Quality Assurance Systems Report: Implementation and Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive overview of quality assurance systems, exploring fundamental concepts such as degree of excellence, conformance to requirements, and meeting customer needs. It delves into the principles of quality management systems, including systematic approaches, documentation, innovation, and evaluation. The report examines various compliance models, including quality assurance models, continuous improvement, quality control, ISO 9000 series, and total quality management. Using ConocoPhillips as a case study, the report illustrates how these concepts and models are applied in practice. The analysis highlights the importance of quality assurance in achieving operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and competitive advantage. The report also discusses the benefits and limitations of each model, providing valuable insights for organizations aiming to implement effective quality systems.

RUNNING HEAD: QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEMS 0
Quality Assurance Systems
Student’s Details-
9/3/2019

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Executive Summary
Quality assurance and achieving quality excellence is a major part of the business as it
provides possible an organization can achieve efficiency in their operations and also helps in
achieving higher level of customer satisfaction. The main aim of the report is to discuss the
concepts, models and principles of quality assurance systems in order to have an understanding
of the ways an organization can implement quality systems within the organization. For doing
research, academic books, journal articles and website sources are used for getting an
understanding of the outcomes. Thus, the results of the report can be helpful for the
understanding of the total quality management systems that promotes the accuracy and quality of
overall management and operations of the company.

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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Basic Concepts.................................................................................................................................3
Degree of Excellence...................................................................................................................3
Conformation to Requirements to Fitness for Purpose................................................................3
Meeting Customer Needs.............................................................................................................4
Principles that relate to Quality Management Systems...................................................................4
Systematic Approach...................................................................................................................4
Documentation of Procedures......................................................................................................4
Documentation of Standards and Specifications.........................................................................5
Innovation....................................................................................................................................5
Review and Audit.........................................................................................................................5
Measurement................................................................................................................................5
Evaluation....................................................................................................................................6
Compliance Models or Systems......................................................................................................6
Quality Assurance Model.............................................................................................................6
Continuous Improvement.............................................................................................................7
Quality Control............................................................................................................................7
ISO 9000 Series...........................................................................................................................8
Total Quality Management..........................................................................................................9
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
Quality assurance is the process of maintaining or ensuring the quality of products that is
to be delivered to the customers. It is the creative way to minimize the mistakes and preventing
the products from the defects in order to serve quality products to the customers (Mittag, 2018).
There are various quality assurance software systems that monitor the quality of the products as
it the essential requirement for the companies which helps in gaining competitive advantage
(Elassy, 2015). The report is made an analysis of quality assurance system by the explanation of
basic concepts, principles and the compliance models that can be used to monitor quality. For
making the analysis, ConocoPhillips is taken as the business example for the understanding
quality assurance concepts. ConocoPhillips is the renowned multinational energy corporation of
United States having headquarters at district of Houston, Texas. The company has major
expertise in efficient extraction and production of oil and natural gas. Also, it has made
contributions in innovations and has made collaborative efforts for the purpose of ensuring
quality in their operations.
Basic Concepts
The basic concepts of quality assurance along with ConocoPhillips as the example are
discussed as below:
Degree of Excellence
Maintaining the quality of the product is related with ensuring the degree of excellence
that the product is expected to reach the customer’s expectation. Degree of excellence can lead to
maximum customer satisfaction and can lead to long-term success of the company (Evans &
Lindsay, 2013). For example, ConocoPhillips has ensured the degree of excellence through
meeting the obligations relating to health, safety and environmental standards. Further, the
company evaluates the data provided by business units for the purpose of verifying the data for
the proper management of quality.

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Conformation to Requirements to Fitness for Purpose
When the quality is measured in terms of completion of some specific purpose, then it is
expected to be achieved in of the specific outcome that has to be achieved. Also, the quality
process is expected to achieve the excellence when it conforms to the specific requirements
(Betsou, 2017). Similarly, ConocoPhillips ensures the quality through verifying the data
provided by various business units of the company. The main purpose of the company is to reach
safety standards. For that it takes the conformation on safety matrices, energy use and criteria for
water and air pollution.
Meeting Customer Needs
The main purpose of every company is to meet customer needs and therefore the
company aims at ensuring the quality products in terms of durability, reliability and adaptability
for creating an overall experience for the customers. Similarly, ConocoPhillips have been
engaged in providing quality through meeting the safety standards which has been a crucial step
for the meeting the needs of the customers and the company examines the results of the quality
analysis for the identification of latest trends in order to serve their customers better
(ConocoPhillips, 2018).
Principles that relate to Quality Management Systems
The principles that relate to quality management systems are discussed below along with
the example of ConocoPhillips:
Systematic Approach
Quality management is a systematic approach that maintains the quality through a
prescribed process and the management of the same is crucial for the organization. It is ensured
that the activities are monitored in a coherent manner. For example, ConocoPhillips has Health,
Safety and Environment (HSE) management system and also has a systematized framework for
risk assessment and emergency preparedness. This framework is used to ensure safety within
their business operations (ConocoPhillips, 2018).

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Documentation of Procedures
Maintaining the proper documentation of the procedures of the quality assurance is
crucial for the company. The company has a formal system for documenting the compliances for
achieving the quality objectives of the company. Similarly, ConocoPhillips has proper
documentation of HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) management, safety and social risk,
customer-focused standards and compliances (Bernardo, Casadesus, Karapetrovic, & Heras ,
2009). Thus, the documents are maintained on primary basis and a letter containing of social and
environmental risk is HSE.
Documentation of Standards and Specifications
ISO 9000 contains of the standards and specifications that a company has to comply with.
When maintaining the quality of the products, it is important to oversee and maintain proper
documentation of the specifications in order to efficient management of the company. However,
ConocoPhillips has certain documented standards supplementing the legal requirements of host
country. Along with this, compliance regarding the reduction GHG omissions has been
incorporated by the company by promoting Lead Detection and Repair (LDAR) practice (Drago,
2012).
Innovation
Innovation is the concept of bringing new technologies and new ways into the business
and that can ultimately improve the quality of operations. However, it can be noted that
innovations made today can be helpful attaining the tomorrow’s customer needs through quality.
Similarly, ConocoPhillips has made technological innovations with respect to emissions
management which has facilitated company to maintain the quality of operations. Towards the
innovation, the company has made collaborations with Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance
(COSIA) (Coglon, 2016).
Review and Audit
In quality management, reviewing and auditing the operations have a major role. It
provides an opportunity for the company to improve performance and identify a preventive
action for the purpose of maximum customer satisfaction (Knechel & Salterio, 2016). However,
ConocoPhillips has internal reviews practice for data submission and approval process for the

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purpose of increasing the accountability of results which can ensure the best data quality. Also,
the auditing team checks the accuracy of the HSE data.
Measurement
Measuring the performance in order to see that the performance or data attained meets the
requirement of quality assessment is one of important activities involved in the quality assurance
(Razaei, Celik, & Baalousha, 2011). It involves a tool for measuring performance by which
every parameter or feature is checked to make evaluations. ConocoPhillips has reporting
procedures that maintain and calculate the emissions and environmental factors against
maintaining completeness and accuracy.
Evaluation
The quality management systems are carefully evaluated in order to reduce the number of
mistakes and errors that could arise in future. It also includes an analysis of performance for the
continuous maintenance of the quality standards. The quality team of ConocoPhillips has been
focused making proper evaluations of the risk and environmental emissions in order to achieve
effective quality standards in the performance of the company (ConocoPhillips, 2018).
Compliance Models or Systems
The compliance models for ensuring or managing the quality are discussed below:
Quality Assurance Model
Quality assurance model ensures that the product is meeting with required standards for
quality. The model tends to increase the customer’s confidence through the improved processes
and techniques which ultimately enhances the credibility of the company (Roed, 2019).
Benefits:
 It ensures reduction in the customer complaints, thereby establishing customer
satisfaction.
 It serves accountability of the requirements.
 It leads to efficient organization.
Limitations:

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 Significant amount of cost is invested in order to ensure the training of the standards.
 It is time consuming process.
This model is related to quality improvement and quality control that ensure the quality
standards and efficiency. The model of quality assurance can be used by ConocoPhillips for
ensuring that each of their business units complies with the safety standards with respect to
emissions and risk involved.
Continuous Improvement
This model is concerned with the ongoing process of making improvements and creating
an environment where the organization is achieving improvements constantly. This model is
primarily is concerned with long-term approach driven by the management.
Benefits:
 It leads to effective systems ensuring the upgraded systems.
 Continuous improvements in the operations will lead to better satisfaction of customer
needs (Gartenstein, 2019).
Limitations:
 Inadequacy of the implementation
 It has lack of innovation as it has predetermined set of improvements to be made.
Continuous quality improvement model is related to quality control where the quality team
overlooks the actions that are being undertaken through continuous quality improvement and is a
major part of total quality management. For example, ConocoPhillips can make continuous
improvements in the safety standards and making continuous technological innovations to ensure
more customer satisfaction and attain a degree of excellence in their production and extraction.
Quality Control
Quality Control is concerned with ensuring the quality of the product or service in order
to ensure the less possibility of errors and mistakes by creating an environment to achieve
excellence (Mitra, 2016). It is related to setting benchmarks for the quality and ensuring that the
company is achieving the benchmarks that are already set with efficiency and effectiveness.

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Benefits:
 The model prevents the fault involved in operations
 Helps in avoiding disruptive practices.
Limitations:
 Cost is involved in the inspection of goods.
 It has less involvement with the workers.
Every company has quality control team for overlooking the standards prescribed by ISO
9000 series and which ultimately enables in assuring the quality of operations. Similarly,
ConocoPhillips can assure the quality of their operations through using a quality control process
where the company can design a system for improvement, monitoring that system and ultimately
taking actions for the continuous improvement.
ISO 9000 Series
ISO 9000 series consist of the collection of international standards for ensuring the
quality efficiently by helping the organizations to meet the quality standards and also document
their quality systems (Castka & Corbett, 2015). This is considered as the base for improving the
performance and establishing the quality standards in an organization.
Benefits:
 It helps in increasing the marketability and helps in retaining customers.
 This series is helpful in controlling the activities through documentation in order to
achieve financial excellence (Chatzoglou, Chatzoudes, & Kipraios, 2015).
Limitations:
 Lack of knowledge of ISO 9000 certifications
 Achieving the certification of ISO 9000 is a costly process
 It requires various formalities and documentation of internal operations.
The standards in the ISO 9000 series provide an opportunity for the company’s continuous
and also facilitates in quality assurance. This model is related to the other model such as quality

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control as the certifications in this model can be used for controlling the quality. Similarly, as
ConocoPhillips is an international company, it can use ISO certifications to hold the quality and
it can also be a hallmark of the company.
Total Quality Management
Total Quality Management is concerned with decreasing the defects or mistakes in the
manufacturing in order to imply improved supply chain. This is long term approach which has
involvement of all members of the organization. This is an integrated system that follows a series
of steps in the process and engage with the employees for attaining the common goals.
Benefits:
 It involves lower cost as it examines every aspect of business.
 It increases the involvement of the employees and other stakeholders.
Limitations:
 It requires deep commitment that the organization can lack sometimes (Thompson,
2019).
 Difficulty in implementing the total quality management program.
Total quality management combines all other models such as quality assurance, continuous
improvement, quality control by using the certifications of ISO 9000 series. Further,
ConocoPhillips can use total quality management for their effective workforce management and
efficient supply chain through gaining the predetermined standards.
Conclusion
Quality assurance systems are used for maintaining the excellence in the performance and
meeting the safety and quality standards by overlooking the operations in order to identify that
the organization is complying with the quality standards. This procedure is complicated yet
useful for the companies as it provides an opportunity for the companies increase the efficiency
of operations by developing quality assurance systems or software that can better serve the
customers. The report is prepared on the basic concepts relating to quality assurance, principles
and models that can be used to manage the quality. Moreover, ConocoPhillips is taken as the

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business example for making the whole analysis. The purpose of the report is to analyze the
basic concepts such as degree of excellence and fit for purpose in order to identify how they can
be achieved into the organization by meeting customer needs. Further, the report gives the deep
understanding of models that are needed to be adhered and the principles relating to quality
management are also being discussed.

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Castka, P., & Corbett, C. (2015). Management systems standards: diffusion, impact and
governance of ISO 9000, ISO 14000, and other management standards. Foundations and
Trends® in Technology, Information and Operations Management, 7(3-4), 161-379.
Chatzoglou, P., Chatzoudes, D., & Kipraios, N. (2015). The impact of ISO 9000 certification on
firms’ financial performance. nternational Journal of Operations & Production
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https://context.capp.ca/articles/2016/feature_cosia-innovation-at-the-crossroads
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https://www.flowcontrolnetwork.com/legislating-enhanced-leak-detection-repair/
Elassy, N. (2015). The concepts of quality, quality assurance and quality enhancement. Quality
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Evans , J. R., & Lindsay, W. M. (2013). Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence.
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