Reengineering of processes is targeted to removing steps that do not add value. Many other indirect measures related to quality exist. It should be very evident that high quality incoming material from other vendors is prerequisite to smoothly functioning processes and high quality products. Thus, it is essential that incoming product be monitored. In businesses in which most, or all, of the material used in manufacture is outside the control of the business and solely dependent on outside vendors, incoming material quality could well be a potential balanced scorecard type of measure.
Several methods exist for insuring the incoming quality of material.
They include certifying vendors, demanding control charts for incoming product and sampling incoming product among others. Certified vendors are vendors who adhere to manufacturing practices that insure the quality of their output who have demonstrated that fact to you. You have inspected their facilities, reviewed their SPC and quality practices and know that their processes are under control and meet your specification limits. Quality audits are regularly performed using the MIL-STD procedures to insure compliance. Many of the measures below are very traditional measurements used in manufacturing.