Quality Assurance (QA), and Quality Control (QC) are the processes most vital for a project’s success. However, experts frequently mix the two terms and get them confused.
I am writing this Quality Assurance Vs. Quality Control (QA Vs QC) blog post to clarify these concepts. After finishing it, you will better understand the procedures involved in quality management and quality assurance.
Every project has QC and QA functions. The QC section communicates and coordinates with the QA department and vice versa.
Because these processes are intertwined, many professionals, particularly those who work in organizations of small or medium size, may not grasp the distinctions between them.
During the ISO 9001 training course I took a few years ago; I had the opportunity to speak with many quality management professionals. These individuals were employed in various professions.
I asked one individual about the responsibilities and obligations of his position as a QA/QC engineer in his organization after he told me he held that position.
He replied that he goes around checking that the work is going as planned. He inspects deliverables with specifications and recommends corrective action if the deliverable has deviation, or the process is out of control.
After that, I inquired about the quality assurance responsibilities that were included in his work. He gave me the same response.
This indicated that he was ignorant of the quality assurance obligations he held.
Often QA or QC or QA/QC engineers are unaware of their job responsibilities, especially in small organizations, because the differences can be so murky.
Sometimes, they don’t know the meaning of QA or QC.
This problem is especially common in companies of a small or a medium size, which rarely have the financial means to employ quality assurance and quality control engineers.
When this occurs, the individual may hold the title of Quality Assurance (QA) while working in Quality Control (QC), and sometimes QC will work as QA. Their obligations and responsibilities may become even more muddled as a result.
This issue needs to be cleared up because it has an impact on the overall success of the project as well as the quality of the project.
Quality Assurance Vs Quality Control (QA Vs QC)
The process of managing a product’s overall quality is called quality assurance. Quality control aims to ensure that the product meets its specifications.
Before we discuss the differences between these concepts in detail, we must first understand the term “quality.”
The most important and accepted definition is from Mr. Philip B. Crosby, who says quality is “Conformance to requirements.”
According to ISO 8402:1996 – Quality Management and Quality Assurance Vocabulary standard, “Quality is the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs.”
According to ISO 9000:2000 – Set of International Quality Standards and Guidelines for Quality Management Systems, “Quality is the degree to which a set of inherent (existing) characteristics fulfills requirements.”
Simply put, “quality” is about meeting the customer’s requirements to see if the deliverable is fit for use.
When a product satisfies or exceeds the expectations of the buyer, we consider that product to be of high quality. If it does not, then the quality of it is poor.
Please note that, regardless of the product’s grade, the quality should be high; you cannot compromise with quality for any reason.
Quality Assurance (QA)
Assurance is an act of providing confidence that the customer can believe in.
Quality assurance (QA) ensures that the product will have a high level of quality by ensuring that the output of the process is flawless and meets all of the requirements. It is a method built on processes, and its goal is to eliminate faults in deliverables when the project is still in the planning stage to save costly reworks.
The quality assurance process is proactive; it emphasizes planning, documenting, and fulfilling requirements. This begins at the very beginning of the project and contributes to better communication of the product’s requirements.
You will then design quality management strategies to meet your stakeholders’ requirements and expectations once the requirements have been determined.
Tools Used in the Quality Assurance (QA) Process
The following tools are used in quality management:
- Quality audits
- Process analysis
- Quality management tools.
A team of external experts reviews the process and procedures in a quality audit. If there are any inconsistencies, they will make recommendations for how to fix them, and they may also provide input on how the process might be improved.
A quality audit is a useful tool for ensuring that a project adheres to industry standards, established policies, and protocols.
During the process analysis, you investigate whether there is room for improvement, determine the underlying source of any problems, and catalog any activities that do not provide value.
Quality management and control tools include various diagrammatic techniques, which help you find ideas, make decisions, and prioritize issues. Examples include an affinity diagram, a tree diagram, a network diagram, etc.
Quality Control (QC)
Quality control (QC) is a product-based approach that includes the activities and techniques for fulfilling quality requirements.
The term “quality control” (QC) refers to a method that is centered on a product and incorporates the processes and procedures necessary to meet quality requirements.
Quality control functions are initiated right at the commencement of the project. This is a reactive method that assists in detecting flaws in deliverables. The quality control process aims to ensure that the deliverables are free of flaws and meet all quality requirements.
The quality control process seeks to achieve the following goals: discovering flaws in the product, addressing those flaws, and validating the deliverable.
QA and QC depend on each other; the quality control process receives input from the quality assurance process and provides feedback to the quality assurance process so that the quality assurance personnel can validate the process.
For example, during the project execution, the team discovers a flaw. They will make the necessary changes to eliminate the flaw; afterward, the feedback will be sent to the quality assurance team.
The reason for the error will be investigated by this team, and appropriate measures will be taken to prevent it from happening again.
After the process has been revised, the employees responsible for quality control will use the updated method to put an end to the fault.
The quality assurance process takes inputs from the quality control process and vice versa.
Tools Used in the Quality Control (QC) Process
The quality control process has three main techniques:
- Inspection
- Statistical sampling
- The seven basic tools of quality
During an inspection, the deliverable is evaluated against the quality requirements and subjected to a physical examination to detect any flaws.
In statistical sampling, a predetermined number of products from a batch are chosen randomly for inspection to look for flaws or lack of conformity.
The seven basic quality tools are: scatter diagrams, control charts, histograms, checklists, Pareto diagrams, cause-and-effect analyses, and flowcharts. These tools help find defects and the causes of defects.
The Differences Between Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Although the QA and QC processes are different, they complement each other. The output of one process is an input of the other.
Examples of QA/QC
Now, we will see a real-world example of QA and QC.
QA Example
You have decided to implement the SAP software system in your company to boost productivity and efficiency. Because the personnel in your business are unfamiliar with this program, your company intends to educate them on how to use the software through training.
Therefore, you decide to hire a consultant to build in-house training material and a system to train the existing and new employees. You are responsible for gathering the training requirements, gathering the paperwork, developing the training material and assessment, and getting the training started.
This was a part of the QA process.
QC Example
Now that the training is finished, you want to check that it was successful.
You are responsible for collecting the training data, including attendance information, evaluations of participants’ performances during the program, and a final evaluation.
You will look at this data to determine whether or not the training program was successful and whether or not employees could comprehend the new software system being introduced in the firm.
You can receive feedback from the attendees of the training, which you can then pass to the quality assurance department so that it can take action and incorporate the acceptable recommendations into the training process. This will help enhance the training process.
The Benefits of Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA and QC) Processes
- High-quality output and eliminate waste.
- Increased efficiency of operations.
- Greater customer satisfaction helps your brand and grows your business.
- Lessen rework, and after-sale support are required, which saves a lot of money.
- Encourages a high level of confidence and motivates the team.
Quality assurance and quality control are closely related; both aim to deliver a defect-free product. Both processes are an integral part of a quality management plan, and failure to apply either will result in a low-quality product.
Summary
The quality assurance and quality control (QA & QC) procedures verify that a product is free of flaws and meets all specified conditions. Both have the same goal but go about accomplishing it in different ways. Quality control focuses on the end product, while quality assurance is on the processes involved in producing it. The process of creating a product with no flaws is something that is designed by quality assurance. On the other hand, quality control ensures that a faulty product never makes it to the consumer market.
These procedures are very important to the overall success of the project you are working on. They can only be accomplished successfully if the team and the organization are aware of the significance of what they are trying to do.
Another process, “validate scope,” might be combined with quality assurance and quality control. I have written a blog post to explain this as well.
Please visit: Quality Control and Validate Scope.
Here is where this post on QA Vs QC ends.
Are you involved in quality assurance or quality control (QA/QC) activities? Please share your experiences in the comment section.
I am Mohammad Fahad Usmani, B.E. PMP, PMI-RMP. I have been blogging on project management topics since 2011. To date, thousands of professionals have passed the PMP exam using my resources.
Very usefull, with relevent to construction sector , which is not orgnised as manufacturing we are sometimes facing non availability of competent QA /QC professional .
Please give in details related to construction.
This is a very interesting and insightful write up. What I would have liked to see further is how a quality management person can apply QA and QC in an organization with diversified products and services. For example printing division and insurance division?
Does one need to first understand the processestate express undertaking a quality audit of quality control exercise?
Hello Kaimfa,
Both processes are interconnected. It would be better for someone if they understood both processes.
Thanks so much. I really appreciate what I have learnt on this blog and above the simplicity and relatableness of the instances. Once, thanks a lot
You are welcome Emmanuel.
I have read your blog .Nice post ..Thanks for sharing your information…
You are welcome hitekschool .
Hi Fahad,
You are doing a great job, thanks a lot for this blog! Really helps to understand many concepts in different words (even more clear than in RITA book while, of course, the one should read RITA before the exam).
A simple acknowledgment of the fact that quality assurance is a process-based approach while quality control is a product based approach (and therefore we apply the same for audits and inspections) allowed to me answer easily to at least 4 or 5 questions during the PMP exam yesterday.
Thanks,
Dima
Congratulations Dima on passing the exam. I am glad that I could be of some help to you.
Hello Fahad,
Can we say that QA is the Manage Quality in Project Quality Management and QC is the control quality in Project Quality Management?
Thank you,
Mehul Parekh
Yes.
I have a research assignment which I have to do. From what I have just read, could one formulate a research title which reads:
Title:Study on the effectiveness of QA vs QC in a Manufacturing Environment.
Under financial constraints, which of the two would be a better option to invest in. Where one’s aim/objective would be to prove that QA provides a better means of ensuring quality? Or coming to a holistic conclusion that both QA and QC is equally important. I am still quite unsure, this is only the beginning of my research task.
Both are equally important and complement each other. In QA you define procedure and in QC you ensure that it is followed.
Quality is the satisfaction of the users by fulfilling and/or fully functioning its purpose under specific standards.
:)
quality is a word with several meaning and connotation. quality can mean excellence as in,this is a quality product.
Well said Banjo.
Have been struggling to understand this concept of how in reality these 2 tasks are performed. Your blog helped me in clarifying the difference and their uniqueness. Very well drafted with common and simple language. Thank you!
I am glad Angad that I could be of some help to you.
Please help me understand, how can a downtime be internal failure?
Thanks.
Please refer to the following blog post:
http://blog.lnsresearch.com/blog/bid/187432/8-Internal-Failure-Costs-Every-Company-Should-Watch
well,Here are sharing such a good or informative content about Quality Assurance Training.Thanks for the publish great ideas in this blog!
You are welcome QA Guru.
Well, here are sharing such a great and helpful information regarding Quality Assurance (QA). Thanks for the publish great ideas in this blog!
Thanks Guru.
I am working on road CONSRUCTION supervision with ambiguities on both QA and QC. You really solved my confusions. Now both of them are clear for me.
God bless you so much.
I am glad Tadesse that I could be of some help to you.
As you said ,”In quality assurance, you plan to avoid the defect in the planning phase. In quality control, you try to find defects and correct them while making the product.”. Pmbook says quality assurance is execution process
In quality assurance, during the execution phase you check that if the project team is following your plans and procedure correctly.
The statement is corrected.
Sir you said that in quality assurance we plan for processes, how can we say that quality assurance is an execution process
Thx. This post is indeed informative and crystal clear. Exactly what I needed as I start my journey as a quality assurer
You are welcome Sumaya.
If Risk Audit is done in the Controlling group, why is Quality Audit done in Executing?
I am taking the exam next week, thanks for your blogs!
Quality audit it a quality assurance function not quality control, that is why it is performed in execution phase.
Fahad,
Could you please contras Risk Audit with Quality Audit? I understand “audit” to be more of an inspection, or a reactive task compared to a proactive task. Thus I would assume all audits to be in the control process group.
Thank you!
Fahad,
After working on your sample questions from your eBook, I realize Procurement Audit is in the Close Procurements group, so now there is an audit activity in three different groups. I understand now, but maybe a discussion on the different types of audits might be helpful.
Thanks again!
Good idea. Sure I will write all types of audit happening in different phases/process of a project.
Fahad,
I just wanted to write back, I passed the exam on my first try! Please continue your hard work here.
Congratulations Aren on passing the PMP exam and thanks for your comment.
Hi Fahad
Really like your clear and relevant article on quality assurance.
Quality assurance might be compared to the direct and manage process of quality control.
Thanks Christopher for your comment.
Hi Fahad,
Thanks for this well-written article, it’s straight-forward and easier to grasp the key differences than PMBOK. Your website is a great tool for me in preparing PMP exam.
You are welcome Annie.
Let me know if you need any further help from me.
i am looking for an affordable online courses on Quality management, six sigma or any other related courses. kindly provide links.
The below given page has some course on six sigma and quality management:
https://pmstudycircle.com/pdu/
Very useful knowledge. Thanks.
You are welcome Fida.
God blesses you,thanks for the very detailed clarification.
You are welcome Mohamed.
It has very useful information as i am willing to appear for this exam.
I am glad Arpan that you find my blog useful.
I am reading all your PMP Certification Exam Study Notes and they are very useful and clear. I am preparing to take the exam in about 2 months, I will read every note but if you have more tips, I would really appreciate them!
Thanks for help us!
Pura vida (I am from Costa Rica)
You are welcome William.
You can download my free eBook on A2z on PMP exam and go through it. This book will help you in preparing the exam.
Let me know if you have any specific question.
Wow! I just have to say how impressed I am with the way you explain the differences clearly and easily.
I am so grateful for stumbling upon your blog before my exam in 3 days! Thank you!
You are welcome YJL. Hope you would have been passed the exam.
clear explanation
Thanks Sakthimurugan.
thnxx for inform sir.
which is the good field in working QA or QC
Both fields are good.
Thanks Fahad. Excellent explanations… not just this one but all the Blog posts… Thanks much.
You are welcome Amita.
Hello Fahad,
QA process using any tool of Quality management and control quality process.
My query is : whether Quality Assurance process is using 7 basic quality tools(any of 7) ?
These processes are interdependent on each other, so they may use any tool depending on the situation.
Assalaamu alaikkum Fahad,
I just joined in one of the IT company as QA Engineer. The company develops website required for one of the university. There is no QA department as of now. As QA Engineer what are the process that i should introduce here.
Thanks and Regards
Basheer
Wa-Assalam Basheer,
First of all you should check all procedures. There must be some procedures. Go and review those procedures, and check if they are following these procedures.
Today I can say I am QA/QC inspector but after reading your blog not before.
I love your comprehensive words which very simple & understood for all.
I love ? with fahad usmani blog.
I am glad that you liked my blog Iftikhar.
Very good informations and very simple to understand
Thank you very much Fahad
Thanks Imad.
very good job Fahad.
I am glad I found your website
You are welcome Sarika.
Going for exam in next 2 days…. I must say your articles and blogs are really helping thanks for great work!
Hello Daleep,
Good Luck for your exam.
Hope to see you here again once you pass the exam.
Hi Fahad,
Just wanted to say the super work you are doing by providing clear info in your blogs. I just came to know about this website yesterday, one day before my exam… I spent about 2 – 3 hours reading all your articles, which made concepts crystal clear and I passed PMP today. Keep up the excellent work :)
Regards,
Prasanna Kumar K R, PMP
Congratulations Prasanna and thanks for your comments…
Hi Fahad,
I’m a Recruitment Consultant in the oil & gas industry.
This blog is fantastic and very well explained!!
Thank you very much!
Regards,
Abhilash VJ
Thanks.
Hi Abhilash vj
Iam glad to see you comments on qa and qc. Its clear understand that qa works of to see that the product is defect free.While qc is working to make sure the product to produced is to free defect according to the custome requests.
Lastly have liked what you are doing oil and gas quality engineer.
Regards
Help me to answer this question …..?
Joe is a project manager on an industrial design project. He has found a pattern of defects occurring in all of his projects over the past few years and he thinks there might be a problem in the process his company is using that is causing it. He uses Ishikawa diagrams to come up with the root cause for this trend over projects so that he can make recommendations for process changes to avoid this problem in the future. What process is he doing?
A. Plan Quality
B. Perform Quality Assurance
C. Perform Quality Control
D. Qualitative Risk Analysis
I found that answer is B, but why ?….In PMBOK, under Quality Control (8.3.2.1) cause and effect daigram’s are explained …..so doesn’t it fall under Quality control …?
Thanks in advance.
See what the Joe is doing. He is only reviewing the processes used by his company so that the defects (occurred in past projects) could be removed. This is the job of quality assurance to develop a process in such way to avoid any defect.
In Quality Control Process, the project manager takes the sample or randomly checks the process in running project.
Therefore, the answer B is correct.
Thank you. This says that we need to read question carefully!!!. After your comment, I read the question again and I agree with answer. Thank you again.
You are welcome.
thanks for detail explanation..Much Appreciated
Fahad,
Thanks a lot for your reply. It clears my doubt.
What is your suggestion on taking on-line training? Now, I am doing the preparation on my own and don’t know whether i am in the correct direction. Any suggestions you can give would be appreciated.
Thanks.
It is your choice that whether you choose online course or live classroom training program. Both programs have their own merits and demerits.
Online programs are cheaper, convenient and flexible but lack the interactivity.
Classroom training programs are costly, held on fixed schedule and usually at big cities.
Regarding your preparation for the PMP exam, I have written a series of blog posts, you can visit them by clicking below given link.
https://pmstudycircle.com/2012/04/how-to-prepare-for-the-pmp-cert-exam-pass-it-and-become-a-pmp-part-1
Hope it helps.
Fahad,
I do find your articles good. For some reason, I am not able to understand this article. Can you please help me?
I understand that the QA ensures that the processes are set correctly to develop the product and the QC ensures that the final product is as per the requirements or not. Is my understanding correct?
I did not understand how QA takes inputs from QC and QC takes inputs from QA. Can you give me an example? Thanks for your help.
Hello Ravindra,
Your understanding is correct.
Quality Assurance develops the procedures, hence input for the Quality Control process.
During Quality Control, if you see that certain procedure needs some improvement or causing any trouble, then you can provide feedback to Quality Assurance to improve the procedures, hence input to Quality Assurance.
Bang on Target !!!!!!!!!
Excellent Article. Very informative and crystal clear. Thanks Fahad
Hello Fahad
I passed the PMP in first attempt. Your blog has helped me a lot in preparing for the exam. Thank you very much. Yours is an outstanding blog and very informative for all PMP aspirant and to others who are interested in PM. Well written and informative. Still i’m following your blog for latest articles on PMP. All the best and expecting more from you.
Regards
Saleem Angillath
Congratulations Saleem for passing the PMP Exam!
I hope this certification will help you to grow your career. Thanks for sharing your happiness here at PMSC.
Stay in touch.
Fahad
best page on the net, regarding QA vs QC , thanks.
Thanks for your comment.
Thanks Fahad,
I can imagine that I can apply QA without QC, but I cannot imagine to apply QC without QA. What can I check or inspect if it’s not defined well ( which is a QA step) ?
Hello Sameh. both processes complement each other.
I did not understand your question well. Please elaborate.
Really good
You are welcome.
Understood. Very well written. Crystal clear now.
Thanks a lot.
Thank you for posting your blog and sharing your insights and well organized thoughts and explanations. I wish I had come across your blog earlier in my travels, for today I failed my first attempt at passing the PMP exam. I was ill prepared, was too dependent on self-study via an internet website and life happens too often when one is trying to dig a hole and study in it…life always finds you to drag you away from all the fun of studying. Anyhoo, love your writing style which is not too pedantic and is not a repeat of what is found in the PMBOK which is a dread of a read for me. I never took the time to really discern between the two and it came to haunt me today.
Hello Jacqui,
I am very sorry to hear that you failed the PMP test in your first attempt. However, you still have you more attempts left with you.
Now, it is time for you take firm determination to pass the PMP exam. Schedule the exam and start preparing for it and let me know if you require any kind of assistance from me.
Good luck.
Where can I obtain this certification and what are the requirements
You can read all FAQs here:
https://pmstudycircle.com/pmp-faqs/