ABSTRACT
The demand for measurement data is ever increasing. Decisions need to be made on such questions as the suitability of a material for an intended purpose, the quality of the environment, and the health of individuals. Quality assurance consists of two separate but related activities: quality control and quality assessment. Both must be operational and coordinated. The general approach to quality assurance of the measurement process parallels that for the industrial production process and borrows concepts and techniques proven trustworthy for the latter, to the extent possible. The objective of quality control is to fine tune and maintain a measurement process in a desired state of stability and reproducibility. In such, the process can be considered to have a high degree of similarity to an industrial production process, with the ability to produce objects with a high degree of reproducibility.
