Quality is a concept that determines the conformity of a product, service, or process to certain standards or levels of customer satisfaction. It encompasses elements such as meeting or exceeding customer expectations, maintaining consistency, continuous improvement, measurability, process quality, flexibility, and effective management of resources. These elements enable an organization to achieve its total quality management and customer satisfaction objectives. Quality is regarded as an integral part of the organizational culture at every level and in every process.

It is a system designed to ensure the conformity of higher education institutions' educational, research, and societal contribution activities, as well as administrative services, to certain standards and to achieve continuous improvement. This system encompasses the principles of planning, implementing, and monitoring internal and external quality assurance and accreditation processes. The Quality Assurance System covers the processes of ensuring compliance with established standards, continuously monitoring and improving performance, enhancing stakeholder satisfaction, and ensuring accountability. It is a systematic approach aimed at enhancing quality in educational, research, and administrative processes, incorporating elements of measurability and accountability.

It is the sum of generally accepted criteria or specifications used to determine the quality and performance of a specific product, service, or process. Standards are guidelines established to ensure that products and services meet a certain level of reliability, compatibility, and quality. These criteria are used to maintain consistency within the industry, enhance customer satisfaction, and ensure important factors such as safety and efficiency. Standards aim to achieve harmony and excellence in industry, commerce, and social life.

It is a comprehensive set of operations that involve organizing, documenting, and measuring the performance of interconnected processes within the activities of institutions and organizations. This management approach ensures that processes are carried out more efficiently and effectively, enhances operational efficiency, and promotes continuous improvement. Process management monitors, evaluates, and identifies opportunities for improvement when necessary, supporting institutions in achieving their goals. In this way, organizations can both comply with quality standards and increase customer satisfaction.

It is a report in which higher education institutions annually evaluate themselves across four main areas—Leadership and Quality, Education and Training, Research and Development, and Societal Contribution—based on the criteria set by the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THE QC). This report serves as a comprehensive self-assessment that includes the governance processes, quality assurance mechanisms, and the monitoring and improvement efforts of these mechanisms, all aligned with the institution's mission and goals.

It is a quality infrastructure established to support the reliability and validity of the work carried out by conformity assessment bodies and the conformity confirmation documents they issue, such as test and inspection reports, calibration certificates, management system certificates, product certification documents, and personnel certification documents. This process involves a systematic audit and approval mechanism designed to independently verify an organization's compliance with specific standards. Accreditation demonstrates the competence, reliability, and conformity of organizations to certain standards, ensuring their recognition on an international level. The accreditation process provides assurance to customers and stakeholders by guaranteeing that an organization's activities are conducted with quality, accuracy, and consistency. Additionally, accreditation serves as a guide for organizations to achieve their goals of continuous improvement and development.

It is a program established to harmonize higher education and academic standards across Europe. This process aims to minimize differences between education systems, facilitating mutual recognition and transitions in higher education across Europe. The Bologna Process ensures that degree and diploma systems are transparent and comparable, promoting the mobility of students and academic staff. By creating the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), this process seeks to increase quality and accessible educational opportunities and to produce graduates who are better prepared for the labor market. Additionally, the Bologna Process encompasses topics such as lifelong learning, the social dimension, and the adoption of innovative approaches in higher education.

It is a process that analyzes an organization's current situation, evaluates potential future trends and developments, sets objectives, and develops strategies to achieve these objectives, while also measuring the outcomes of implementation. This plan identifies the steps necessary for organizations to achieve their vision and mission, creating a roadmap to reach the set goals by effectively utilizing resources. Strategic Planning is critical for the long-term success and sustainability of organizations, incorporating continuous monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)

This is a crucial component of lean production efforts and a prerequisite for the continuous improvement of people and processes. The cycle consists of four fundamental stages aimed at enhancing process efficiency and continuously improving quality: In the Planning stage, goals are set and processes are designed; in the Doing stage, the planned steps are implemented; in the Checking stage, results are evaluated, and performance is measured; in the Acting stage, deviations are corrected, and improvement steps are applied. The PDCA Cycle forms the foundation of a continuous improvement culture and is a critical tool for quality management in any organization.