Understanding Quality Module
This page provides a complete overview of how Quality Module works in Zoho ERP. It explains the purpose of quality control in manufacturing and the purchased items, how quality inspections are enforced within the production lifecycle, and how the four sub modules of Quality Module work together to ensure that only compliant items are completed and moved forward.
Quality Module is integrated with manufacturing and purchase receive workflows.
What is Quality Module?
Quality Module is a production control framework that ensures every item produced or purchased meets defined quality standards. It allows businesses to define inspection criteria, enforce mandatory inspections, capture inspection results, and determine whether manufactured or purchased items pass or fail quality checks.
Lifecycle of Quality Module
The lifecycle of Quality Module begins when a Manufacturing Order is processed and a purchase receive is recorded. If the item is associated with an active Quality Rule, the system generates Quality Inspections based on the assigned Quality Templates.
Inspectors then execute it through Quality Inspections or Inspection Worklists, depending on the configured view. Inspection results are validated against allowable failure thresholds.
Once all required inspections pass validation, the Manufacturing Order can be marked as completed and purchase receives can be added into inventory accordingly.
When and How is Quality Module Applied?
Quality Module comes into effect after Job Cards are completed for a Manufacturing Order or when a purchase receive is created for the purchased item. Once production activities are finished and purchase receives are recorded, the system checks whether the manufactured or purchased item is linked to an active Quality Rule. If so, a Quality Inspection will be created and validated. Only after all required inspections are successfully validated can the Manufacturing Order be marked as completed.
This ensures that quality checks happen at the correct stage after production or purchase receive but before completion and inventory update.
Key Benefits of Using the Quality Module
- Ensures quality inspections are mandatory before Manufacturing Orders are completed.
- Prevents defective or non-compliant items from entering inventory.
- Supports both visual inspections and measurable quality evaluations.
- Provides full traceability of inspection results and failure reasons.
- Reduces rework, returns, and warranty claims.
- Adapts to simple and complex manufacturing workflows.
Choose the Right Quality Workflow
Zoho ERP supports two views for the Quality Module to accommodate different production needs.
Simple View
This view provides a compact workflow that streamlines Quality Module for visual inspections, to validate manufactured or purchased items as part of regular production workflows. It supports inspections through Quality Rules and Quality Inspections.
Scenario: Patricia Boyle runs a furniture factory that manufactures wooden chairs in large volumes. Her team works fast, and most quality issues are visual like scratches, uneven polish, or loose joints. With Simple View in the Quality Module module, Patricia creates a Quality Rule and ensures that inspection is mandatory before a Manufacturing Order is closed and during a purchase receive.
Required samples from each batch is taken for Quality Inspection and only chairs that meet the expected condition pass the inspection. This helps Patricia catch visible defects early without slowing down production.
Advanced View
This view is designed for manufacturers who want to evaluate product quality using multiple testing methods. It supports qualitative inspections such a appearance-based checks, along with quantitative inspections based on measurable parameters like dimensions, weight, or performance readings.
Both views follow the same quality enforcement logic, while Advanced View offers Quality Templates and Inspection Worklist in addition to Quality Rules and Quality Inspection modules.
Scenario: Brandon Tyler manages quality at an electrical equipment plant that manufactures electric motors. A motor may look perfect but fail due to insulation failure, improper rotor balancing etc., resulting in breakdowns at the customer site and costly warranty claims.
Using Advanced View in the Quality Module module, Brandon creates Quality Rules and defines clear testing parameters and acceptable limits for every motor by creating Quality Templates. Actual test values are recorded during Quality Inspection and evaluated individually using Inspection Worklists.
The Four Quality Modules
The Quality Module module comprises four core components that work together to define, enforce, and execute quality inspections throughout the manufacturing process and purchase receives.
Quality Templates
Quality Templates define what needs to be inspected in a manufactured item. They specify inspection criteria, sample size, and allowable failures, ensuring inspections are consistent and repeatable across production runs and receives.
Templates may be qualitative or quantitative and serve as standardized inspection references once associated with a Quality Rule.
Quality Rules
Quality Rules determine when inspections are required and associates the Quality templates with the required manufactured item or a purchased item. When marked as active, they enforce mandatory inspections.
Quality Inspections
Quality Inspections are created for specific Manufacturing Orders after Job Cards are completed and after the item is received from your purchase. They capture inspection outcomes and are system-evaluated against defined thresholds to determine pass or fail status.
Inspection Worklists
Inspection Worklists break inspections into executable tasks. They guide inspectors through each check, record results, and ensure every inspection is validated.
Configure Preferences
You can configure the Quality Module Preferences once the module is enabled. You can choose between Simple View and Advanced View based on your inspection requirements.