Yeah, it's okay" into "Wow, I need this!" So while it might seem like extra work now, trust us - it's a whole lot easier (and cheaper) than trying to fix quality issues when you're knee-deep in production.
Alright, so you're sold on the idea of starting QC early. Great! But how do you do it? There are a lot of considerations at this stage and it can be hard to envision how all of this comes together at this stage.
At Product EVO, we've developed a process that turns this concept into reality. It's not always pretty, and it's not always easy, but it works. And trust us, the headaches you'll avoid down the line make it all worthwhile. Follow these exact steps, and you’ll have a solid foundation going into the next crucial steps of your product’s development:
Remember, the goal of QC during prototyping isn't perfection – it's improvement and risk reduction. Each iteration of your prototype should bring you closer to a product that not only meets your vision but is also manufacturable at scale and up to your quality standards.
In the next section, we'll dive into creating a comprehensive QC checklist that will evolve with your product from prototype to production. This living document will become your roadmap to ensuring consistent quality throughout your product's journey.
So you’ve finished your prototype, and now you’re ready to start manufacturing. If you aren’t manufacturing your product at the same place that you had your prototype built, you’ll need to pay special attention to this information. Your factory isn't just a giant machine that spits out products. It's a key player in your quality assurance game. And if you're not on the same page with them, you're setting yourself up for a world of hurt. So, let's break down what this partnership should look like.
First things first: your factory should be more than just a yes-man. You want a partner who's going to push back when your designs are off, suggest improvements, and generally act like they have a stake in your product's success. Because guess what? They do.
Here's what you should be looking for:
So it's on you to set the standard and keep them accountable.
Let's talk about why a Process Audit is so crucial, and I'll give you a real-world example that'll drive this home.
We were producing a sleek, anodized aluminum product, and our client was receiving parts back from the factory, and they were consistently showing up with small nicks and scratches. Frustrating, right? If this were your situation, you might be tempted to just tell the factory to "be more careful," but that's not going to solve the root problem.
Here's where the Process Audit became our secret weapon. A common practice with aluminum manufacturing is that most machining factories don't do anodizing on-site. Instead, they machine the product at their facility, ship it off-site for anodizing, and then have it shipped back. We discovered that this was the case for the product that we were manufacturing.
By walking through the entire process, step by step, we uncovered the real culprit: careless packing by the anodizing factory. After the parts were anodized, they were placed in bulk boxes, with just a thin layer of foam between them, to be shipped back to the assembly factory.
As the parts were being jostled around on bumpy roads in the back of trucks, they were getting subtle nicks and scratches.
Once we identified the real problem, the solution was surprisingly simple. We just needed to add thicker foam between the layers of the parts and reduce the box size. This small change solved a quality control problem that could have had us chasing ghosts for months if we hadn't seen the process in action.
This example perfectly illustrates why on-site inspections and thorough process audits are crucial. Sometimes, the source of quality issues isn't some complex manufacturing flaw, but a simple, overlooked detail in how products are handled. Often, these issues can be solved quickly and inexpensively once identified.
This is the power of a Process Audit. It doesn't just show you what's happening; it reveals why it's happening. And often, that 'why' is something you'd never guess without seeing the entire process firsthand.
The Process Audit helps you:
When it's time for a process audit, buckle up - you're in for an eye-opening experience. This isn't just a quick factory tour; it's an in-depth exploration of every nook and cranny of your product's journey. You're about to get a crash course in how your product comes to life, and trust us, there's a lot more to it than you might think.
Pro-tip: If you’re inexperienced at manufacturing, it might be overwhelming at first to try to understand the audit. YouTube research can help you get a general understanding of how basic processes happen on a more rudimentary level which will make the different aspects of your product development easier to understand.
Here's what you need to do:
While this may seem like a lot of steps, knowing how your product is made is infinitely valuable and will save you a lot of headaches. There’s more benefit to knowing and documenting this process than just for QA. Having this knowledge arms you with vital information that will help inform future decision making, communication with the factory, and provides vital context.
Here's the deal: just because your factory has its own QA process doesn't mean you can wash your hands of quality control. Your role is crucial, and it's all about partnership.
Think of it this way: your factory's idea of "good enough" might not match yours. Your job is to clearly communicate what quality looks like for your product and ensure everyone's on the same page. This isn't just about catching defects at the end of the line; it's about preventing issues before they happen.
And yeah, this means you'll need to get your hands dirty. Regular check-ins, clear quality guidelines, and the occasional on-site visit are all part of the game. It might seem like extra work now, but trust us, it's a lot easier than dealing with a shipment of sub-par products later that your clients hate.
On-site inspections are a crucial part of your Quality Assurance strategy. While they do require time and resources, they're invaluable for ensuring your product meets your standards.
While virtual communication is useful, nothing replaces being there in person. It gives you insights into the manufacturing process that you simply can't get any other way.
These inspections serve several important purposes:
If you’re manufacturing your products overseas, on-site visits can become a challenge, but there are ways to keep your factory accountable with a physical presence even if someone from your company isn’t able to keep a close watch over operations. There are production management companies like Product EVO and 3rd party Companies that you can hire to help perform these crucial visits. They will provide detailed reports, verify the process is being followed, and provide recommendations.
Can your products consistently meet or exceed performance expectations? From the first unit off the line to the 10,000th, does your product deliver on its promises? For many industries, it's not just about customer satisfaction—it's about meeting regulatory standards, ensuring safety, and backing up marketing claims.
Rigorous testing protocols are essential to verify that your product performs as intended, complies with relevant regulations, and maintains consistency across production runs. This isn't just about quality—it's about protecting your brand, avoiding costly recalls, and building customer trust.
Let's walk through the process, using a backpack production run as our example.
Before you start testing, you need to know how many products to examine. This is where the Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) sampling plan comes in.
The AQL is an industry-standard method that tells you:
Here's a step-by-step guide to creating your sampling plan:
Now that we've established how many units to test, the next crucial step is determining what types of tests to perform. Your testing protocol should cover a range of aspects, from functionality to durability, and may include both non-destructive tests for the larger sample and more rigorous, potentially destructive tests for the smaller sample.
Let's dive into the various types of quality control tests you might need to consider.
After determining your sample sizes using the AQL method, you'll need to conduct two types of inspections: General Inspection on the larger sample and Special Tests on the smaller sample. Here's how different types of tests typically fall into these categories:
General Inspection Testing
(Typically non-destructive, performed on the larger sample, e.g., 125 units)
(Often destructive, performed on the smaller sample, e.g., 8 units)
The 8 special test units are typically subjected to more rigorous, often destructive testing. Because of the nature of these tests and their smaller sample size, they're usually handled differently from the general inspection units. Here's how it typically works:
It's important to note that while general inspection allows for some minor defects, special tests often don't have this flexibility due to their focus on critical performance and safety aspects.
Now, let’s pull all of these aspects of quality control together and put together a comprehensive QC Checklist.
A well-crafted Quality Control checklist is your roadmap to consistent product quality. It ensures that nothing falls through the cracks during inspections and testing. Here's how to develop a comprehensive QC checklist:
A comprehensive QC checklist is more than just a list of things to check. It's a powerful tool that, when properly crafted and consistently used, can significantly improve your product quality and reduce costly defects. Take the time to develop it thoroughly, and don't hesitate to seek input from your team, including those on the production floor who interact with the product daily.
Testing isn't a one-and-done process. It needs to happen at multiple stages of product development and production to ensure consistent quality. Here's a breakdown of when and how to conduct your testing:
Effective documentation and reporting are your best friends. They're not just bureaucratic necessities; they're powerful tools that can drive improvement and accountability. When creating QC reports, think of yourself as a storyteller. Your report should paint a clear picture of what happened during the inspection, warts and all. Don't just list defects; describe them in vivid detail. Include photos wherever possible - a picture really is worth a thousand words when it comes to quality issues.
But great documentation isn't just about recording problems. It's about providing context and insights. Make sure to note environmental conditions, sample sizes, and any unusual circumstances. These details might seem trivial now, but they could be crucial in identifying patterns down the line.
Speaking of patterns, that's where the real power of good reporting comes in. Over time, your reports will become a treasure trove of data. Don't let this information gather dust in a filing cabinet. Instead, put it to work. Look for trends in defects over time. Are certain issues more common in summer? Do defects spike when you switch suppliers? These insights can help you predict and prevent future problems, turning your QC process from reactive to proactive.
When quality issues rear their ugly heads - and trust me, they will - it's tempting to slap a band-aid on the problem and call it a day. But that's a recipe for recurring headaches. Instead, channel your inner detective. Your mission? To uncover the root cause of the issue.
One powerful technique is the '5 Whys' method. It's deceptively simple: you just keep asking "why" until you get to the heart of the problem. For instance, if a backpack strap breaks, don't stop at "the stitching came undone." Keep digging. Why did the stitching fail? Why was the wrong thread used? Why wasn't the correct thread specified? Often, you'll find that what seemed like a production issue stems from a flaw in your processes or communication.
Once you've identified the root cause, it's time for action. Develop a clear, specific plan to address the issue. But here's the kicker: your plan should not just fix the immediate problem, but also prevent it from happening again. Maybe that means updating your specifications, retraining staff, or tweaking your QC checklist.
For years, we’ve produced an airtight reservoir for a large commercial piece of equipment without issue. However, subtle changes in the machinery caused a problem that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The seal between the reservoir and the machine developed a small air leak that was causing issues. Rather than just demanding stricter QC requirements, we followed the ‘5 Whys’ and uncovered deeper issues.
We found that changes had been made to the machine that we were not alerted to. But we also found the factory had shortened the cycle time for molding the reservoirs to inch up their profit. These small changes were causing a subtle deformation at the opening. In total, there were about 1000 bad reservoirs shipped over 4 months. These reservoirs are sold as refills for $150 ea, so the company lost around $150k in 4 months in addition to the costs of customer service and brand reputation from the products leaking.
We also had to air ship the replacement reservoirs on 3 different occasions for a cost of $10k per shipment. A simple change in specs from the customer and a tiny change in cycle time from the factory cost at least $180k in 4 months.
Ultimately, we had to find a new factory that could meet the new QC requirements. We had to pivot production to a more capable factory that was able to meet the higher requirements and build new molds that could produce the parts at the spec we needed. While we were unable to avoid the losses when the initial changes were made, we were able to ensure it wouldn’t happen again because we followed the 5 Whys.
We like to treat each quality issue as an opportunity to improve. Embrace quality issues, learn from them, and use these challenges to make your product and processes better.
Quality control isn't just a final checkpoint in your product development process—it's a crucial element that should inform every stage of product development, from initial concept to final production. Knowing what success is for the end product informs every quality assurance activity so we can ensure that happens.
As we've explored throughout this guide, implementing a robust QA process can seem daunting, but the long-term benefits far outweigh the initial challenges.
But perhaps most importantly, we've learned that Quality Assurance isn't a one-time event. It's an ongoing process that requires vigilance, adaptability, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Each production run is an opportunity to learn, to refine your processes, and to make your product even better.
Implementing these QA practices might require some upfront investment in time and resources. But consider the alternative: the cost of recalls, the damage to brand reputation, and the loss of customer trust that comes with poor quality products. In this light, a robust QA process isn't just a nice-to-have—it's a necessity for any business serious about long-term success.
So as you move forward in your product development journey, keep quality at the forefront of your mind. Use the tools and techniques we've discussed, stay informed about industry standards, and always be open to improving your processes. Your commitment to quality won't just result in better products—it’ll allow you to innovate and iterate instead of putting out fires with products that just don’t seem to meet the minimum requirements that your customers expect.