Quality Assurance And Quality Control, these two terms are really confusing when someone is trying to understand the complete quality system. Often we feel that both terms are the same. But these are not. So in this article let’s learn the differences between Quality Assurance vs Quality Control.
But before we learn about the differences between quality control vs quality assurance, we should know about what is called a quality system.
What is quality System?
Every product or process is intended to give the desired output. If the product or the process is not giving the desired output, then the part or the process is termed as defective and not used in any further applications.
To ensure that the product or process is giving the output that is intended, a system is in a place called the quality system. The quality system ensures that the output is in line with what was specified in the design of the product or process.
Quality Systems has two arms.
- Quality Assurance
- Quality Control
Both quality control and quality assurance are equally important for the whole quality system. The only difference is that quality assurance is preventive whereas quality control focuses on defect reduction.
What is quality Assurance?
Quality assurance is a set of activities and processes that are in place in a system to ensure that the system is giving the desired output.
Quality assurance ensures that all prerequisites are already fulfilled to produce a quality product.
Quality assurance comes first before the quality control. Better quality assurance reduces the quality control cost. Quality assurance is often a combination of different process optimization.
Six Sigma, Lean, kaizen, 6S, all are examples of quality assurance by optimizing the process and reducing waste. Better quality assurance means fewer defects and fewer defects means more profit.
What is quality control
Quality control comes after quality assurance. This ensures that the product is made as per the specifications and giving the desired output.
Quality control involves testing, validation, inspection, etc that ensures that the product is produced as intended and solves the desired purpose.
If a company spends more money on quality assurance, they need to spend on quality control and vice versa. But in the long run, a better quality assurance system yields more benefits.
Differences Between quality assurance And quality control (qA vs qC)
Both quality assurance and quality control solve the purpose, which is giving quality products. One is preventive and the other is curative, that is the only difference.
| Quality Assurance ( QA) | Quality Control ( QC) |
|---|---|
| Quality assurance is a set of tools and processes to assure that the product will be produced with desired quality | Quality control is a set of inspection, validation, and testing to ensure that the product is produced with the desired quality |
| Quality assurance comes before the production | Quality control comes after the production |
| Quality assurance is process-oriented | Quality control is product-oriented |
| Prevents defects | Reduce defects |
| QA comes before QC | QC comes after QA |
| Proactive measure | Reactive measure |
| Activities involve process optimization, documentation, and training | Activities involve testing, validation, and inspection |
| More costly and time-consuming to implement | Takes less time to implement |
| Gives more benefits in the long term | More short term benefit |
| QA focuses more on the manufacturing process and waste reduction | QC focuses more on process implementation and inspection |
Conclusion : Quality Control Vs Quality Assurance
I hope this article gave enough insights into the difference between quality control and quality assurance. I believe that now the confusion is clear. It is really important to know the basic difference between these two terms so that you can work and implement quality tools efficiently.
If you still have any questions or queries, please write in the comment section and I will be happy to assist.
You may like to read: Accuracy Vs Precision: Difference Between Accuracy And Precision
Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQ) on QC Vs QA
What is quality assurance?
Quality assurance is a set of tools and methodology to ensure that a product will be produced with the desired quality that is intended.
What is quality control?
Quality control is a set of inspection, testing, and validation methods to ensure that the product is produced with the desired quality.
