FREE online courses on Quality Management System - Quality Control - Quality Assurance

 

Quality assurance comprises all the planned and systematic activities implemented within the quality system and demonstrated as needed, to provide adequate confidence that the entity, product or service will fulfil the requirements for quality.

 

Quality assurance activities do not control quality, they establish the extent to which quality will be, is being or has been controlled.  All quality assurance activities or post-events, off-line activities serve to build confidence internally among employees, management of the organization and externally among customers, regulating agencies and certification bodies.

 

Quality assurance basically means that quality control is conducted in a planned and systematic manner.

 

Quality assurance can be created by:

 

• Quality system documentation: Quality assurance can be built in process by standardizing and documenting the product standards.
• Operating practices: Review and control activities.
• Quality system certification: Verification and certification of quality system by an independent accredited certification body.
• Customer satisfaction: Based on the actual experience of the customer with the products and services of the company.

 

The differences between Quality Control and Quality Assurance can be summarized as below:

 

Quality Control	Quality Assurance
Quality control detects deviations.	Quality assurance prevents deviations.
Quality control can change product quality.	Quality assurance does not change product quality.
Quality control is an on- line activity.	Quality assurance is an off-line activity.
Quality control concerns the operational means to fulfil quality requirements.	Quality assurance concerns with creating confidence among stake- holders that requirements for quality will be fulfilled by the organization.
Quality control produces results by compliance of quality plan.	Quality assurance produces confidence by ensuring that quality control has been done as per quality plan.