The Many Levels of Quality Assurance
There are many different levels to the quality assurance process. At the basic level, quality control inspector jobs involve the hands-on inspection of parts, materials, or services, removing the flawed products and gathering relevant data, either through visual or tactile inspection of the parts and products in question. Quality control technicians use sophisticated sampling tools to run tests and determine the proper tolerances or specifications of a given product. Quality control analysts study the data they collect in order to determine ongoing problems or the efficacy of quality control programs. Quality assurance officers and managers are responsible for designing the quality assurance programs that direct the overall QA process for a company.
Not all quality assurance jobs involve a product. Some quality assurance jobs involve services or processes instead. For example, air or water quality inspectors make sure that our water and air are safe. Vehicle quality inspectors examine aircraft or cars before they leave the plant to be used by consumers.
The Importance of Quality Control Analyst Jobs
While a quality assurance tester is responsible for inspecting individual products for flaws, the quality assurance analyst is in charge of looking at the big picture. QC analyst jobs involve studying issues with overall production processes, checking these processes for flaws that will affect all the products in a line. Not only does the QC analyst test units that have come off the production line, but quality control analyst jobs also involve checking the tools used to produce the finished product, the methods used by workers to make or assemble products, and even problems in the design of a production line that may be causing flaws to appear in the products. In addition, QC analysts correlate the data gathered by quality control inspectors throughout the production process, looking for any trends and inefficiencies that might arise. The QC analyst then reports these findings to the quality assurance officer in charge of the entire quality control process. QC analyst jobs also involve the design and implementation of training manuals, quality control guides, and other instructional materials to help improve quality control in the production process.
The Work
Since the quality assurance analyst job involves the top-down analysis of processes rather than individual units, this job is more likely to take place in an office setting adjacent to the production line in question. A test or analysis lab will also be part of the work setting, as QA analysts often deal with scientific testing which requires access to x-ray machines, scanners, biochemical sampling kits, and other types of specialized data gathering and testing tools.
Quality Control Job Requirements
All quality control jobs require math skills, strong hand-eye coordination, mechanical aptitude, and sharp eyes, but a quality assurance analyst also requires a high school diploma or associate level degree in quality assurance or a related discipline. Many colleges and technical schools offer training in quality assurance inspector positions, with courses covering measurement, mathematics, materials science, blueprint and technical specification reading, time-motion study, and operations management. These courses are an excellent start for a career in this field, although again, learning specialized knowledge about a particular type of process is also important. More than in other QA jobs, the ability to work with statistics and complex technical specifications are a requirement; since this job involves specialized skills (such as using sophisticated test tools and particular types of knowledge), training in tool use and software is also important. The American Society for Quality offers a certification program which is also an excellent addition to a prospective candidate’s resume.
Quality Assurance Salaries
As of 2006, median hourly salaries in the quality assurance industry were approximately $14.14, with the middle 50% earning $10.84 to $18.79 hourly.
Employment Outlook for QC Jobs
As of 2006, there were approximately 491,000 workers in the quality assurance industry. About 70% of these individuals worked in the manufacturing sectors, dealing with vehicle parts, plastics, and electronic components. As with other manufacturing sector jobs, this area is expected to show moderate decline over the next decade as the inspection role is filled by automation or is outsourced to offshore production. However, as new uses for the QA process emerge in service- and computer-based industries, expect to see a gradual expansion of jobs in these areas.
