Quality Management Process Research Articles

Research on Safety and Quality Control Intelligent Systems of Engineering Project Based on Blockchain and BIM Technologies

Focusing on the problems of Safety and Quality Control of Engineering Project, research on technologies for safety and quality control of engineering projects based on blockchain and BIM technologies can be investigated. A software intelligent system based on BIM, blockchain, artificial intelligence and data mining technologies is established. The problem of trace and tracking in the safety and quality management process can be solved. The innovation of engineering project safety control models can be promoted.

COMPARISON OF SOFTWARE METRICS FOR QUALITY ESTIMATION OF THE SOFTWARE PRODUCTS

There is a well known principle, that you can manage only what you can measure – therefore adequate measurement and estimation of different elements in any engineering area is a very important development factor, and software engineering is not an exception. Software metrics represent numeric values of software characteristics and are used for analysis of different aspects of the product in order to predict possible problems. Software metrics can be applied to any stage of the software life cycle. For instance, on a stage of requirement analysis and the problem formulation, these metrics help to estimate the required amount of work and, respectively, the amount of financial and work resources. In addition, the metrics can be used directly in estimation of the program code complexity to assess it’s performance, effectiveness and the ability to modify it if needed. Software metrics are an important part of the whole software quality management process as they can be easily automated and applied in order to achieve some valuable technical characteristics. Moreover, they can be combined with another quality management tools and are a beneficial addition to any software product development model. In general, measuring the attributes of software during any phase of development gives a number of beneficial results to the developers as it helps to use the time, finances and effort effectively. This is achieved because of early problems identification, estimation and prevention and because of that the size, cost, quality and simplicity of the maintenance of the product is always under control. This article describes the results of research on different software metrics types and the actual representatives of these types. It assesses the usage area and the convenience of it’s usage on evaluating the quality of both a finished product and a product in the development stage.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR MANAGING THE FORMATION OF AN EFFECTIVE BUSINESS MODEL OF AN AIRLINE COMPANY

The aim of the article is to develop and test the theoretical and methodological approach concerning the management of the formation of an effective airline business model based on its integral competitiveness indicator, which is a determining factor of survival in difficult and dynamic conditions, as well as the guiding vector of the enterprise development in the future. The method for assessing the competitiveness of the airline business model is based on a dualistic system of integrated indicators. The first integrated indicator provides a static assessment of the competitiveness of the airline business model compared to selected competitors, a reference company or average data for a particular market (local, regional, national). In order to assess the static component of the competitiveness of the business model of the airline company, as a method of constructing an integral indicator, the method of taxonomy was chosen, which best meets the condition of maximum objectivity in the calculations. The second integral indicator is responsible for the dynamic component of the assessment and shows the degree of synchronization of the company with the relevant market. Accordingly, will assess a set of financial, managerial and marketing indicators that characterize the results of both basic and management business processes of companies, taking into account the overall quality of business management processes. The information base of the study consists of data from financial statements of aviation enterprises of Ukraine. The sample size is 15 units. Methodology. The first stage of the analysis included the calculation of the share indicators of the competitiveness of the business model of the airlines according to the following criteria: "efficiency of production activities", "financial condition", "efficiency of marketing activities", and "quality of business processes". Further, the study calculated conditional (relative) indicators of competitiveness of the studied airlines by comparing the absolute measure of the enterprise with the best value of these indicators of all competitors in the market. On the basis of which the "matrix of competitive development" was built. Results of the study. According to the results of the construction of the "matrix of competitive development" the following four types of management business model development of the airline enterprises were formed: adaptive management, strategic management, anticipative management (there are no enterprises in this zone), anti-crisis management. Practical conclusions. The conducted research allowed to establish that the overall level of competitiveness of the business models of the studied airline companies is quite low, since there is not a single company in the most attractive zone of high competitiveness. Also, 6 of the 15 examined airlines are at a crisis stage of development, which actualizes the need to develop a set of anti-crisis measures to further stabilize the competitive position.

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES OF SERVICE QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Вackground. Quality management has a prominent place in the overall structure of the business process and there are a lot of significant papers in this area. Therefore, it is necessary to review existing methodological approaches, provide some conceptual and categorical clarification and generalization, formalization and description of the subject area and many links, in particular, determine the prospects for development of this area in the context of the Industry 4.0 concept. Analysis of recent research and publications has shown that despite the presence of a significant theoretical and methodological basis in the organization of the quality management process there is a need for a certain structuring of accumulated knowledge and problem field demarcation of the analyzed area. The aim of this article is an ontological understanding of the evolutionary way of for­mation and provision of requirements for processes and products in the context of trans­formational changes and socio-economic conditions of the economic activity environment. Materials and methods. The research methodology includes a retrospective analysis of the quality management area, synthesis method and forecast evaluation. The works of do­mestic and foreign scientists were the theoretical basis of the study. Results. A retrospective analysis of the evolutionary way of the concept of "quality management" development is highlighted. The historical chronology of the main stages and links on the formation way of a modern idea of the enterprise quality management is demonstrated. The main definition differences and contradictions in the existing method­logical platforms in the quality management area are identified in relationto the terms "quality" and"process". Ways of harmonization and mutual interpretation of termino­logical basis in order to create a unified definitions system and avoid contradictions in interdisciplinary research are proposed. The toolkit of the international standards of the ISO series is defined as one of the most successful and characterized by the system attributes presence and the implementation ways complexity. The role and place of orga­nizational culture and modern technologies in the process of the quality management system formation of the enterprise are determined. Conclusion. The main vectors of further development of quality management as a complex methodological system in the conditions of change of production opportunities and business environment are formed. Keywords: quality, management system, process, business process, management, principle, concept.

Das Logische Modell als Grundlage für ein strukturiertes Konzept der Evaluation und Qualitätssicherung der Kompetenzzentren Weiterbildung Allgemeinmedizin

BackgroundThe Competence Centers for Postgraduate Medical Education (KW) established throughout Germany represent complex programs to increase the efficiency and quality of postgraduate medical education in general practice. So-called Logic Models serve as the framework for evaluations and quality management processes of complex programs in many areas. The aim of this article is to develop such a model, using the example of the Competence Center in Baden-Württemberg (KWBW) in order to structure its complex program logic and use it as a framework for future evaluations and quality management processes. MethodsThe adaptation of the Logic Model to the KWBW took place in an informal, nominal group process with employees and participants of the program. ResultsWe identified 76 core elements of the KWBW. These core elements were classified in one of the five pillars of the Logic Model (input, activity, output, outcome and impact) and categorized according to fields of action and target groups. DiscussionThe Logic Model, which was developed using the KWBW as an example, identifies and structures important core elements of a complex postgraduate medical training program for the first time. It seems to be well suited for visualizing the internal logic of this complex program and the interaction of the various elements within the KWBW. It can thus be used as the basis for a comprehensive and systematic evaluation concept and for quality assurance. ConclusionThe model is also a prerequisite for comparative research questions of other university programs for postgraduate medical education and thus offers an opportunity for cooperative development efforts. This article therefore contributes to promoting quality in continuing medical training.

The Role of Accounting Information in Risk Management in the Saudi Banks under Digital Services: Exploratory Study

This research aims to determine the role of using useful accounting information in risk management in Saudi banks under digital services. This study is based on an exploratory study and desk study from the literature review. This study revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between using useful accounting information in the risk management process in Saudi banks under digital services and achieving positive results in general. There is a positive and strong correlation, the value of which is 0.94. This study, also, revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between using accounting information in risk management in the Saudi banks under digital services and reducing risks. There is a positive and strong correlation, the value of which is 0.80. In addition, the study revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between using accounting information in risk management in the Saudi banks under digital services and avoiding risks. There is a positive and moderate correlation, the value of which is 0.66. Finally, the researcher recommends the necessity of using useful accounting information in the Saudi banks properly to improve the quality of risk management process more and more, especially under digital services.

Examining the integration of continuous improvement and strategic planning in select pharmaceutical companies in India: a case study

PurposeThe objective of the study is to examine the extent to which pharmaceutical companies in India rely on traditional planning approaches rather than the new learning approach to strategic planning. In addition to that, the study also seeks to examine the perceived ability of the pharmaceutical companies in India to integrate continuous improvement goals and product quality into the overall strategic planning and success in implementing total quality management (TQM) programs examined through three particular continuous improvement mindsets.Design/methodology/approachThe study collected data from select pharmaceutical companies in India through survey technique using a standardized questionnaire through online mode. A descriptive statistical analysis is performed to examine the extent of integration of strategic planning and continuous improvement in the select pharmaceutical companies in India.FindingsThe results of the study indicate that pharmaceutical companies in India still rely greatly on traditional planning methods for strategic planning. However, a shift is also observed toward adoption of best practice management and modern strategic management techniques. The study also demonstrates that continuous improvement goals and strategies are included into the corporate strategic planning.Research limitations/implicationsThe study employs only descriptive statistics, and no hypotheses are generated in the study because the objective is not to generalize the findings. The process of formulating quality goals and integrating them with strategy is typical to any company. Therefore, the findings cannot be generalized. The findings of the study do not given any insights into the strategic quality management process due to online mode of data collection. Also, the focus on the study is on the internal management of quality in an organization and factors in the external environment or in the value chain outside the firm, influencing strategic management of quality are beyond the scope of present study.Practical implicationsConsidering the significance of quality of products, an understanding of the link between quality and strategic goals helps the managers in pharmaceutical industry to align the strategic planning goals with quality goals ensuring that the entire organization moves in same strategic direction.Originality/valueThe strong focus quality in pharmaceutical industry in India has given impetus to development of well-managed quality programs on the shop-floor to remain competitive and survive in the highly competitive global markets. However, no such study is conducted so far to understand the extent to which continuous improvement or TQM practices are integrated into strategic planning in the pharmaceutical companies in India.

Product Processing Quality Demand Analysis for Medium Auto Parts Enterprise in Supply Chain

Aiming at the problem of product processing quality management in automobile manufacturing supply chain, the concepts of automobile manufacturing supply chain and medium auto parts enterprise are put forward, the theory of product life cycle and relationship life cycle is introduced, and the automobile manufacturing supply chain is divided into product processing preparation stage, product sample performance evaluation stage and product production and operation stage. The cooperation model of the medium enterprise in the automotive manufacturing supply chain is constructed, the management characteristics and key influencing factors of the medium auto parts enterprises in the three stages of the automotive manufacturing supply chain are analyzed, and from the perspective of the supply chain, the product processing quality management demand model of the medium enterprise is established. Taking a new product manufacturing of an auto parts enterprise in China as an example, the practicability and rationality of the proposed concept and model are verified.

Bioreactor design and validation for manufacturing strategies in tissue engineering.

The fields of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering offer new therapeutic options to restore, maintain or improve tissue function following disease or injury. To maximize the biological function of a tissue-engineered clinical product, specific conditions must be maintained within a bioreactor to allow the maturation of the product in preparation for implantation. Specifically, the bioreactor should be designed to mimic the mechanical, electrochemical and biochemical environment that the product will be exposed to in vivo. Real-time monitoring of the functional capacity of tissue-engineered products during manufacturing is a critical component of the quality management process. The present review provides a brief overview of bioreactor engineering considerations. In addition, strategies for bioreactor automation, in-line product monitoring and quality assurance are discussed.

Process quality management and operational performance: exploring the role of learning and development orientation

PurposeThe paper aims to assess the influence of process quality management (PQM) practices on a firm's operational performance (OP) and investigate the mediating role of a firm's learning and development orientation (LDO) in the PQM–OP relationship. The paper also assesses the extent to which the proposed mediation is moderated by senior management support (SMS).Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on the sociotechnical system theory to carry out a survey study of 278 functional managers from various manufacturing firms in India through a postal mail survey approach. The response rate has been improved by frequent telephone follow-ups. The collected data was analyzed for mediation of LDO and moderated mediation of SMS in the proposed framework using Hayes's PROCESS Macro in statistical package for social sciences.FindingsThe research findings show that both PQM and LDO lead to better performance and should be encouraged. LDO was found to partially mediate the effect of PQM on the firm's OP. The results also show that an enhanced learning capability of an organization can significantly influence improvement in OP through a stronger support of senior management.Research limitations/implicationsThe current study explored the mediating role of LDO in the relationship between PQM and OP, while providing a future research opportunity for an empirical review of the mediating effect of LDO between the effects of just-in-time, maintenance and process benchmarking activities on OP.Practical implicationsTo transform PQM activities into a competitive advantage, firms need to develop learning capabilities. Senior managers in the manufacturing industry should strongly focus upon creating a learning-centered work culture to improve performance and productivity.Originality/valueThe study provides insights into the type of people-related activities that manufacturing firms should undertake to enhance their OP. Few studies in the extant literature have used SMS as a moderator to improve LDO's impact on business operations. The study aims at bridging this gap.

Think Globally, Act Regionally to Optimize Quality Health System Management

Initiatives to address the quality in health system management have become a global phenomenon. The complexity of providing quality healthcare is arguably unmatched. From the wealthiest of regions to those in the direst conditions, the efficacy of integrating quality management principles and practices is being accepted by executives, practitioners, and governmental authorities alike. This global level of agreement is based on a wealth of knowledge and experience gained over many decades across a multitude of industries. The challenge is instituting the transformative capability of quality management processes into workable systems that will optimize care across healthcare services globally. This paper is based on the perspective that orienting systems to the delivery and ongoing improvement of quality is fundamental to progress. The authors argue that healthcare leaders can affect lasting change by adopting universally proven precepts of quality enterprise wide and executing them across channels to meet expectations across the spectrum of patient and healthcare worker populations.

Think Globally, Act Regionally to Optimize Quality Health System Management

Initiatives to address the quality in health system management have become a global phenomenon. The complexity of providing quality healthcare is arguably unmatched. From the wealthiest of regions to those in the direst conditions, the efficacy of integrating quality management principles and practices is being accepted by executives, practitioners and governmental authorities alike. This global level of agreement is based on a wealth of knowledge and experience gained over many decades across a multitude of industries. The challenge is instituting the transformative capability of quality management processes into workable systems that will optimize care across healthcare services globally. This paper is based on the perspective that orienting systems to the delivery and ongoing improvement of quality is fundamental to progress. We argue that healthcare leaders can effect lasting change by adopting universally proven precepts of quality enterprise wide and execute them across channels to meet expectations across the spectrum of patient and health care worker populations.

Quality Management of an Infrastructure Project with A Case Study of Two-Tier Flyover Bridge

Quality management in the project is of considerable importance from both an economic and a social point of view. The bridge construction project is located on the local road networks and focuses on many complex problems and issues that can be effectively solved by the quality management process. The research is to identify the best system for quality management in the bridge construction project. Quality Management plays an important role in the entire construction process. Total Quality Management, Quality Assurance and Quality Control ranked highest respectively as a part of quality management practices being followed in projects. Finding defects early will save you a lot of money, and you will see the project proceed as expected. The results of this study will document the early defects and solutions to it which help to improve the quality system of bridge construction projects. It focuses on providing a tool and idea to improve quality management for the construction. It also assists the contractor, consultancy and customer to understand best practices for the quality management system used in the bridge construction process.

CORRIGENDUM: Computer system validation

The authors regret that in „Computer system validation: Example of quality management system design and process implementation“ the following co-author was mistakenly missed from the authorship: Tomaž Sallubier, TS4U d.o.o, Kamnik, Slovenia.

Modeling of the process approach to the life cycle of measuring instruments

The problem of increasing the reliability and competitiveness of products in all sectors of the national economy can be solved only on the basis of obtaining complete and reliable measurement information. This is facilitated by modern measuring instruments (MI), which are complex hardware and software systems. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that modern MI need an effective assessment of their quality at all stages of the life cycle (LC). This requires the development of appropriate assessment methods both at the stage of production and operation of MI. The expediency of using the process approach to MI LC stages and its advantages over the functional approach were proved. The process approach allows more effective assessment of MI quality indicators at different LC stages and is compatible with the construction of modern quality management systems. Mathematical modeling was carried out, a set process model of the MI LC was developed and its representation as a process V-model was carried out. This allows studying the interaction of processes of all MI LC stages and performing process quality management at all MI LC stages. Mathematical modeling was carried out, a set process model of evaluation of quality indicators of MI LC stages was developed and its representation as a process V-model was carried out. This allows evaluating quality indicators of the MI and its components throughout the MI LC. Recommendations for the use of international standards were formulated, in particular for project management planning, measurement processes, system requirements throughout the MI LC, risk analysis and management at the LC stages. This should help increase efficiency in achieving the planned results at all stages of the MI LC

IMPLEMENTATION OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES IN UKRAINE

The problem stemming from the implementation of quality management system within enterprises is presented in this article. The quality of products is one of the most important criteria of enterprise’s performance. Thus, its improvement has significant impact on the growth of production efficiency and, therefore, economic growth. The functions of quality management system, such as quality planning, organizing work and encouraging employees to ensure product quality, monitoring and evaluating product quality and managing product quality, are discussed in this article. 
 Ten groups of product quality indicators are distinguished according to its characteristics. It is identified that controlling is an essential function in the quality management process. The following controlling types facilitate the process of controlling: input control, ongoing control, operational control, acceptance control and inspection control. Nevertheless, the most effective method of quality assurance is the quality management system based on the international standards of the ISO 9000 series.
 Development of assessment indicators system for production performance and evaluation plays an important role in quality management. Based on the analysis of the indicators, it can be concluded that quality management is a coordinated management function related to the operation of the enterprise. Eight principles of quality management system are considered as well as factors which negatively influence the effectiveness and efficiency of the quality management system are identified in this article.

Student Attainment Measurement System in Civil Engineering Undergraduate Programme:

Abstract : In ensuring the quality of the offered programs in Malaysia, it is crucial to comply with the long chain of Quality Management processes in obtaining and maintaining accreditation of undergraduate engineering programs. One of the processes is to continually and effectively measure the students’ attainment of program outcomes amid the implementation of Outcome-Based Education. This paper focuses on MyCOPO system, the evaluation of undergraduate bachelor degree engineering students’ attainment measurement system in the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam. A quantitative survey has been conducted to measure academic staff and students’ satisfaction level of MyCOPO implementation in the faculty. This survey has been conducted in line with the university strategy in promoting organisation operational excellence via MyCOPO system, where 47 and 227 respondents were recorded for academic staff and students, respectively. Two sets of questionnaires were designed to determine the impact of the system, the effectiveness on delivery and quality of the system and users’ happiness index. This system is found to be impactful in ease the work, increase the quality and provide satisfaction to related parties. The usage of MyCOPO system is effective and the average rating of happiness index for academic staff and students are 8.2 and 7.2 out of 10 for happiness index, respectively.
 
 Keywords: Attainment measurement system, Civil engineering, outcome-based education, satisfaction.

Deploying an Artificial Intelligence‐based defect finder for manufacturing quality management

AbstractThis paper describes how the Big Data Research Center of Kyung Hee University and Benple Inc. developed and deployed an artificial intelligence system to automate the quality management process for Frontec, an SME company that manufactures automobile parts. Various constraints, such as response time requirements and the limited computing resources available, needed to be considered in this project. Defect finders using large‐scale images are expected to classify weld nuts within 0.2 s with an accuracy rate of over 95%. Our system uses Circular Hough Transform for preprocessing as well as an adjusted VGG (Visual Geometry Group) model. Our convolutional neural network (CNN) system shows an accuracy of over 99% and a response time of about 0.14 s. To embed the CNN model into the factory, we reimplemented the preprocessing modules using LabVIEW and had the classification model server communicate with an existing vision inspector. We share our lessons from this experience by explaining the procedure and real‐world issues developing and embedding a deep learning framework in an existing manufacturing environment without implementing any hardware changes.

A Numerical Model of Carbon Dioxide Concentration Measurement in a Room with an Opened Ventilation System

A vast number of patients visit the facility every day, causing a major air pollution issue that may pose a risk of exposure of respiratory infectious diseases in outpatient rooms and harm human health. TB, COVID-19, MERS, and SARS are dangerous communicable diseases that transmit from person to person through the air or aerosol in a variety of forms, such as coughing, spitting, sneezing, speaking, or through wounds. COVID-19, TB, MERS and SARS are risks and the chances of success toward lethal infection make more patients ill in the hospital. We should also be notified of the care and control of these diseases. As a result, effective air quality monitoring is needed to monitor and reduce the potential for infected air, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations. Measuring and controlling carbon dioxide in a hospital with a ventilation system where the number of patients in each room varies in time is challenging. In this research, the numerical model of carbon dioxide concentration measurement in a space with an opened ventilation system is proposed. The model sets the concentration of carbon dioxide at any point when the number of people and the rate of ventilation varies. The classical fourth-order Runge-Kutta method is employed to approximate the model solution. There are many cases of scenarios for improving air quality in the proposed simulations. In the air quality management process, the proposed model provides a balance between the number of persons allowed to stay in the room and the capacity of the air ventilation system.

Big data quality framework: a holistic approach to continuous quality management

Big Data is an essential research area for governments, institutions, and private agencies to support their analytics decisions. Big Data refers to all about data, how it is collected, processed, and analyzed to generate value-added data-driven insights and decisions. Degradation in Data Quality may result in unpredictable consequences. In this case, confidence and worthiness in the data and its source are lost. In the Big Data context, data characteristics, such as volume, multi-heterogeneous data sources, and fast data generation, increase the risk of quality degradation and require efficient mechanisms to check data worthiness. However, ensuring Big Data Quality (BDQ) is a very costly and time-consuming process, since excessive computing resources are required. Maintaining Quality through the Big Data lifecycle requires quality profiling and verification before its processing decision. A BDQ Management Framework for enhancing the pre-processing activities while strengthening data control is proposed. The proposed framework uses a new concept called Big Data Quality Profile. This concept captures quality outline, requirements, attributes, dimensions, scores, and rules. Using Big Data profiling and sampling components of the framework, a faster and efficient data quality estimation is initiated before and after an intermediate pre-processing phase. The exploratory profiling component of the framework plays an initial role in quality profiling; it uses a set of predefined quality metrics to evaluate important data quality dimensions. It generates quality rules by applying various pre-processing activities and their related functions. These rules mainly aim at the Data Quality Profile and result in quality scores for the selected quality attributes. The framework implementation and dataflow management across various quality management processes have been discussed, further some ongoing work on framework evaluation and deployment to support quality evaluation decisions conclude the paper.