About Process and Product Quality

Our process and product quality approach support the delivery of high-quality products by providing project staff and managers at all levels with appropriate visibility into, and feedback on, processes and associated work products throughout the life of the project. Process and product quality involve:

  • Objectively evaluating processes and work products against applicable descriptions, standards and procedures
  • Identifying and documenting non-compliance issues
  • Providing feedback regarding the results of quality activities
  • Ensuring that non-compliance issues are correctly addressed

ECE Global ensures that planned processes are implemented and that specified requirements are satisfied. Process and product quality may occasionally address the same work product but from different perspectives. We design projects to take advantage of the overlap, minimizing duplication of effort while taking care to maintain separate perspectives.

Maintaining Objectivity Is Vital

Objectivity in process and product quality evaluations is critical to the success of the project. Objectivity is achieved by both independence and the use of relevant criteria. A combination of methods — providing evaluations against criteria — by those who do not produce or oversee the work product is often used. Less formal methods are used to provide broad day-to-day coverage. More formal methods are used periodically to assure objectivity.

Examples of methods for performing objective evaluations include:

  • Formal audits by distinct quality organizations
  • Peer reviews performed at various levels
  • In-depth review of work at the place it is performed
  • Distributed reviews and comments about work products
  • Built-in process checks that eliminate product defects by preventing, correcting or drawing attention to human errors as they occur

If quality is embedded in the process, several issues should be addressed to ensure objectivity. Everyone performing quality activities should be trained in quality. Those who perform quality activities for a work product should be separate from those who are directly involved in developing or maintaining the work product. An independent reporting channel to the appropriate level of management should be available so that non-compliance issues can be escalated as necessary.

Begin Quality Activities at Project Start

Quality should begin in the early phases of a project by establishing plans, processes, standards and procedures that will add value to the project and satisfy the requirements of the project and organizational policies. Those who will perform quality activities should participate in this early step.

Then, processes and associated work products to be evaluated during the project are designated. This designation may be based on sampling or on objective criteria that are consistent with organizational policies and project requirements.

The team determines how objective evaluations will be made, which processes and work products will be evaluated, and how the evaluation results will be integrated into the team’s rhythms. When non-compliance issues are identified, they are first addressed within the project, if possible. Non-compliance issues that cannot be cleared up as part of the project are escalated to an appropriate level of management for resolution.

How Do We Help?

ECE Global provides comprehensive process and product quality services to companies seeking to validate processes and quality while:

  • Optimizing their processes
  • Eliminating administrative tasks
  • Implementing direct reporting
  • Improving quality
  • Reducing delivery times

Why Should You Work with ECE Global?

Only an open and transparent relationship supports the desired outcome. At the beginning of a project, ECE Global initiates conversations with our clients that include discussions of assignment objectives, deliverables (Statement of Work) and the required support. During these conversations, we determine if the parties are ready to include an independent party, and if so, we’re ready to proceed!

ECE Global has the requisite industry experience and know-how to effectively perform process and product quality services. Related activities — from operations planning, scheduling and raw material handling to processing, welding, inspection and more — have been part of our DNA from our founding.