Quality assurance is about putting the right processes in place to meet quality standards. It focuses on the development and maintenance of these processes and involves evaluation of processes, with suggested improvements and changes where necessary. Audits and checklists are typical QA activities designed to find out whether the process is actually being followed and, if so, whether it is producing the desired results. Recommendations may include improved compliance with the process as is or improvement of the process itself. Quality assurance is focused on the process itself. It is about ensuring that the right things are done in the right way to obtain the desired results.
Quality assurance, therefore, precedes quality control. It involves setting the initial processes in place to meet both internal and external standards and can cover all product and service delivery aspects of a business. For new products it can include the designs and production of individual components as well as that of the whole product. Quality assurance processes are also applied to legislate occupational health and safety standards and other government legislative requirements. QA is about ensuring that the processes that have been established actually create the desired outcomes. QA essentially creates the processes that determine quality control activities.
Quality control is more of an inspection process in which the product is measured against clearly defined standards. In this sense, QC is not really about producing the best quality. It is about meeting specified standards. In other words, quality control is product or performance related. QC activities involve product evaluation and identifying and suggesting improvements. QC activities can directly change the product. One example of QC is the testing of software, which usually uncovers problems that need fixing. Because software testing is product-oriented, it comes under the purview of quality control; however, these activities often provide the beginning point for quality assurance activities. Quality control is about making sure that your products function as expected or meet specified standards. When QC activities are applied to performance, it is usually to meet safety or other standards in the performance of duties. For example, an aviation company will have quality control procedures in place to monitor activities such as the refueling of airplanes. This is because the lives of employees and passengers are on the line.
Preparing for a career in quality assurance or control is not like training to be a teacher, lawyer, engineer, or any other profession. This is because the concept of quality is applied to most industries and professions and is not really a profession on its own. There are certainly jobs that specialize in the two aspects of quality, quality assurance and quality control, but if you look carefully at the criteria for these positions you will see that experience in a particular field is essential.
Quality assurance jobs are largely management-related, whereas quality control positions tend to be technical, hands-on roles. The establishment of quality systems and procedures is central to the role of a quality assurance manager. However, once these are in place the QA manager constantly evaluates and ensures these systems are doing what they are supposed to do. The ability to analyze information and evaluate quality control reports is necessary for this job. There are also typical management functions such as employee training, monitoring of budgets, and reporting to senior management that have to be performed in this role.
All quality assurance managers need excellent communication and interpersonal skills as well as strong organizational capabilities. Specific qualifications will vary depending upon the industry you wish to work in. For example, if you are looking to become a quality assurance manager in a food production environment, it is recommended that you have a Bachelor's degree in Food Science or possibly Microbiology. Technical experience in a laboratory environment is also recommended, as is knowledge of statistical analysis. Ideally, you should also have production experience since you will be establishing systems and procedures that will impact production workers.
Other QA roles, such as QA technician, QA engineer, and QA analyst, involve reporting to the quality assurance manager and implementing, monitoring, and testing the quality assurance systems and procedures. The qualifications for these roles are also dependent upon the industry, although basic degrees in science, engineering, and applied sciences and mathematics, along with specific quality assurance certification, and requisite experience in the appropriate work environments, are fundamental to landing these jobs.
Quality control positions, such as QC manager, QC inspector, or QC compliance officer, are technical positions, which require a thorough knowledge of production processes. Depending on the environment, these jobs will require university or trade qualifications as well as additional training in quality control.
Specializing in quality assurance or quality control is not something that generally happens early in a career. Experience in a particular industry is usually necessary in order to have the knowledge and skills necessary to do these jobs well. If you are interested in pursuing a career in QA or QC, aim to develop skills in a particular industry and look for ways to develop your career in quality assurance or quality control.
