A Quality Information System (QIS) is an integrated set of activities that provides timely, accurate, relevant, comprehensive, and reliable information about the quality of products or services produced by organizations. A QIS can provide decision support tools to help managers make informed decisions about their operations. It also helps them identify areas where they need improvement in order to meet customer expectations and improve overall performance.
The Quality Information System consists of all those actions taken to collect, analyze, interpret, and use quality-related information to manage processes and systems so that they produce consistently high-quality products or services. The term "information" refers to any type of knowledge that has been acquired through experience or observation. This includes both quantitative and qualitative aspects of product or service characteristics. In addition to collecting and analyzing this information, it should be used to develop strategies to improve the quality of the process itself.
Information System for Design Quality
A design quality information system is an integrated set of actions that collects, analyzes, interprets, and uses design-related information to manage the design process to produce consistently high-quality products.
It may include:
- Data collection - gathering information (design inputs) from various sources
- Analysis - interpreting the data to determine its significance
- Interpretation - determining ways to apply the results to current and future designs
- Application - applying the results to current and new designs
- Communication - presenting the results to others involved in the design process
A Design QIS must be flexible enough to accommodate changing requirements.
CQE Exam Preparation Course
◉ $185 course on sale today!
◉ Based on the Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) BoK
◉ 36+ hours of videos, slides, and quizzes
Information System for Manufacturing
A manufacturing quality information system is an integral part of the production process. It collects, analyzes, and interprets data related to the production process so that the operation can be improved.
This information could be collected and analyzed at different levels within the organization. For example, it might be gathered by plant supervisors, engineers, and line workers. It could then be interpreted by line supervisors, engineering staff, and management. Finally, it could be applied by line supervisors, engineers, and management.
In general, the following are some of the functions of a manufacturing quality information system:
- Collecting and analyzing data on product defects, equipment failures, and other problems encountered during production
- Interpreting these data to determine how to prevent similar issues from occurring again
- Providing feedback to operators and maintenance personnel regarding the causes of the problem and what steps can be taken to avoid recurrence
- Communicating with customers and suppliers regarding the status of the operation
- Using the information to plan improvements in the process
- Developing reports that summarize the data and present it in a form that will allow people to understand it
- Evaluating the effectiveness of the system
Integrating the QIS into the overall Quality Management System
The QIS should be designed so that it can easily integrate with other systems, such as the production information systems. In addition, it is recommended that a QIS integrates with existing data repositories to allow for seamless integration of data. Finally, the QIS should have an easy-to-use interface and a clear view onto all relevant data.
This requires a multidisciplinary approach. The information system developers and disciplines generating and using the data must work together to create the necessary infrastructure.