Who is this programme for?
People working in quality assurance, production, services and administration, including newcomers with quality management responsibilities.
Curriculum & Assessment Programme
Quality Specialist – Curriculum and Assessment Programme
Make quality visible in day-to-day work: describe processes, connect requirements with evidence and address nonconformities so that improvements can be demonstrated.
Audience and entry requirements
What are the entry requirements?
No particular vocational qualification or existing quality certificate is required. Participants need sufficient language skills to work with technical texts and a short written case. A workplace process is useful; an Academy case is available as an alternative.
Scope and learning format
32 teaching units of 45 minutes = 24 clock hours, including 90 minutes of final assessment. Teaching and supervised practice: 30 units. Scheduling is confirmed before booking.
Live online through alfaview or in person, with learning materials and assessment information in the Odoo portal. One teaching unit (UE) is 45 minutes; breaks are excluded. The timetable, teaching and assessment languages and any individual oral assessment slots are confirmed before the course begins.
Which competencies will you demonstrate?
- Describe a workplace process with inputs, outputs and responsibilities.
- Match quality requirements to appropriate verification evidence.
- Document a nonconformity using traceable facts.
- Carry out basic root-cause analysis and propose appropriate improvements.
- Assess a measure’s effectiveness against a defined criterion.
The curriculum
Quality and process thinking
Customer requirements, quality terminology, PDCA, inputs, outputs, roles and interfaces.
Scope / allocation
5 teaching units
Evidence and output
A process profile with a measurable outcome.
Processes and documented information
Describe activities clearly, map requirements, distinguish documents from records and trace versions.
Scope / allocation
6 teaching units
Evidence and output
A process map and associated evidence list.
Quality assurance in operations
Verification points, measurement and inspection data, basic sampling and the limits of observations and data.
Scope / allocation
5 teaching units
Evidence and output
A justified verification plan for the case process.
Nonconformities and causes
Separate facts from evaluation, record nonconformities, examine causal hypotheses and distinguish correction from corrective action.
Scope / allocation
6 teaching units
Evidence and output
A nonconformity report and basic root-cause analysis.
Implementing and evaluating improvement
Prioritise actions, allocate responsibilities and dates, use measures and check effectiveness.
Scope / allocation
6 teaching units
Evidence and output
An action plan with a verifiable effectiveness criterion.
Case transfer and assessment preparation
Work through an integrated process and quality case, discussing open questions and common evaluation errors.
Scope / allocation
2 teaching units
Evidence and output
A revised case dossier as learning evidence.
Final assessment
A written knowledge component and a practical case; both are assessed.
Scope / allocation
2 teaching units
Evidence and output
Scored knowledge responses and case report.
How your work is assessed
Weighting: 40 %
Knowledge and application
20 short selected-response and application questions on processes, evidence, nonconformities and effectiveness.
45 minutes
- Correct technical interpretation
- Selection of suitable verification steps
- Distinction between correction and corrective action
Weighting: 60 %
Practical quality case
Describe a supplied process with three verification points, formulate an evidenced nonconformity and propose action and an effectiveness check.
45 minutes
- Process understanding
- Link between requirements and evidence
- Plausible cause and appropriate action
- Verifiable effectiveness assessment
Pass requirements
A pass requires at least 70 of 100 weighted overall points and at least 60 of 100 points in every mandatory assessment component. In the practical component, the critical criterion “link between requirements and evidence” must achieve at least 2 of 4 rubric points. These thresholds are Academy policy; ISO/IEC 17024 does not prescribe these scores.
Practical performance is scored against each published criterion from 0 to 4: 0 = absent or unusable; 1 = substantial technical gaps; 2 = usable work with identifiable gaps; 3 = traceable and technically sound; 4 = complete, precise and critically justified. Criteria within a component are weighted equally unless a different published allocation is stated in the task. Component scores are converted to a percentage.
Link between requirements and evidence
Permitted resources and AI
Permitted aids are the standard edition named in the assessment plan, personal course notes, the supplied case materials and a basic calculator. Communication with third parties, generative AI, automated answer services and unapproved internet research are not permitted during assessed components. Word processing is permitted for case dossiers; accessibility aids are agreed beforehand.
Identity and independent work
Before assessment, identity is checked against an official photo ID. For live online assessment, access, supervision, permitted aids and technical contingency arrangements are explained beforehand. This does not automatically require retaining an ID copy or recording the assessment.
The common assessment rules also cover retakes, reasonable adjustments, appeals, confidentiality and certificate authorisation.
Assessment and Certificate RulesWhat your certificate demonstrates
Academy course certificate: Quality Specialist — Quality Management Foundations and Quality Assurance with passed assessment
- Scope of the credential
- The certificate records the competencies specified in the programme and demonstrated through documented assessment, the assessment date, scope and programme version. Attendance alone is insufficient for an assessment certificate.
- How to interpret the qualification
- An Academy course certificate with assessment. It is not a PECB, TÜV, DEKRA or CQI/IRCA qualification and is not evidence of accredited personnel certification. No accreditation or full conformity of the Academy with ISO/IEC 17024 is claimed.
- Assessment date and currency
- Under Academy policy, this certificate is valid for a maximum of three years from its date of issue. It is issued only after all programme and assessment requirements have been met and the award decision has been documented. The validity period does not start on enrolment or at the beginning of the course. The actual validity period and expiry date are stated on the certificate; a shorter period applies only when expressly specified in the relevant course or assessment programme. There is no automatic extension. Renewal requires a documented review of current knowledge and application appropriate to the programme, using recent evidence and/or a suitable update or competence assessment. Repurchasing the entire course is not a blanket requirement. A renewed Academy certificate is also valid for no more than three years from its issue date. Attendance and passing an assessment remain verifiable historical facts tied to their dates; they do not provide indefinite validity as evidence of current competence.
This programme applies to deliveries whose agreed course and assessment plan explicitly references this revision. Existing bookings retain their agreed terms.
Programme questions
Do I need quality management experience?
No. The course starts with foundations and uses a continuing case. Workplace experience helps with application but is not a formal admission requirement.
Is assessment included in the 32 teaching units?
Yes. The programme includes 30 units of teaching and supervised practice and 2 units of final assessment. Breaks are excluded.
How does this differ from the QMB course?
A Quality Specialist handles concrete quality tasks within a process. The QMB course broadens the scope to coordinating a quality management system, including roles, measures and management reporting.
What if I fail an assessment component?
You receive feedback on the assessed competency areas. Failed components may be retaken under the common assessment rules using equivalent new tasks. Dates, any preparation required and any fees are communicated beforehand.
What does the Academy certificate demonstrate?
It records a passed course assessment with stated competencies, scope and programme version. It is not accredited personnel certification and does not replace professional experience or an assignment-specific suitability assessment.
Advice & course planning
Solo self-employed in Germany? Discuss potential KOMPASS support with an official advisory centre before booking. We can help you select a suitable programme in a consultation.
An Academy-owned assessed competence credential. The assessment programme refers to selected principles of ISO/IEC 17024:2026. This is not a claim of accreditation or fully demonstrated conformity.