Quality Failures due to lack of compliance in quality assurance, control and management
Quality assurance, control and management are key pillars of business stability and success.
Failure to adhere to these principles can lead to cataclysmic and indeed tragic consequences, as these five
events reveal. A very catastrophic example is the challenger space shuttle explosion
1986 Challenger Space Shuttle explosion
On January 28, 1986, the NASA Shuttle Challenger exploded minutes after take-off, resulting in the tragic
death of all seven astronauts on board.
Cause
• Hardware failure of a solid rocket booster (SRB) ‘O’ ring
• Supply of the ‘O’ rings with potentially adverse effects of cold temperature on the ‘O’ rings
performance a day before launch.
• Database behind the ‘O’ rings quality testing programme could be corrupted, and recommended
waiting till outside air temperatures reached 53F before proceeding with launch.
Quality Failures due to lack of compliance in quality assurance, control and management
3 TYPES OF QUALITY DEFECTS FOR DEFECT CLASSIFICATION
Quality control professionals typically classify quality defects into three main categories :
Minor,
Major
Critical.
The nature and severity of a defect determines in which of the three categories it belongs.
Importers have the power to specify how many of each type of defect they’re willing to accept in their
finished goods. This tolerance, in turn, impacts how many units per SKU an inspector would check during
inspection—the sample size.
Quality Failures due to lack of compliance in quality assurance, control and management
Minor defects
Minor defects are usually small, insignificant issues that don’t affect the function or form of the item.
Major defects
Major defects are more serious than minor defects. A product with a major defect departs significantly
from the buyer’s product specifications. Major defects are those which could adversely affect the
function, performance or appearance of a product.
Critical defects
Critical defects are the most serious of the three defect types. Critical defects render an item completely
unusable and/or could cause harm to the user or someone in the vicinity of the product
Quality Failures due to lack of compliance in quality assurance, control and management
Some common defects in industrial products include:
Minor defect:
Surface imperfections – a surface imperfection like a welding protrusion on a steel pipe typically won’t
affect the use or functionality of an industrial product. But consider both the type of imperfection and the
product’s intended use before classifying such a defect as minor.
Various quality defects on pipes
Major defect: Non-critical dimensions out of tolerance
Minor deviances in dimensions are undesirable in finished goods but often won’t impact the overall
function of an industrial product. You might consider dimensional deviations more serious if they affect
product function, performance or subsequent production processes.
Critical defect: Rust
Corrosion before shipping can be a sign of accelerated degradation and product failure. Rust should be a serious
concern for you if you’re importing gas or water pipes, for example.
Quality Failures due to lack of compliance in quality assurance, control and management
Major defect: Non-critical dimensions out of tolerance
Minor deviances in dimensions are undesirable in finished goods but often won’t impact the overall
function of an industrial product. You might consider dimensional deviations more serious if they
affect product function, performance or subsequent production processes.
Critical defect: Rust
Corrosion before shipping can be a sign of accelerated degradation and product failure. Rust should be a
serious concern for you if you’re importing gas or water pipes, for example.