Quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) are two terms that are frequently used interchangeably in the manufacturing and service industries.Despite their resemblance, there are significant differences between the two concepts.This page will explain the distinctions between https://www.ipqcco.com/iso9000-quality-system-audit ISO9000 Quality System Audit and quality management, as well as provide definitions and examples of each of these terms.DIFFERENCES BETWEEN QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROLQuality assurance and https://www.ipqcco.com/iso9000-quality-system-audit ISO9000 Quality System Audit are two aspects of quality management that must be considered together.While some quality assurance and quality control activities are intertwined, the terms quality assurance and quality control are defined differently.QA activities and responsibilities typically encompass virtually all aspects of the quality system in one form or another, whereas quality control (QC) is a subset of the QA activities.Additionally, elements of the quality system that are not specifically covered by QA/QC activities and responsibilities but that are influenced by QA and QC may be included in the quality system.The ISO 9000 definitions in Figure 1 are taken from ISO 9000:2015: Quality management systems - Fundamentals and Vocabulary, which was published in 2015.Quality Assurance Vs Quality Control: Difference between them with definition and comparison chart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSyICkGZ6iM&t=2s" style="display:inline-block;margin-top: 20px;padding:10px 20px;text-decoration: none;background: #5aaf0b;color: #fff; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSyICkGZ6iM&t=2sAssurance of High-Quality ProductsQuality assurance can be defined as a component of quality management that is concerned with instilling confidence in the ability to meet specific quality requirements.Customer, government agencies, regulators, certifiers, and other third parties have confidence in quality assurance because it provides them with two types of assurance: confidence within the organization and confidence outside the organization.Alternatively, all planned and systematic activities implemented within the quality system that can be demonstrated to provide confidence that a product or service will meet requirements for quality are referred to as an alternate definition.Control of the product's qualityQuality control can be defined as a component of quality management that is concerned with meeting specific quality requirements.In contrast to quality assurance, which is concerned with how a process is carried out or how a product is manufactured, quality control is more concerned with the inspection aspect of quality management.An alternate definition is the operational techniques and activities that are used to meet the requirements for quality that are specified.INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES ON QUALITY AND CHEMICAL CONTROLQuality control may be alien to some service organizations because there is no tangible product to inspect and control. As a result, quality control may be difficult to implement.A service organization's quality assurance function may not include quality control of the service itself, but it may include quality control of any products used in the provision of the service, such as equipment.A service can include products that are either documents (such as a report, contract, or design) or tangible products (such as a rental car or units of blood) that are delivered as part of the service.To ensure that a service organization's product quality meets the needs of its customers, it may be necessary to control product quality in the organization.Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and InspectionInspection is the process of measuring, examining, and testing a product or service in order to gauge one or more characteristics of the product or service, and then comparing these characteristics to specified requirements in order to determine whether the product or service is in compliance.To ensure that the object coming off the production line, or the service being provided, is correct and meets specifications, inspection can be performed on a wide range of products, processes, and other outcomes.Functions of Quality Assurance and AuditingThe auditing function is a component of the quality assurance function.In order to ensure quality, it is necessary to compare actual conditions to requirements and to report the results to management.Charles Mill wrote in The Quality Audit: A Management Evaluation Tool (McGraw-Hill, 1988) that auditing and inspection are not interchangeable terms: "The auditor may use inspection techniques as an evaluation tool, but the audit should not be involved in any verification activities leading to the actual acceptance or rejection of a product or service."It is recommended that an audit be involved in all aspects of the process and controls, including the production and verification activities."Organizations are now directed and controlled by formal management systems, which have been developed.There are quality management systems (QMSs), as well as environmental management systems and other management systems, and each of these systems may be subjected to an auditing process.THE HISTORY OF QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROLWhen it comes to quality, it has been defined as being fit for purpose, meeting requirements, and striving for excellence.Despite the fact that the concept of quality has been around since the beginning of time, the study and definition of quality have only recently gained prominence in the last century.Quality Control in the 1920sFollowing the Industrial Revolution and the rise of mass production, it became increasingly important to better define and control the quality of products produced in large quantities.In the beginning, the goal of quality assurance was to ensure that final products met all of the engineering specifications.In later years, as manufacturing processes became more complex, quality evolved into a discipline for controlling process variation as a means of ensuring the production of high-quality goods.Quality Assurance and Auditing in the 1950sThe scope of the quality profession has expanded to include the functions of quality assurance and quality auditing.In particular, industries where public health and safety were of paramount importance were the primary drivers of independent quality verification.