QA

QC

set of activities whose purpose is to demonstrate that an entity meets all quality requirements. this is done by adopting a standard set of process and usual qa techniques like review, training, facilitation etc. it can be termed as defect prevention an audit function.

set of activities whose purpose is to ensure that all quality requirements are being met. this is defect detection, and done by testing

mainly an inspection function.

Starts before the project begins

starts when the product is manufactured

based on Customer requirements

base on Customer requirements & standards corrective process

preventive process

process oriented

Product oriented

Approach Quality guarantee or assurance is based on process approach. Quality monitoring and its assurance ensure that the processes and systems are developed and adhered in such a way that the deliverables are of good quality. This process is meant to produce defect-free goods or services which means being right the rst time with no or minimum rework. Quality control is product-based approach. It checks whether the deliverables satisfy the quality requirements as well as the specications of the customers or not. Depending upon the results, suitable corrective action is taken by quality control personals.

Sequence One of the major points of quality control vs. QA is that assurance of quality is done before starting a project whereas the quality control begins once the product has been manufactured. During assurance of quality or monitoring process, the requirements of the customers are dened. Based on those requirements, the processes and systems are established and documented. All this is done to ensure that the requirements of the customers are met stringently. After manufacturing the product, the quality control process begins. Based on the customer requirements and standards developed during the quality guarantee process, the quality control personal check whether the manufactured product meets all those requirements or not. So, assurance of quality is a proactive or preventive process to avoid defects whereas quality control is a corrective process to identify the defects in order to correct them. Activities Most activities falling under the purview of quality guarantee or its assurance are performed by managers, customers, and third party auditors. These activities include process documentation, establishing standards, developing checklists, conducting internal audits, conducting external audits, failure mode effect analysis and training. Engineers, inspectors, and supervisors on the shop oor perform quality control activities. Their activities include performing and receiving inspection, nal inspection, in-process inspection etc. Interdependence Both, quality control and assurance of quality are largely interdependent. The quality guarantee department relies mostly on the feedback provided by the quality control department. For example, if there are recurrent problem with the quality of the products, then the quality control department provides feedback to the quality monitoring and assurance personnel that there is a problem in the process or system that is causing product quality problems. Then the assurance of quality department determines the root cause of the problem and then brings changes to the process to ensure that there are no quality issues in future. Similarly, the quality control department follows the guidelines and standards established by assurance of quality department to check whether deliverables meet the quality requirements or not. Hence, both these departments are essential to maintain good quality of the deliverables. Although both quality control and quality guarantee are different processes, but because of their strong interdependence, it becomes difficult to pin point the differences between the two. In fact, there is a very thin line that separates the two functions. Moreover in some organizations, one department performs the functions of both. All this leads to confusion between quality control vs quality assurance .

What is a quality system? A quality system is the means by which an organization manages its quality aspects in a systematic, organized manner and provides a framework for planning, implementing, and assessing work performed by an organization and for carrying out required quality assurance and quality control activities. It encompasses a variety of technical and administrative elements, including: policies and objectives, organizational authority, responsibilities, accountability, and procedures and practices.