Quality Assurance vs Quality Control: Definitions & Differences

Quality control can be defined as "part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements." While quality assurance relates to how a process is ... |CartTotal: Checkout Dismiss Menu closemenu QualityAssurancevsControl Home Membership PlanYourCareer-InBeta Learning CorporateTraining SpecializedCredentials ASQConnEx FindanExpert Certification CertificationPreparation Recertification QualityResources Conferences&Events Books&Standards Communities QualityProgressMagazine ASQTV FindQualityJobs AboutASQ AboutASQE LearnAboutQuality SEARCH MagazinesandJournalssearch AboutQualityAssurancevs.QualityControl Resources RelatedTopics QualityAssurancevs.QualityControlResources Articles Books CaseStudies Division Journal QualityAssuranceJobs QualityAssuranceTraining QualityControlJobs QualityControlTraining QualityAssurancevs.QualityControlRelatedTopics Auditing ControlChart EnvironmentalManagementSystem(EMS) ISO9000 QualityManagementSystem(QMS) StatisticalProcessControl(SPC) TotalQualityManagement(TQM) Home / QualityResources / QualityAssurancevsControl QualityASSURANCE&Qualitycontrol QualityGlossaryDefinition:Qualityassurance/qualitycontrol(QA/QC) Qualityassurance(QA)andqualitycontrol(QC)aretwotermsthatareoftenusedinterchangeably.Althoughsimilar,therearedistinctdifferencesbetweenthetwoconcepts.Thispagewillexplainthedifferencesbetweenqualitycontrolandqualitymanagement,andprovidedefinitionsandexamplesofeach.  DifferencesbetweenQAandQC IndustryperspectivesonQAandQC HistoryofQAandQC QAandQCresources DifferencesBetweenQAandQC Qualityassuranceandqualitycontrolaretwoaspectsofqualitymanagement.Whilesomequalityassuranceandqualitycontrolactivitiesareinterrelated,thetwoaredefineddifferently.Typically,QAactivitiesandresponsibilitiescovervirtuallyallofthequalitysysteminonefashionoranother,whileQCisasubsetoftheQAactivities.Also,elementsinthequalitysystemmightnotbespecificallycoveredbyQA/QCactivitiesandresponsibilitiesbutmayinvolveQAandQC.Figure1showsISO9000 definitionsfromISO9000:2015:Qualitymanagementsystems-FundamentalsandVocabulary. PurchaseISO9000:2015 Publishedhardcopy PDFe-standard Seetrainingcoursesforthesecrucialfunctions: Qualitycontroltraining Qualityassurancetraining Figure1:QualitySystem,QualityAssurance,andQualityControlRelationships QualityAssurance Qualityassurancecanbedefinedas"partofqualitymanagementfocusedonprovidingconfidencethatqualityrequirementswillbefulfilled."Theconfidenceprovidedbyqualityassuranceistwofold—internallytomanagementandexternallytocustomers,governmentagencies,regulators,certifiers,andthirdparties.Analternatedefinitionis"alltheplannedandsystematicactivitiesimplementedwithinthequalitysystemthatcanbedemonstratedtoprovideconfidencethataproductorservicewillfulfillrequirementsforquality." QualityControl Qualitycontrolcanbedefinedas"partofqualitymanagementfocusedonfulfilling qualityrequirements."Whilequalityassurancerelatestohowaprocessisperformedorhowaproductismade,qualitycontrolismoretheinspectionaspectofqualitymanagement.Analternatedefinitionis"theoperationaltechniquesandactivitiesusedtofulfillrequirementsforquality." IndustryPerspectivesonQAandQC Forsomeserviceorganizations,theconceptofqualitycontrolmaybeforeignbecausethereisnotangibleproducttoinspectandcontrol.Thequalityassurancefunctioninaserviceorganizationmaynotincludequalitycontroloftheservicebutmayincludequalitycontrolofanyproductsinvolvedinprovidingtheservice. Aservicemayincludeproductsthataredocuments(suchasareport,contract,ordesign)ortangibleproducts(suchasarentalcarorunitsofblood).Itmaybenecessarytocontrolproductqualityinaserviceorganizationtoensurethattheservicemeetscustomerrequirements. QA,QC,andInspection Inspectionistheprocessofmeasuring,examining,andtestingtogaugeoneormorecharacteristicsofaproductorserviceandthecomparisonofthesewithspecifiedrequirementstodetermineconformity.Products,processes,andvariousotherresultscanbeinspectedtomakesurethattheobjectcomingoffaproductionline,ortheservicebeingprovided,iscorrectandmeetsspecifications. QualityAssuranceandAuditFunctions Auditingispartofthequalityassurancefunction.Itisimportanttoensurequalitybecauseitisusedtocompareactualconditionswithrequirementsandtoreportthoseresultstomanagement. InTheQualityAudit:AManagementEvaluationTool(McGraw-Hill,1988),CharlesMillwrotethatauditingandinspectionarenotinterchangeable:“Theauditormayuseinspectiontechniquesasanevaluationtool,buttheauditshouldnotbeinvolvedincarryingoutanyverificationactivitiesleadingtotheactualacceptanceorrejectionofaproductorservice.Anauditshouldbeinvolvedwiththeevaluationoftheprocessandcontrolscoveringtheproductionandverificationactivities.” Formalmanagementsystemshaveevolvedtodirectandcontrolorganizations.Therearequalitymanagementsystems(QMSs) aswellasenvironmental orothermanagementsystems,andeachofthesesystemsmaybeaudited. HistoryofQAandQC Qualityhasbeendefinedasfitnessforuse,conformancetorequirements,andthepursuitofexcellence.Eventhoughtheconceptofqualityhasexistedfromearlytimes,thestudyanddefinitionofqualityhavebeengivenprominenceonlyinthelastcentury. 1920s:QualityControl FollowingtheIndustrialRevolutionandtheriseofmassproduction,itbecameimportanttobetterdefineandcontrolthequalityofproducts.Originally,thegoalofqualitywastoensurethatengineeringrequirementsweremetinfinalproducts.Later,asmanufacturingprocessesbecamemorecomplex,qualitydevelopedintoadisciplineforcontrollingprocessvariationasameansofproducingqualityproducts. 1950s:QualityAssuranceandAuditing Thequalityprofessionexpandedtoincludethequalityassuranceandqualityauditfunctions.Thedriversofindependentverificationofqualitywereprimarilyindustriesinwhichpublichealthandsafetywereparamount. QAandQCResources Youcanalsosearcharticles,casestudies,andpublications forqualityassuranceandqualitycontrolresources. Books TheASQCertifiedQualityAuditorHandbook TheCertifiedQualityInspectorHandbook(CQI) ProcessQualityControl:TroubleshootingandInterpretationofData Articles RethinkingStatisticsForQualityControl(QualityEngineer)Asmethodsusedforstatisticalprocesscontrolbecomemoresophisticated,itbecomesapparentthattherequiredtoolshavenotbeenincludedincoursesthatteachstatisticsinqualitycontrol.Abasicdescriptionofthesetoolsandtheirapplicationsisprovided. ADiscussionOfTheSoftwareQualityAssuranceRole(SoftwareQualityProfessional)Theinabilitytoidentifywhoareactuallycustomerslimitstheabilityofsoftwarequalityassuranceengineersintheperformanceoftheirduties.CorrectingthisoversightenablestheSQAengineertoprovidegreatervaluetocustomersbyassumingtheroleofauditoraswellasthatofsoftwareandsystemsengineer. Certifications QualityAuditorCertification(CQA) QualityInspectorCertification(CQI) Courses CertifiedQualityAuditorCertificationPreparation CertifiedQualityAuditorQuestionBank CertifiedQualityInspectorCertificationPreparation CertifiedQualityInspectorQuestionBank   FromTheASQCertifiedQualityAuditorHandbook,ASQQualityPress. FeaturedAdvertisers