A product development project’s success relies heavily on setting expectations and meeting and exceeding those expectations. Applying Quality Assurance principles to your product development process establishes streamlined procedures that maximize efficiency, safety, and a satisfactory result.
Understanding Quality Methodology
At its core, Quality Assurance consists of inputs, checks, and outputs.
Input is any material, design, or data source for the quality system to evaluate. Inputs undergo checks for compliance with standards, expectations, tolerances, or any other criteria. Depending on the quality process, the resulting output might be altered material, corrected design, or decision.
Inputs and outputs are not necessarily physical elements; they can be ideas, designs, figures, or other measurable data. The broad scope of the QA system makes application into any process straightforward.
Inputs for Product Development
You should evaluate various inputs during the product development phase. The exact type, number, and scope of this list depending on your product and specifications. Some standard inputs are customer requirements, regulatory specifications, and budget ceiling.
Requirements Traceability Matrix
Occasionally, customer requirements may be challenging to evaluate. At that point, you can use a tool called Requirements Traceability Matrix.
RTM is a matrix for translating customer-centric data into measurable inputs for testing purposes. Adopting the RTM is an essential tool for ensuring customer satisfaction in sophisticated product development processes.
Continual Inspection
During development, regular reviews should occur for each input. These reviews ensure that the process continues to meet developmental standards set during planning.
Mid-process reviews should also occur during the development cycle. The project leaders and Quality Manager typically conduct the inspection. The reviews evaluate the project’s progress and identify any potential issues, and implement corrective action.
Outputs for Product Development
As with the Inputs and Checks, the Outputs for your product development will depend on your product development phase. In the beginning phases, your output may be documentation or technical specifications. In the final phases of development, your output may be a prototype or a finished product.
Upon completion of the output, it is best practice to conduct a final evaluation of your production to verify accuracy and expectations. Life-cycle and reliability testing usually happens at this phase of development.
Your Quality Partner
At Up-Rev, we understand the importance of quality at every step of development. Technology is rapidly progressing, and keeping up with quality standards can be challenging. Contact us today, and let our quality processes help bring your product to life!
