Quality Planning and Assessment

Recommended Prerequisites

None.

Teaching Methods

The presentation of programatic contents is complemented with real cases and illustrative examples. Students are expected to take over the presentation of some cases and actively participate in the discussion of various texts. In some topics, students are challenged to apply the methodologies and tools studied in real situations (problem-based learning). For each topic, in addition to the key bibliography, articles from scientific and professional journals are suggested. Open-questions/issues are often identified, which may suggest clues for research work in the field.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this course unit, the student should:

• Understand that Quality starts in the conception and design of products, services and processes in line with users' needs and requirements, giving support and consistency to the organizations' innovation efforts;

• Be able to use a set of methodologies and tools that can be applied within the scope of quality planning;

• Be aware of the economic consequences of Quality and Non Quality and be able to evaluate/estimate such consequences;

• Know that Organizational Excellence depends on the implementation of Quality principles, on the definition of objectives aligned with stakeholders' needs and expectations and on the promotion of sustaianability;

• Demonstrate their capacity to design and implement organizational self-assessment processes, supported by adequate metrics and indicators;

Understand the role of quality frameworks in Public Administration and in the regulation of sectors,  such as health, education and social services.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Adopting a perspective of product and process innovation and of sustained improvement of organizational performance, the following topics are addressed:

1) Fundamentals of Organizational Excellence. Hard and soft components of Quality in a 4.0 and 5.0 optics.

2) Methodologies for the design of new products, services and processes based on co-creation and customer/user involvement. Traditional and digital tools for collecting and analyzing the Voice of the Customer.

3) Quality metrics and indicators. The Costs of Quality. Taguchi loss function.

4) Organizational performance assessment systems. Excellence models. Organizational self-assessment: requirements and best practices.

5) Regulation and Quality: the context of Public Administration and Services of General Interest. Models and frameworks for Quality and Accreditation in Health, Education and Social Services.

6) Challenges and future trends.

Head Lecturer(s)

Patrícia Helena Ferreira Lopes de Moura e Sá

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Periodic or by final exam as given in the course information: 100.0%

Bibliography

EFQM. EFQM 2020 Model—EFQM. 2020. Available online: https://www.efqm.org/index.php/efqm-model/download-yourfree-short-copy-of-the-efqm-model/.

EVANS, James R. ; LINDSAY, William M. - Managing for quality and performance excellence. Eleven ed.. Mason : South-Western/Cengage Learning, 2019.

HARVEY, Jean - Complex Service Delivery Processes: Strategy to Operations. 4th edition. ASQ Quality Press, 2021.

ROSA, Maria João; SÁ, Patrícia Moura e & SARRICO, Cláudia (Org.) – Qualidade em Ação. Lisboa: Sílabo 2014

TMQ – Número Especial – 10 anos, Edições Sílabo, 2019.