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  • Writer's pictureNancy Smith

What is the Difference Between Quality Assurance and Quality Control?


What is Quality Assurance?

Quality Assurance applies to the process used to produce the deliverables and can be performed by a supervisor, client, or even a third-party reviewer. Quality Assurance includes process checklists, project audits, and methodology and standards development.


Quality Assurance activities are prepared before production work begins, and these activities are done while the product is being developed. Indifference, Quality control activities are performed after the product is produced.


Quality Assurance is popularly known as Quality Assurance Testing, is defined as an activity to assure that an organization is giving the best possible outcome or service to customers.


What is Quality Control?

Quality Control refers to quality related activities associated with the creation of project deliverables. Quality control is used to check that deliverables are of acceptable quality and that they are complete and correct. Quality control activities involve inspection, deliverable peer reviews, and the testing process.


Quality control popularly abbreviated as Quality Control. It is a Software Engineering process used to assure quality in a product or a service. It does not deal with the methods used to create a product; instead, it examines the quality of the "end products" and the outcome.

Quality control is about observance to requirements. Quality Assurance is generic and does not affect the specific needs of the product being developed.


Comparison of Quality Assurance vs. Quality Control


Definition:

  • Quality Assurance is a set of activities for assuring quality in the processes by which products are developed.

  • Quality Control is a set of activities for assuring the quality of products. The activities focus on recognizing defects in the actual products produced.

Focus on:

  • Quality Assurance intends to prevent defects with a focus on the process used to make the product. It is a proactive, quality process.

  • Quality Control aims to identify and correct deficits in the finished product. Quality control, therefore, is a reactive process.

How?

  • Establish a sound quality management system and the assessment of its adequacy — periodic conformance audits of the operations of the system.

  • They are finding and eliminating sources of quality problems through tools and equipment, so that customer's requirements are constantly met.

What?

  • Limitation of quality problems within planned and regular activities, including documentation.

  • The activities or techniques used to and kept the product quality, process, and service.

Goal:

  • The goal of Quality Assurance is to promote the development and test processes so that mistakes do not appear when the product is being developed.

  • The goal of Quality Control is to identify errors after a product is developed and before it is released.

Responsibility:

  • Everyone on the team included in developing the product is responsible for quality assurance.

  • Quality control is usually the ability of a unique team that tests the product for defects.

Example:

  • Verification is an example of Quality Assurance Validation.

  • Software Testing is an example of Quality Control.

Statistical Techniques:

  • Statistical Tools & Techniques can be used in both Quality Assurance and Quality Control. When they are used to processes, they are called Statistical Process Control (SPC); & it becomes the part of Quality Assurance.

  • When statistical tools and techniques are applied to finished products, they are called Statistical Quality Control & comes under Quality Control.

As a Tool:

  • Quality Assurance is a managerial tool.

  • Quality Control is a corrective tool.

Orientation:

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