Quality Assurance Function

Most of the companies these days have a Quality Assurance function. The Quality Assurance or QA function is supposed to be the flag bearer of quality management and process improvement. The QA function is also supposed to be "responsible" for achieving and maintaining quality certifications.

The idea of a separate, independently staffed and centralized group for managing quality and improvement initiatives has a very strong business case and is here to stay. The reasons:

• QA function requires professionals with specialized skills
• Quality and business excellence must be driven with dedicated focus and can't be made everyone's responsibility
• The increasing complexity and rapid pace of changes make it important for business enterprises to be outward-looking and constantly evaluate, learn and adopt "best practices" - the QA group is ideally suited to perform this crucial role effectively.

However, as a general cannot win the war alone and needs full commitment, support and involvement of his soldiers, in the same way QA function alone cannot inject "best practices" in an organization on its own.

Quality and business excellence can be driven by the QA function but needs the following enablers and change effectors:

• Visible sponsorship and support by executive management
• Positive and measured enthusiasm of the middle and line managers
• Usage and application by all employees