This article provides a review of three proven quality assurance tips that are applicable for software, manufacturing, and service organizations. They provide guidance to senior management, as well as engineers and technical staff, for selecting and implementing quality improvement projects.

When implemented correctly, improved quality can provide a profit center for the company. As Ben Franklin said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” As the output quality of an organization improves, the costs of quality decrease, thus improving profitability.

Improved quality levels result when we work smarter rather than harder. Implementing these tips can provide you and your organization with ongoing improvements in production, a much more efficient means to customer satisfaction, and improved reductions in cost and scheduled completion times.

Tip No. 1: Co-locate project teams in the same area

Project teams that are able to experience daily, face-to-face communication are better at collaboration than remote team members. Also co-location is cheaper, with quicker compliance to last-minute changes.

 …