Quality Assurance vs Quality Control | QA vs QC

Difference Between Quality Assurance vs Quality Control

→ Many people think that the QA and QC are similar but that is not actually true.

→ Both are different from each other.

→ QA and QC are related to each other and both are part of Quality Management.

Table of Contents:

• Difference Between Quality Assurance vs Quality Control
• What is Quality?
• What is Assurance? 
• What is Quality Assurance?
• What is Control?
• What is Quality Control?
• Quality Assurance vs Quality Control
• Examples of QA and QC in Different Industries
• Benefits of QA and QC Program
• Advantages of QA and QC Program
• Disadvantages of QA and QC Program
• Conclusion

What is Quality?

→ Quality means conformance to the specification.

→ In easy language, we can say as the fulfillment of requirements.

→ Quality has many more meanings some of that are mentioned below.

The Different Meanings of Quality are:

• It is a degree of excellence
• Fit for purpose
• Freedom from defects
• Conformance of specifications
• Value for customer
• Doing the right thing at the right time

What is Assurance?

→ In general terms, assurance refers to a promise,  guarantee, or confidence.

→ Assurance involves the assessment and verification of quality, reliability, compliance, and effectiveness of any product, process, service, or system.

→ Also we can say that assurance means one type of confidence that ensures an error-free product or service.

What is Quality Assurance?

→ Quality Assurance is a set of systematic processes that ensure the quality and reliability of a product, process, service, or system.

→ Quality_Assurance is also known by the acronym QA.

→ QA helps us to establish and maintain various system standards, procedures, and guidelines to fulfill customer-specific requirements and expectations.

→ Quality_Assurance gives confidence in defect-free products or error-free service to the customer.

→ Examples of some of the QA activities are process design, documentation, and training.

→ In product development, QA activities include all the activities from the concept stage to the delivery stage.

→ Quality_Assurance identifies potential quality problems that may arise and create the problem so before that happens QA prevents it.

Key Activities Quality Assurance

→ Different QA activities are mentioned below to fulfill the customer's requirements.

• Creation of the Auditing Standard
• Creation of the Product Development Standard
• SOP and WI Creation
• Process Parameter Finalization

Key Elements of the Quality Assurance Program

→ Refer to the below-mentioned key elements of QA that help to improve the quality

• Quality Standards and Procedures Preparation
• Product, Process, and System Audits and Assessments
• Training and Skill Development of all Employee
• Process Development and Documentation
• Continuous Improvement
• Risk Assessment and Management
• Supplier Quality Management

→ Successfully implementing the above-mentioned elements helps us to improve customer satisfaction and also leads to new businesses.

Quality Assurance Tools

→ Different types of QA tools that help to prevent defects or errors and make a system or process more robust.

→ Various Types of Audits are the QA tools.

⏩ Different QA tools are:

• Process Audit
• Product Audit
• System Audit

What is Control?

→ The word control has different meanings, but generally, it refers to control of something.

→ Control means verifying actual results by comparing them with the defined standards or specifications.

→ In very easy language we can say that control means keeping something within a limit.

→ The meaning is changed as per its usage in different fields, situations, and contexts.

What is Quality Control?

→ Quality Control is a systematic approach to ensure that products or services meet customers' requirements.

→ Quality_Control is also known by the acronym QC.

→ Quality_Control helps us with Sampling, Inspection, Testing, and taking Corrective and Preventative actions as required to fulfill customer-specific requirements and expectations.

→ The primary focus of QC is to identify defects or errors.

→ It is product-centric.

→ Examples of some of the QA activities are testing, inspection, and rework.

Key Activities Quality Control

→ Different QC activities are mentioned below to fulfill the customer's requirements.

• Sampling Inspection
• In-process Inspection
• Lab Testing
• Validation of Product or Service
• Different Analysis and Chart Patterns

Key Elements of Quality Control Program

→ Refer to the below given key elements of QC that help to improve customer satisfaction

• Quality Standards Monitoring
• Production Process Monitoring
• Identification of Defects
• Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Actions
• Handling of Non-conformance Products
• Documentation and Record Keeping
• Continuous Improvement

→ Successfully implementing the above-mentioned quality elements helps us to improve customer satisfaction.

Quality Control Tools

→ Different types of QC tools are available to detect defects or trends.

→ There are 7 QC Tools that are very famous for quality control activities.

⏩The Seven Quality Control Tools are:

1. Flow Chart or Process Flow Diagram
2. Cause and Effect Diagram
3. Pareto Chart
4. Histogram
5. Control Chart
6. Scatter Diagram
7. Checksheet

Quality Assurance vs Quality Control

→ Generally people think that the QA & QC are similar but that's not completely true.

→ There are many differences between each other.

→ Also, both are related to each other and both are a part of Quality Management.

→ QA focuses on preventing defects or errors while QC focuses on identifying or detecting defects.

→ QA is proactive in nature while QC is reactive in nature.

→ Quality_Assurance is process-centric while Quality_Control is product-centric.

→ Refer to the below comparison table so you can easily get knowledge about QA and QC.

Examples of QA and QC in Different Industries

→ Now we will learn about the various responsibilities of QA and QC in different industries like 1. Manufacturing Industry, Healthcare Industries, IT Industries, Food Industries, etc.

1. Manufacturing Industry:

→ In this industry, QA processes can be used to check whether all compliances are fulfilled as per the requirements and product is being manufactured as per the specification or not?

→ While QC processes focus on that the defect-free product goes to the customer.

2. Healthcare Industry:

→ In this industry, QA ensures that the patient can get safe and effective care.

→ While QC processes focus on identifying and correcting disease.

3. IT Industry:

→ In the IT Industry, QA can be used to ensure that the developed product meets the customer's requirements.

→ While QC can be used to check that the defect-free software can be shared with the customer.

4. Food Industry:

→ In the food industry, QA is used to prevent defects by implementing robust processes and compliance.

→ QA ensures consistent performance with the help of various types of audits.

→ While the QC team checks the final food product that meets quality standards, customer, statutory, and regulatory requirements.

Benefits of QA and QC Program

• Increased customer satisfaction
• Minimize customer complaint
• Reduced costs and saved money by preventing defects
• Improved efficiency by fixing problems during the product development stage
• Enhanced the reputation of an organization by supplying quality products or service
• Increase the motivation of the team
• A Good Quality Management System will give a competitive advantage
• It eliminates the different Lean Wastes from the complete supply chain

Advantages of Quality Assurance and Control Program

• Process control improvement
• Product and service quality improvement
• Cost reduction and profitability improvement
• Well-defined processes lead to a good working environment for the people
• Due to good product and service quality, the sales and profit will increase
• It will increase the efficiency and effectiveness
• It will reduce the rejection of products and service

Disadvantages of the QA and QC Program

• It is a very time-consuming process
• Both have high implementation costs
• A lot of effort and resources are required to train the people
• To fulfill the compliance requirements increase the operational cost

Conclusion:

→ Quality assurance and quality control are totally different concepts but both together are equally important for any business.

→ Both are an integral and foundational part of the quality management system.

→ QA focuses on preventing defects and emphasizing a proactive approach.

→ QC focuses on detecting defects and emphasizing a reactive approach.

→ By integrating both QA and QC together we can establish an effective quality management system.

→ QA ensures the processes are optimized and within controlled conditions and ensures consistent quality of output product.

→ QC ensures that the final products are inspected before product dispatch and meets the quality standards.

→ Both QA and QC together help to achieve a high level of quality and fulfill customer and regulatory requirements.

→ Also, we can maintain high-quality products and services, that will improve customer satisfaction, reliability, and business growth.