Exercise 4. Complete the texts with prepositions. Translate them into Russian

1. Quality assuarance is the process of verifying or determining whether products or services meet or exceed

customer expectations. Quality assurance is a process-driven approach ___ specific steps to help define and

attain goals. This process considers design, development, production, and service. The most popular tool

used to determine quality assurance is the Shewhart Cycle, developed ___ Dr. W. Edwards Deming. This

cycle ___ quality assurance consists of four steps: Plan, Do, Check, and Act. These steps are commonly

abbreviated as PDCA. The four quality assurance steps within the PDCA model stand ___:

Plan: Establish objectives and processes required to deliver the desired results.

Do: Implement the process developed.

Check: Monitor and evaluate the implemented process by testing the results against the predetermined

objectives

Act: Apply actions necessary ___ improvement if the results require changes.

PDCA is an effective method ___ monitoring quality assurance because it analyzes existing conditions and

methods used to provide the product or service customers. The goal is to ensure that excellence is inherent

___ every component ___ the process. Quality assurance also helps determine whether the steps used to

provide the product or service are appropriate ___ the time and conditions. ___ addition, if the PDCA cycle is

repeated ___ the lifetime ___ the product or service, it helps improve internal company efficiency.

2. Quality assurance demands a degree ___ detail ___ order to be fully implemented at every step.

Planning, ___ example, could include investigation ___ the quality ___ the raw materials used ___

manufacturing, the actual assembly, or the inspection ___ processes used. The Checking step could include

customer feedback surveys, or other marketing vehicles to determine if customer needs are being exceeded

and why they are or are not. Acting could mean a total revision ___ the manufacturing process ___ order to

correct a technical or cosmetic flaw.

Competition to provide specialized products and services results ___ breakthroughs as well as long-term

growth and change. Quality assurance verifies that any customer offering, regardless if it is new or evolved,

is produced and offered ___ the best possible materials, ___ the most comprehensive way, ___ the highest

standards. The goal to exceed customer expectations ___ a measurable and accountable process is

provided ___ quality assurance

Quality and reliability are assumed to be sufficient to meet customer needs. Fujitsu's slogan, "quality built-

___, with cost and performance as prime consideration," illustrates this point. Sony's definition ___ a nextgeneration

product is "one that is going to be half the size and half the price at the same performance ___

the existing one." Quality and reliability are so integral ___ Japan's electronics industry that they need no

new emphasis.

3. Deming's 1950 lecture notes provided the basis ___ a 30-day seminar sponsored ___ the Union of

Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) and provided the criteria ___ Japan's famed Deming Prize. The

first Deming Prize was given to Koji Kobayashi in 1952. Within a decade, JUSE had trained nearly 20,000

engineers ___ SQC methods. Today Japan gives high rating ___ companies that win the Deming prize; they

number about ten large companies per year. Deming's work has impacted industries such as those for radios

and parts, transistors, cameras, binoculars, and sewing machines. In 1960, Deming was recognized ___ his

contribution ___ Japan's reindustrialization when the Prime Minister awarded him the Second Order of the

Sacred Treasure.

In 1954, Dr. Joseph M. Juran of the United States raised the level ___ quality management ___ the factory

___ the total organization. He stressed the importance ___ systems thinking that begins with product

designs, prototype testing, proper equipment operations, and accurate process feedback. Juran's seminar

also became a part ___ JUSE's educational programs. Juran provided the move ___ SQC ___ TQC (total

quality control) in Japan. This included company-wide activities and education ___ quality control (QC), QC

circles and audits, and promotion ___ quality management principles. By 1968, Kaoru Ishikawa, one ___ the

fathers ___ TQC ___ Japan, had outlined the elements ___ TQC management:

• quality comes first, not short-term profits

• the customer comes first, not the producer

• customers are the next process with no organizational barriers

• decisions are based ___ facts and data

• management is participatory and respectful ___ all employees

• management is driven ___ cross-functional committees covering product planning, product design,

production planning, purchasing, manufacturing, sales, and distribution.

By 1991, JUSE had registered ___ 331,000 quality circles ___ over 2.5 million participants ___ its activities.

Today, JUSE continues to provide over 200 courses per year, including five executive management courses,

ten management courses, and a full range ___ technical training programs.

The Japanese believe that the greatest benefit occurs when defect detection is implemented ___ the

manufacturing sequence, thus minimizing the time required ___ detection, maximizing return ___

investment, and indirectly improving product reliability.