【Quality Edition—Weekly Basics Post】【Quality Terminology】

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These are some general quality-related terms that I have collected over time; I think they are useful. I’m not sure if anyone might need them, so I’m sharing them here for everyone’s benefit. If there are any gaps, feel free to leave a comment :) I. Terms related to quality personnel:
QC – Quality Control; Personnel in charge of quality control.
FQC – Final Quality Control; Personnel responsible for final quality checks.
IPQC – In-Process Quality Control; Personnel who oversee quality during production.
OQC – Output Quality Control; Personnel responsible for checking quality before products are shipped.
IQC – Incoming Quality Control; Personnel who inspect incoming materials.
TQC – Total Quality Control; Comprehensive quality management approach.
POC – Passage Quality Control; Personnel responsible for intermediate quality checks.
QA – Quality Assurance; Personnel responsible for ensuring quality standards are met.
OQA – Output Quality Assurance; Personnel responsible for ensuring quality at the time of shipment.
QE – Quality Engineering; Personnel involved in quality engineering activities.

II. Terms related to quality assurance:
FAI – First Article Inspection; Inspection of the first unit of a new product.
FAA – First Article Assurance; Confirmation of the quality of the first unit.
TVR – Tool Verification Report; Report confirming the suitability of manufacturing tools.
3B – Verification steps before a mold is put into use.
CP – Capability Index; Parameter indicating a process’s ability to meet quality standards.
CPK – Capability Index of Process; Parameter measuring a process’s ability to produce consistent results.
SSQA – Standardized Supplier Quality; Evaluation of the quality of suppliers’ products.
OOBA – Out-of-Box Audit; Inspection of products upon delivery.
QFD – Quality Function Deployment; Method for analyzing quality functions.
FMEA – Failure Mode Effectiveness Analysis; Analysis of potential failure modes.
8 Disciplines – Eight areas that need to be addressed in quality improvement.
FA – Final Audit; Final inspection of a process or product.
CAR – Corrective Action Request; Request to take corrective actions.
Corrective Action Report – Report detailing the actions taken to correct issues.

III. Terms related to FQC operations:
AQL – Acceptable Quality Level; The level of quality that is considered acceptable.
S/S – Sample Size; The number of samples to be inspected.
ACC – Accept; Product deemed acceptable.
REE – Reject; Product rejected due to not meeting quality standards.
CR – Critical; Situation requiring immediate attention.
MAJ – Major; Issue that needs to be addressed promptly.
MIN – Minor; Issue that can be dealt with later.
AOQ – Average Output Quality; Average quality of products manufactured.
AOQL – Average Output Quality Level; Average quality standard for products.
Q/R/S – Quality/Reliability/Service; Aspects related to quality, reliability, and service.
MIL-STD – Military-Standard; Standards used in military applications.
S I-S IV – Special Sampling Levels; Different levels of sampling for quality checks.
P/N – Part Number; Identifier for a specific part.
L/N – Lot Number; Identifier for a batch of products.
AOD – Accept On Deviation; Accepting products that deviate slightly from standards.
UAI – Use As It Is; Accepting products as they are without further inspection.
FPIR – First Piece Inspection Report; Report detailing the inspection of the first unit of a product.
PPM – Percent Per Million; Ratio of defective parts per million.

IV. Terms related to statistical process control:
SPC – Statistical Process Control; Method for monitoring and controlling processes statistically.
SQC – Statistical Quality Control; Use of statistics to ensure quality.
R – Range; Total range of values in a dataset.
AR – Average Range; Average of the range values.
UCL – Upper Central Limit; Upper limit within which values are considered acceptable.
LCL – Lower Central Limit; Lower limit within which values are considered acceptable.
MAX – Maximum; Highest value in a dataset.
MIN – Minimum; Lowest value in a dataset.
GRR – Gauge Reproducibility & Repeatability; Measurement of how consistent measurements are.
DIM – Dimension; Size of an object.
DIA – Diameter; Circular dimension of an object.
FREQ – Frequency; How often something occurs.
N – Number; Total number of samples analyzed.

V. Other quality-related terms:
QCC – Quality Control Circle; Group focused on improving quality.
QIT – Quality Improvement Team; Team dedicated to enhancing quality.
PDCA – Plan-Do-Check-Act; Cycle for improving processes.
ZD – Zero Defect; Goal of having no defects in products.
QI – Quality Improvement; Activities aimed at improving quality.
QP – Quality Policy; Guidelines for maintaining quality.
TQM – Total Quality Management; Comprehensive approach to quality management.
MRB – Material Reject Bill; Document listing rejected materials.
LQL – Limiting Quality Level; Minimum quality standard required.
RMA – Return Material Audit; Process for returning defective products.
QAN – Quality Amelioration Notice; Notification regarding quality improvement efforts.
ADM – Absolute Dimension Measurement; Precise measurement of dimensions.
QT – Quality Target; Desired quality level for products.
7QCTools – Seven tools for quality control.

VI. Terms used in QS-9000:
APQP – Advanced Product Quality Planning and Control Plan; Plan for planning and controlling product quality in advance.
PPAP – Production Part Approval Process; Process for approving manufactured parts.
FMEA – Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis; Analysis of potential failure points and their consequences.
MSA – Measure System Analysis; Analysis of measurement systems.
SPC – Statistical Process Control; Statistical methods for process control.
Audit – Inspection to evaluate quality standards.
Capability – Ability to meet quality requirements.
Capability Indices – Various indices measuring capability.
Control Plans – Plans for ensuring quality control.
Corrective Action – Actions taken to address quality issues.
Documentation – Written instructions and records.
Job Instruction/Work Instruction – Guidelines for performing tasks.
Nonconformance – Products that do not meet quality standards.
Defective Parts Per Million (DPPM) – Number of defective parts per million of products.
Preventive Action – Measures taken to prevent quality issues.
Procedures – Step-by-step instructions for tasks.
Process Flow Diagram/Process Flow Chart – Diagrams showing the flow of a process.
Quality Manual – Document outlining quality policies.
Quality Plan – Plan for ensuring quality.
Quality Planning – Activities related to planning quality.
Quality Records – Records of quality-related activities.
Raw Data – Original data collected during testing.
Reaction Plan – Plan for addressing issues that arise.
Repair – Process of fixing defective products. Rework; Site; Subcontractors; Product; Quality; Quality requirement; Customer satisfaction; Quality management system; Quality policy; Quality objective; Quality management; Quality control; Quality assurance; Organization; Customer; Supplier; Process; Service; Design and development: Characteristic; Traceability; Conformity; Defect; Correction; Concession; Release; Scrap; Specification; Inspection; Test; Verification; Review; Measurement; Attribute data; Common Cause; Individual; Mean; Random Sampling; Range; Special Cause; Stability; Subgroup; Variable data; Variation; Inherent Variation; Total Variation; Bias; Repeatability; Reproducibility; Stability; Linearity; Resolution; Process change; Quality Function Deployment; Special Process Characteristic; Special Product Characteristic; Appearance Item; Preliminary Process Capability; Bill of Material; Design Validation; Design Verification; Voice of the Customer; Voice of the Process.

VII. Common abbreviations: ES – Engineering Specification; KCC – Key Control Characteristic (GM); KPC – Key Product Characteristic (GM); OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer; SC – Significant (Special) Characteristic; ANOVA – Analysis of Variance; CFT – Cross-function Team; DFMEA – Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis; DOE – Design of Experiment; DVP&R – Design Verification Plan and Report; FTC – First Time Capability; GR&R – Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility; PFMEA – Process Failure Mode and Effect Analysis; SFMEA – System Failure Mode and Effect Analysis; QSR – Quality System Requirement; QFD – Quality Function Deployment; TGR – Things Gone Right; TGW – Things Gone Wrong; VE/VA – Value Engineering/Value Analysis; BOM – Bill of Material; Cpk – Capability for stable process; LCL – Lower Control Limit; UCL – Upper Control Limit; LSL – Lower Specification Limit; USL – Upper Specification Limit; Ppk – Performance index; MRB – Material Review Board; PSW – Part Submission Warrant; X(—)--R Chart – Average-Range Chart; SRPC – Supplier Request for Product Change; SREA – Supplier Request for Engineering Approval; IAA – Interim Approval Authorization; AAR – Appearance Approval Report; PTR – Production Trial Run (Report); DCP – Dimension Control Plan (Dynamic Control Plan); POKA-YOKE – Mistake Proofing