Certainly, having a department oversee another to ensure standards are met can easily create tension between the two. From what I believe, as well from what I’ve experienced in the industry, I’ve come to understand an effective way quality departments maintain good relations with other departments. Many times, teams such as R&D may get agitated if they must be constantly reminded by Quality to abide by certain regulations. Especially if designs and plans have already been made and do not meet quality specifications. This is all due to a lack of transparency between quality and the other department. I’ve noted that our R&D department is very knowledgeable in FDA regulations. Almost to the point they know as much as employees in quality. This is because they value meeting deadlines and do not wish to encounter any setbacks. Our quality department goes through extensive lengths to provide resources and information that each department should be aware of so that everybody is on the same page. All in all, as long as employees on both sides are thorough and diligent in their work, and as long as the communication between departments is continuous, tensions should either be minimal or non-existent.