Quality Assurance
Summary
- Quality promotes continuous improvement within an organisation, i.e. it identifies issues early on before they become problems
- Quality assurance is increasingly becoming a requirement of funders
- Various quality systems are available.
What Quality Assurance Involves
Quality assurance is defined as 'the ability of a product or service to meet the needs of the target group.'
- Monitoring and evaluation identifies areas for improvement within an organisation on an ongoing basis.
- The system employed may involve self assessment, internal accreditation and regular auditing.
- Often internal processes and systems will need to be defined to maintain consistency across the organisation and to encourage good practice.
- Quality assurance promotes effective and efficient services.
A Sample of Quality Systems
PQASSO - A Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations by Charities Evaluation Service
12 quality areas: - Planning for quality
Application
Small to medium sized voluntary organisations and smaller projects within larger organisations.
Suitability for VCS
High
Concepts
- Governance
- Management
- User-centred service
- Staff and volunteers
- Training and development
- Managing money
- Managing resources
- Managing activities
- Networking and partnership
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Results
How it is implemented
By use of a work pack and CD ROM (database).
Cost
£80.50 work pack, £49.50 CD ROM incl VAT and P&P (as of Oct 2007)
Accredited
A new 'peer assessed' Quality Mark will be awarded from early 2008.
Excellence Model by European Foundation for Quality Management
| Application | Designed for business applications |
| Suitability for VCS | Medium |
| Concepts | The Excellence Model is a non-prescriptive framework that recognises there are many approaches to achieving sustainable excellence: - Results Orientation |
| How it is implemented | Useful to become a member of British Quality Foundation. Starter kit available. |
| Cost | Varies between self assessment and accreditation option chosen. |
| Accredited | Self assessment, external accreditation and quality awards. |
Investors in People (IIP)
| Application | IIP is a national framework for improving business performance and competitiveness, through a planned approach to setting and communicating business objectives and developing people to meet these objectives. |
| Suitability for VCS | Medium |
| Concepts | The IIP Standard is based on four key principles:
|
| How it is implemented | Self help |
| Cost | Standard - £8.80. Self help publications are also available. |
| Accredited | External assessment |
Other standards exist which are relevant to specific areas of work or types of organisation, e.g. ISO9000, Basic Skills Quality Mark, Qualitymark for legal advice services or New Economics Foundation for social accounting and auditing.
Action Points
- Establish a quality team of interested individuals, ensure that the management support the quality process.
- Discover if your organisation has adopted a quality assurance system. If not, research which quality system would be most appropriate for your organisation
- Define any quality assurance processes which currently take place within your organisation
- Consult with key stakeholders as to their viewpoint on quality assurance
Resources
- Charities Evaluation Service
www.ces-vol.org.uk - British Quality Foundation
www.bqf.org.uk - Quality Standards Task Group
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/qstg/ - ISO 9000
www.bsi-global.com/index.xalter - New Economics Foundation
www.neweconomics.org/gen/newways_socialaudit.aspx - Community Matters (The Visible Difference)
www.communitymatters.org.uk/ - Basic Skills Quality Mark
www.basic-skills.co.uk/ - Qualitymark
www.legalservices.gov.uk/qmark/index.htm - Quality Development Initiative (LASA)
www.qdi.org.uk/about.shtml - Chartermark
www.chartermark.gov.uk/ - Investors in People
http://www.investorsinpeople.co.uk/
Glossary
- Accreditation
A process of ensuring that your quality assurance meets the relevant standards, this may be carried out internally or by an external party. - Auditing
Checking your performance against agreed internal systems and procedures to ensure that quality assurance is implemented accordingly. - Stakeholders
An individual or organisation who is interested in your project. It may be the funder/partners/users/trustees/staff or volunteers.
Advisory Service
London Action Trust
88 Clapham Road
London, SW9 0JR
Tel 020 7793 3730
Fax 020 7820 3577
Email csas@lat.org.uk
Registered in England No. 2897056 Charity No. 1039534
© London Action Trust 2007
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