Differences between Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Both Quality Assurance and Quality Control primarily focus on defectfree delivery of an application. Quality Assurance focuses on preventing defects. It ensures that the approaches, techniques, methods and processes designed for the projects are implemented correctly. Quality Control, on the other hand, focuses on identifying the defects. It ensures that the approaches, techniques, methods and processes are designed in the project are followed correctly.

Read this article to learn more about quality assurance and quality control and how they are different from each other.

What is Quality Assurance?

Quality Assurance, also known as QA, focuses on preventing defects. It is used to assure the quality of products or services offered by a company to its customers.

Quality assurance is mainly concerned with improving the product development process and making it more efficient and productive in terms of the quality standards established for the products.

There are five major functions performed in the quality assurance process, which are technology transfer, validation, documentation, guaranteeing the quality of products, and strategies for further improvement in the quality.

What is Quality Control?

Quality Control, also known as QC, focuses on identifying the defects. It is basically a technique used in product development to assure the quality of a product or service.

Quality control is not concerned with the procedures used to make a product, but instead with the performance of the "end products" and the ultimate result. Hence, the primary objective of the quality control is to ensure that the products justify the consumer's requirements and expectations.

If a problem is identified, then it must be resolved before the product is delivered to the endconsumer. Validation of a product is an example of quality control.

Now, let us discuss the major differences between quality assurance and quality control in detail.

Differences between Quality Assurance and Quality Control

The following are the important differences between Quality Assurance and Quality Control −

Key	Quality Assurance	Quality Control
Definition	Quality Assurance focuses on preventing the defects. It ensures that the approaches, techniques, methods and processes are designed for the projects are implemented correctly.	Quality Control focuses on identifying the defects. It ensures that the approaches, techniques, methods and processes are designed in the project are followed correctly.
Focus	Quality Assurance basically focuses on providing assurance that quality requested will be achieved by providing main focus during development of the application by deep diving in the approach of development.	Quality control focuses on fulfilling the quality requested i.e., by identification of any defect after the development and before the delivery of the product.
Approach	Quality Assurance follows the approach to managing quality during the development.	Quality control follows the approach to verify quality after the development.
Type	Quality Assurance is processoriented and a managerial tool.	Quality Control is productoriented and is a corrective tool.
Example	Example of Quality Assurance is Verification.	Validation is a type of Quality Control.

Conclusion

The most significant difference that you should note here is that quality assurance is a process-oriented and a managerial tool, whereas quality control is a product oriented and a corrective tool.