Quality assurance and quality control are most important processes for any project, as the project’s success depends on these processes.
Every project has a quality control section to take care of these functions. The quality assurance function usually stays with the organization and the quality control section has to communicate with the organization to coordinate between these two processes.
Since these processes are connected and work in coordination, many professionals, especially those working in small and medium sized organizations, do not understand their differences.
This reminds me of one interaction when I was in my ISO 9001 training course a few years back. I met with many professionals involved in quality management. These people were all from different backgrounds and were working in various fields.