Regular readers of this blog are aware of my current outsourcing assignment. I am managing a very large outsourcing project in India. One unique and cherished tradition in Indian offices is “Tea Time.” This isn’t just about enjoying tea or coffee—it’s a time when employees from different departments come together for engaging discussions on various topics. Today’s Tea Time conversation was particularly interesting as it revolved around Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC).
While these terms may sound similar, they are fundamentally different in practice. Both QA and QC aim to deliver high-quality products, but their focus and approach differ significantly. During the discussion, I realized that many developers weren’t entirely clear about the distinction between these two critical roles in project development. Here’s a simple explanation:
What is Quality Assurance (QA)?
Quality Assurance refers to a set of activities aimed at ensuring that the development or maintenance processes are sufficient to meet a system’s objectives. QA is process-oriented, meaning it focuses on improving and maintaining the processes used to create a product.
Examples of QA Activities:
- Project audits
- Process checklists
What is Quality Control (QC)?
Quality Control refers to a set of activities designed to evaluate the quality of the final product. Unlike QA, QC is product-oriented, meaning it focuses on identifying defects in the product itself after it has been developed.
Examples of QC Activities:
- Testing the product
- Inspecting the development process outcomes
Key Takeaway
Both QA and QC are essential to delivering a quality product. QA ensures that the process is effective, while QC ensures that the end product meets the desired standards. Understanding the difference between these roles helps teams collaborate effectively and maintain high-quality outcomes.
What Do You Think?
I hope you found this post insightful. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and feel free to share if you’d like me to write more articles like this one.
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Reference: Pinal Dave (https://blog.sqlauthority.com)
6 Comments. Leave new
I have a database on SQL Server 2000 and recently we moved it to SQL Server 2005.
After doing quality testing we found that when we run same query in the 2 servers we are not getting the same output.
Can someone explain on this…why this is happening?
Hi Pinal,
Please let me know where i can get the complete information on database testing (currently working as a sql server developer)and also need the information on SSIS,SSRS,SSAS
Thanks,
Narenndra
Thank you Pinal Dave,
I am a student and am glad that you could clairify the difference between these two roles. Please continue to be so informative. We need more people like you.
QA is preventive approach
QC is reactive approach
Thanx Pinal Dave,
how to implement QA in IT Environment? how is the scope? and should i to create QA Server?
Hello Pinal, I am in charge of a software product. I would like to know how I can change the SQL password of multiple databases situated at multiple sites across India. I also want to restrict users from accessing their database using windows authentication. Is there a free ware tool that can carry out both functions? Kindly Help. Best Regards, Bejoy