Q
Quality Function Deployment. A methodology for developing products
that meet the "voice" or needs of the customer.
Qualified Manufacturer's List per military standard.
A term denoting the functions or collection of duties that must be performed in order
to carry out a company's quality objective. In some companies, quality control refers to a
limited function, such as analysis of quality data or inspection of products before
shipment to customers and discard or rework of flawed ones. At Intersil, quality control
(more often called Total Quality Management, or TQM) refers to a broad set of programs and
responsibilities at all levels of the organization aimed at detecting and preventing
errors at every step in the manufacturing process, from order entry through fabrication,
packaging, shipment and invoicing the customer.
An extensive and long-term initiative throughout Intersil Corporation with three major
objectives: (1) To increase customer satisfaction; (2) Grow the company by
growing new products; and (3) Make continuous improvements in everything every
business unit of the company does. The Quality First initiative is far more comprehensive
in scope than application to products alone. Embedded in the initiative are such programs
as Just In Time, Quality Involvement, Quality Audits, Employee Improvement Teams, and
Total Quality Systems Reviews. The ultimate objective is a quantum and fundamental change
in the way Intersil does business, moving away from traditional, vertical management
structures toward cross-functional teams. At the heart of the concept is customer
satisfaction and the notion that end (external) customers are best satisfied as the result
of a chain of satisfied internal customers.
