Quality Control VS Quality Assurance Difference:
Let me remind you this is one of our constitution post of software testing tutorial series. In this post, we will discuss one of the vital topics of manual testing: quality assurance and quality control.
If you are a beginner, who is started learning manual testing and have not checked our last post regarding different testing terminology & software quality. Then you can follow this link to learn more about the software quality and the different models we are developing to achieve a good quality product and many more details about software quality.
If you are going to attend an interview for a manual tester position, you will be facing a most asked interview question, which is the difference between Quality Assurance and quality control. To give a proper answer in the interview letter, we try to understand from the very beginning:
What Is Quality?
The degree to which a component, process, or system is meet the specified requirements offer customer or clients needs and expectations. Or, in simple words, you can say that quality is doing the right things right and which something meets or exceeds the expectations of its customers.
Quality Definition by IEEE
- The degree to which a system, component, or process meets specified requirements.
- The degree to which a system, component, or process meets customer or user needs or expectations.
Quality Definition by ISTQB
- Quality: The degree to which a component, system, or process meets specified requirements and/or user/customer needs and expectations.
- Software Quality: The totality of functionality and features of a software product that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs.
Quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) are the two terms that look similar, but there is much difference between these two concepts. Before finding out what is the difference between QA and QC. Let us try to understand the meaning of quality assurance, and what is the meaning of quality control?
What is Assurance?
It is nothing but a positive declaration given by the organization management on a product or service, which offers the end-user confidence that the product or service like this product will be work as expected. The product will also work or perform without any problems to meet the customers’ expectations.
What is Quality Assurance?
Quality Assurance is also popular with the terminology QA. We can say like quality assurance (QA) is a systematic process of determining whether a product or service meets specified requirements.
That’s why quality assurance ensures that the approaches, methods, techniques, and processes are designed for the project are implemented correctly. QA monitor and verify the process which is used to generate the deliverables are following correctly. Quality Assurance is also prevention in nature, which helps in finding the flaws in the process.
And one more important thing about quality assurance (QA) is it should be completed before quality control (QC).
Different Activity & Process in QA
Software Quality Assurance process has the following activities:
Process definition and implementation
- Auditing
- Training
This week already mention that the software quality assurance is mostly focused on the processes in the process could be:
- Software Development Methodology
- Project Management
- Configuration Management
- Requirements Development/Management
- Estimation
- Software Design
- Testing
Once the above processes are defined and implemented, then the responsibility of quality assurance is:
- Identify the weakness in the process.
- Correct those weaknesses to improve the process
Quality assurance is taking care of the entire software development life cycle. The goal is to ensure that the developed product or maintenance process is continuously improved. The software products come as an outcome should be meet the specification or requirements.
What is Quality Control?
In software engineering, quality control is also popular in QC’s name, and the primary goal of QC is to identify a defect. Quality control is a software engineering process is used to ensure the quality of a product or a service. Quality assurance deals with the process used to create a product and quality control to examine the quality of the software product or the outcome product.
Quality control is carried out to check whether the product is meet the customer requirements or specifications. During the process of quality control, if there is some bugs find out, then it should be fixed before delivered to the client or customer.
That’s why it is recommended to do the quality process after complete the quality assurance.
Different Activity Of QC
To ensure the quality of a product, software quality control have some setup activities, which includes:
- Reviews
- Requirement Review
- Design Review
- Code Review
- Deployment Plan Review
- Test Plan Review
- Test Cases Review
- Testing
- Unit Testing
- Integration Testing
- System Testing
- Acceptance Testing
Quality control is not carried throughout the software testing life cycle. Quality control is only limited to the review and testing phase of the software development cycle, and the goal is to ensure that the product meets the specific requirements or specifications.
Quality Assurance (QA) VS Quality Control (QC)
| Quality Assurance [ QA ] | Quality Control [ QC ] |
|---|---|
| Definition: Quality assurance (QA) is some set of activities that ensure the quality of the process by which a product is developed. | Definition: Quality control is some set of activities that ensure the quality of a product. the primary goal of activities here is identifying the defects in the product. |
| Focus on: QA aims to prevent the defects by focusing on the process used to make the product. It’s a proactive quality process. | Focus on: QC aims to identify the defects in the developed product; it’s a reactive process. |
| Goal: The primary purpose of QA is to improve the development and test process so that the defects will not arise during the development. | Goal: QC’s primary goal is to identify and remove the defects of a product before its release. |
| Responsibility: For Quality Assurance it is the responsibility of the team who are involved in developing the product | Responsibility: In quality control, it is the responsibility of a specific team put to the test the product to find out the defects. |
| As a tool: QA is a managerial tool. | As a tool: QC is a corrective tool. |
| Orientation: QA is a process-oriented | Orientation: QC is a product-oriented |
| Execution: QA does not involve in executing the program. | Execution: QC always involved in educating the program. |
| Life cycle: QA is responsible for the full software development life cycle. | Life cycle: QC is responsible for the software testing life cycle. |
| Deliverables: QA is a process to create the deliverables. | Deliverables: QC is a process to verify the deliverables. |
| Activity: QA makes sure that you are doing the right things. | Activity: QC makes sure that the results that you are the result you are getting by doing some operation is what you have expected. |
| Example: Verification is an example of QA | Example: Validation is an example of QC |
The Benefits of Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Above we have discussed what are the difference between Quality Assurance and quality control. But now we are going to discuss what are the benefits of QA and QC:
- By following the process and activities, we can get in the high-quality product by eliminating defects.
- QA and QC are helping us to increase the efficiency of operations.
- This provides customer satisfaction, which indirectly helps us in the branding of the organisation and also helps in growing the business.
- QA and QC encouraged a higher level of confidence and motivated to the team.
Both the quality assurance and quality control closely related to each other, and they have a common objective which is delivery a defect-free product.
the process QA and QC are the integral part of a quality management plan. If anyone fails then in result, you will get a low-quality product.
Final Words
We are to try to share all the details of quality assurance and quality control also the different activities which are performed during the process. In simple words, like the quality Asian is does not the need for quality control age lies at the very core of quality management.
If you are involved in Quality Assurance and quality control activities of your organisation, then please share your experience with us in the comment section.
Also, if you have not read over manual testing tutorials, Core Java tutorial for automation tester, Selenium automation tutorial and software testing interview questions, then you can follow the link.
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