Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) are both critical components of quality management, but they are fundamentally different. QA focuses on preventing defects while QC focuses on identifying and correcting defects. In other words, QA is proactive, while QC is more reactive.

Let's learn more about their differences in depth!

What is Quality Assurance (QA)?

Quality Assurance (QA) is a proactive approach focused on ensuring that products or services meet specified quality standards.

Rather than just inspecting the final product for defects, QA aims to improve the processes involved in production to prevent issues from occurring in the first place. As these processes are properly controlled and enhanced, the overall quality of the end product is also more likely to meet the desired standards.

In other words, QA focuses on prevention.

What is Quality Control (QC)?

Quality Control (QC) is a reactive approach that focuses on identifying and correcting defects in the final products or services.

Rather than focusing on preventing defects during the production process, QC focuses on catching defects in the final product. It happens at the product level, while QA happens at the process level.

QC activities can be thorough inspection or testing of the output to detect defects. QC ensures that the final product meets the desired standards before it reaches the customer.

QA vs QC In The Software Testing Context

QA vs QC

In software development, QC is like testing the final code or software to ensure it works correctly and meets the requirements, while QA is the improvement of the development process itself.

For example, QC activities in software testing is:

Running test cases
Debugging software
Checking for bugs or errors
Conducting manual testing
Performing user acceptance testing (UAT)
Verifying software against requirements

QA activities can be:

Implementing code reviews
Adopting better coding practices
Using version control systems
Conducting process audits
Providing developer training
Establishing development guidelines and standards

QA vs QC In The Context of Healthcare Industry

In healthcare, QC could involve checking the accuracy of lab results, ensuring medications are administered correctly, or verifying that patient records are properly maintained. It’s about catching and correcting errors in patient care or treatment.

Meanwhile, QA in healthcare focuses more on improving the systems and procedures that guide patient care, such as developing better protocols for patient safety, training healthcare professionals on best practices, or implementing new technologies to reduce the likelihood of medical errors. The goal is to create a healthcare environment that consistently delivers high-quality care.

From QA to QC to Quality Management System

To truly elevate quality, organizations should integrate QA and QC into a comprehensive Quality Management System (QMS). A QMS does more than just combine these approaches; it creates a cohesive strategy that embeds quality into every aspect of the organization, from process design to customer feedback. It ensures that quality is not just an afterthought but a core principle driving every decision and action.

A software quality management platform brings together all the necessary functionalities to automate and provide a comprehensive view of quality activities. Essentially, it combines the capabilities of multiple single-purpose automation testing tools into one unified solution, offering all the features a team might need.

Software quality management is not a one-time task; it involves up to six stages, from Planning to Reporting. These stages are deeply interconnected, making it inefficient to use separate tools for each stage and then spend additional time trying to integrate the data and insights from all of them to get a “complete” view.

This often results in a fragmented understanding of software quality.

The true value of these testing platforms lies in offering software professionals a complete testing workspace with a diverse keyword library for web, API, and mobile-native app testing.

Utilities for mapping requirements to tests, authoring automation scripts, and gaining test coverage insights are readily available. There’s no need to seek out additional single-purpose tools or spend time integrating multiple tools—you have everything you need in one place.

However, since these platforms are designed with scalability in mind, teams might not utilize all of their features in the early stages of adoption. That’s why such platforms typically offer a flexible model, allowing teams to easily scale up or down based on their organization’s requirements.

QA vs QC: A Detailed Comparison Table

Aspect	Quality Assurance (QA)	Quality Control (QC)
Definition	A proactive process aimed at improving production processes to prevent defects.	A reactive process focused on identifying and correcting defects in the final product.
Focus	Process-oriented: Enhancing and managing the processes used to create products or services.	Product-oriented: Inspecting and testing the final product to ensure it meets quality standards.
Approach	Preventative: Focuses on preventing defects by improving processes.	Corrective: Focuses on identifying and fixing defects in the final output.
Timing	Occurs before and during the production process.	Occurs after the product has been produced.
Goal	To ensure that processes are efficient, consistent, and capable of producing high-quality products.	To ensure that the final product meets the required quality standards before it reaches the customer.
Activities	- Process documentation - Training and development - Process audits - Code reviews - Standards development	- Running test cases - Debugging - Manual testing - User acceptance testing (UAT) - Inspections and measurements
Responsibility	Typically involves all team members and departments involved in the production process.	Usually handled by a specific quality control team or dedicated testers/inspectors.
Measurement	Focuses on improving and measuring process effectiveness and efficiency.	Focuses on measuring the quality of the final product against predefined standards.
Examples in Software Development	- Implementing coding standards - Conducting code reviews - Using version control systems - Providing developer training	- Running automated tests - Manual testing for bugs - Performing regression testing - Verifying software features
Outcome	Reduces the likelihood of defects by ensuring robust processes.	Ensures that any defects that do occur are caught and corrected before the product is released.
Tools and Techniques	- Process improvement methodologies (e.g., Six Sigma, TQM) - Audits and reviews - Training programs - Development guidelines	- Testing tools (e.g., JUnit, Selenium) - Inspection tools - Defect tracking systems - Checklists

Quality Assurance vs Quality Control FAQ

1. What is the primary difference between Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC)?

QA is a proactive, process-oriented approach focused on preventing defects by improving the production processes. QC is a reactive, product-oriented approach that involves identifying and correcting defects in the final product.

2. Can a company have QA without QC, or vice versa?

Both are usually necessary. QA helps to prevent defects. QC ensures that any defects that do occur are caught and corrected.

3. Who is responsible for QA and QC?

QA typically involves all team members and departments that contribute to the production process. QC is usually the responsibility of a specific team or individuals tasked with inspecting and testing the final product.

4. Which comes first: QA or QC?

QA generally comes first, as it involves setting up processes and standards before production begins. QC occurs after production, focusing on inspecting and testing the final product.

5. Can QA and QC be integrated?

Yes, QA and QC are often integrated into a comprehensive quality management system. For example, QA processes can include regular QC activities as part of their feedback loop, ensuring continuous improvement.