Quality Assurance vs Quality Control – Difference Between Them

Key Difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control

• Quality Assurance is aimed to avoid the defect, whereas Quality control is aimed to identify and fix the defects.
• Quality Assurance provides assurance that the quality requested will be achieved, whereas Quality Control is a procedure that focuses on fulfilling the quality requested.
• Quality Assurance is done in the software development life cycle, whereas Quality Control is done in the software testing life cycle.
• Quality Assurance is a proactive measure, whereas Quality Control is a Reactive measure.
• Quality Assurance requires the involvement of all team members, whereas Quality Control needs only a testing team.
• Quality Assurance is performed before Quality Control.

What is Quality Assurance (QA)?

Quality Assurance is popularly known as QA Testing, is defined as an activity to ensure that an organization is providing the best possible product or service to customers.

What is Quality Control (QC)?

Quality Control in Software Testing is a systematic set of processes used to ensure the quality of software products or services. The main purpose of the quality control process is ensuring that the software product meets the actual requirements by testing and reviewing its functional and non-functional requirements. Quality control is popularly abbreviated as QC.

This tutorial gives the difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Quality Assurance (QA)
Quality Control (QC)

It is a procedure that focuses on providing assurance that quality requested will be achieved
It is a procedure that focuses on fulfilling the quality requested.

QA aims to prevent the defect
QC aims to identify and fix defects

It is a method to manage the quality- Verification
It is a method to verify the quality-Validation

It does not involve executing the program
It always involves executing a program

It’s a Preventive technique
It’s a Corrective technique

It’s a Proactive measure
It’s a Reactive measure

It is the procedure to create the deliverables
It is the procedure to verify that deliverables

QA involves in full software development life cycle
QC involves in full software testing life cycle

In order to meet the customer requirements, QA defines standards and methodologies
QC confirms that the standards are followed while working on the product

It is performed before Quality Control
It is performed only after QA activity is done

It is a Low-Level Activity, it can identify an error and mistakes which QC cannot
It is a High-Level Activity, it can identify an error that QA cannot

Its main motive is to prevent defects in the system. It is a less time-consuming activity
Its main motive is to identify defects or bugs in the system. It is a more time-consuming activity

QA ensures that everything is executed in the right way, and that is why it falls under verification activity
QC ensures that whatever we have done is as per the requirement, and that is why it falls under validation activity

It requires the involvement of the whole team
It requires the involvement of the Testing team

The statistical technique applied on QA is known as SPC or Statistical Process Control (SPC)
The statistical technique applied to QC is known as SQC or Statistical Quality Control