What is the difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control?
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ISO 9000 Definitions 1
• Quality Control : “A part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements”.
• Quality Assurance : “A part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality
requirements will be fulfilled.”
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Other Definitions 2
• Quality Assurance is defined as “All the planned and systematic activities implemented within the
quality system that can be demonstrated to provide confidence that a product or service will ful-
fill requirements for quality”.
• Quality Control is defined as “The operational techniques and activities used to fulfill requirements for quality”.
✥
ISO 9000 Definitions 1
• Quality Control : “A part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements”.
• Quality Assurance : “A part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality
requirements will be fulfilled.”
✥
Other Definitions 2
• Quality Assurance is defined as “All the planned and systematic activities implemented within the
quality system that can be demonstrated to provide confidence that a product or service will ful-
fill requirements for quality”.
• Quality Control is defined as “The operational techniques and activities used to fulfill requirements for quality”.
QA is a set of activities for ensuring quality in the processes by which products are developed. | QC is a set of activities for ensuring quality in products. The activities focus on identifying defects in the actual products produced. |
QA aims to prevent defects with a focus on the process used to make the product. It is a proactive quality process. | QC aims to identify (and correct) defects in the finished product. Quality control, therefore, is a reactive process. |
The goal of QA is to improve development and test processes so that defects do not arise when the product is being developed. | The goal of QC is to identify defects after a product is developed and before it's released. |
Statistical Tools & Techniques can be applied in both QA & QC. When they are applied to processes(process inputs & operational parameters), they are called Statistical Process Control (SPC); & it becomes the part of QA. | When statistical tools & techniquesare applied to finished products (process outputs), they are called as Statistical Quality Control (SQC) & comes under QC. |
Prevention of quality problems through planned and systematic activities including documentation. | The activities or techniques used to achieve and maintain the product quality, process and service. |
Establish a good quality management system and the assessment of its adequacy & conformance audit of the operation system & the review of the system itself. | Finding & eliminating sources of quality problems through tools & equipment so that customer's requirements are continually met. |
Verification is an example of QA | Validation/Software Testing is an example of QC |
Everyone on the team involved in developing the product is responsible for quality assurance. | Quality control is usually the responsibility of a specific team that tests the product for defects. |