QA vs QC
Two Separate Conversations
From our experience, many organizations tend to misunderstand what Quality Management is really about. The immediate reaction is seeing the word "Quality" and associating it with "Inspection". We like to call this the difference between QA (Quality Assurance) and QC (Quality Control). While it's true that Inspection is a part of Quality, it doesn't begin and end there.
Inspection focuses on finding bad product, and passing good product; however, this is typically performed AFTER we have started the process. QA is focused on planning the process BEFORE we start. It is a Management-Level activity that seeks to coordinate and plan our actions prior to making anything.
QC is the REACTION to QA (consider the information in Understanding Quality Management).
QC is concerned with the physical product or service that the customer will see. They don't necessarily worry about how the product is made (Planning); Their only interest is whether the product meets it's requirements or not (Execution). If it doesn't, QC personnel rarely have the authority, time, resources, or understanding to fix the organizational problem correctly.
That is where QA personnel comes in; their responsibility is to look at the big picture, not the individual piece, and make sure the appropriate controls are in place. QA should be thought of as an independent department with indirect authority (think dotted line) to maintain the company's Quality Management System.
They are, in reality, two different tasks:
1) QA will help develop and organize a company by planning the processes and flow of information.
2} QC will check whether the planning was appropriate and, if not, report back to have QA investigate.
Understanding the difference between QA and QC is vital for an organization looking to develop a robust Quality Management System. A common misstep is to assume that Inspection is responsible for Quality. This often leads to Inspection departments becoming overwhelmed with additional tasks/follow-up; ultimately, these other concerns will distract and reduce the effectiveness of the actual inspections being performed.
