Quality Control Software Glossary

33 terms and definitions covering quality control software, manufacturing quality, regulatory compliance, and process improvement methodologies. Use this glossary to quickly understand the terminology you will encounter when evaluating quality software.

8

8D (Eight Disciplines): A problem-solving methodology used to identify, correct, and eliminate recurring quality issues. Commonly used in automotive and manufacturing industries for CAPA.

A

AIAG: Automotive Industry Action Group — a trade organization that develops standards for the automotive industry, including PPAP, APQP, and FMEA requirements.
APQP: Advanced Product Quality Planning — a structured framework for developing products and processes that ensure customer requirements are met. Often required for automotive suppliers.
AQL: Acceptable Quality Level — the maximum percentage of defective units considered acceptable during sampling inspection. Defined in ISO 2859 / ANSI ASQ Z1.4.
AS9100: The quality management standard for aerospace, defense, and aviation industries. Based on ISO 9001 with additional requirements for safety and traceability.
Audit Trail: A chronological record of all actions, changes, and approvals in a quality system. Required for regulatory compliance in medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and aerospace.

C

CAPA: Corrective and Preventive Action — a systematic process for investigating and resolving quality issues (corrective) and preventing recurrence (preventive). Core feature of most QMS platforms.
Control Chart: A statistical chart used in SPC to monitor process variation over time. Includes a center line, upper control limit (UCL), and lower control limit (LCL).
Cp / Cpk: Process capability indices. Cp measures the potential capability of a process (spread vs. specification limits). Cpk accounts for both spread and centering. Values above 1.33 indicate a capable process.

D

DMAIC: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control — the data-driven improvement methodology used in Six Sigma projects. Often supported by quality software tools.
DPMO: Defects Per Million Opportunities — a metric used in Six Sigma to measure process performance. 3.4 DPMO corresponds to Six Sigma quality level.
DPU: Defects Per Unit — the average number of defects per unit of product. Used as a baseline measure of quality performance.

E

ERP Integration: The connection between quality control software and Enterprise Resource Planning systems (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics) for synchronizing work orders, inventory, and quality data.

F

FAI: First Article Inspection — a documented inspection of the first production part to verify that the manufacturing process meets all design requirements. Required in aerospace (AS9102).
FMEA: Failure Mode and Effects Analysis — a systematic method for identifying potential failure modes, their causes, and effects. Used in design (DFMEA) and process (PFMEA) planning.

H

HACCP: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points — a systematic preventive approach to food safety that identifies biological, chemical, and physical hazards in production processes.

I

IATF 16949: The international quality management standard for the automotive industry. Replaced ISO/TS 16949. Requires a QMS that covers all automotive production processes.
ISO 9001: The internationally recognized standard for quality management systems. Specifies requirements for a QMS that organizations use to demonstrate ability to consistently provide conforming products.
ISO 13485: The quality management standard for medical device manufacturers. Specifies requirements for a QMS that demonstrates ability to provide medical devices that consistently meet customer and regulatory requirements.

K

KPI: Key Performance Indicator — measurable values that demonstrate how effectively a quality program is achieving key business objectives. Common quality KPIs include defect rate, first pass yield, and supplier PPM.

M

MES: Manufacturing Execution System — a system that monitors, tracks, and controls manufacturing processes in real time. Quality software often integrates with MES for seamless data exchange.

N

NCR: Non-Conformance Report — a document that records a product, process, or material that does not meet specifications. NCRs typically initiate the CAPA process.

P

PPAP: Production Part Approval Process — a standardized process in automotive and aerospace for verifying that production parts meet all customer requirements before full production begins.
Pp / Ppk: Process performance indices. Similar to Cp/Cpk but calculated using total process variation (long-term) rather than subgroup variation (short-term).
PPM: Parts Per Million — a metric for defect rates. 1,000 PPM means 0.1% defective. Commonly used in supplier quality scorecards.

Q

QMS: Quality Management System — the formalized system of policies, processes, and procedures for managing quality. QMS software digitizes and automates these processes.

R

RCA: Root Cause Analysis — a systematic process for identifying the underlying cause of a quality problem. Common RCA tools include 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, and fault tree analysis.
RTY: Rolled Throughput Yield — the cumulative yield across multiple process steps. Accounts for defects that are reworked, providing a more accurate picture of process quality than first pass yield alone.

S

SCAR: Supplier Corrective Action Request — a formal request to a supplier to investigate and correct a quality issue. Tracked through the supplier quality module of QC software.
Six Sigma: A data-driven methodology for eliminating defects and reducing variation. Six Sigma quality corresponds to 3.4 DPMO. Often implemented alongside quality management software.
SPC: Statistical Process Control — the use of statistical methods to monitor and control manufacturing processes. SPC software automates control charts, capability analysis, and out-of-control alerts.
SQM: Supplier Quality Management — the processes and systems used to evaluate, monitor, and improve supplier quality performance. SQM software automates supplier scorecards and corrective actions.

T

Training Matrix: A record of operator skills, certifications, and training requirements. QMS software links training records to specific work instructions and inspection plans.