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What is the difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control?

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arlynrhea547

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Posted 23 September 2017 - 04:03 AM

Hi everyone! This is my first time to post in this forum. Any inputs on the difference between Quality Control and Quality Assurance? As far as I know from my research, QA is basically more on the process, while QC is on the product. Currently, we only have QC department. But upon evaluation on the job description that our company has, it basically has a "mixed-up" of the duties and responsibilities of a QA/QC. A clear definition on QA/QC in the food industry will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

Arlyn



Charles.C

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Posted 23 September 2017 - 07:03 AM

Hi everyone! This is my first time to post in this forum. Any inputs on the difference between Quality Control and Quality Assurance? As far as I know from my research, QA is basically more on the process, while QC is on the product. Currently, we only have QC department. But upon evaluation on the job description that our company has, it basically has a "mixed-up" of the duties and responsibilities of a QA/QC. A clear definition on QA/QC in the food industry will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

Arlyn

 

Hi Arlyn,

 

I think this topic was originally generated by the appearance of ISO9000 and its terminologies.

 

Subsequently many, many more "interested parties" have added their own 2 cents.

 

Just for one example -

 

http://www.iso9001co....com.au/QA.html


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


FurFarmandFork

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Posted 25 September 2017 - 05:45 PM

I've been at different companies and it's defined differently whereever you go, some actually in opposition to each other.

 

Just call everything "quality", and rather than worry about assurance vs. control, I would be more explicit when an quality activity affects food safety.


Austin Bouck
Owner/Consultant at Fur, Farm, and Fork.
Consulting for companies needing effective, lean food safety systems and solutions.

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KorbenDallas

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Posted 07 July 2020 - 08:16 AM

These terms are different. I think this is the best explaination 

 
QA (the short form of Quality Assurance) ensures that all the necessary techniques, procedures, standards, and methodologies have been followed to guarantee a defect-free product.
 
QC (the short form of Quality Control) stands for a process of validation which ensures that the product has met the previously set requirements. Simply put, this is a process that assures expected quality for the product.
 
The focus of QA will be on the quality of the verification process and preventing defects while the QC will focus on the entire end product and fixing flaws.


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Charles.C

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Posted 07 July 2020 - 09:54 AM

I think the distinctions were invented by ISO as per Post 2.

 

eg -

 

https://en.wikipedia...ality_assurance

 

Subsequently it became a "matter of opinion" :smile:

 

But maybe there is a link to show it pre-dates ISO ??


Edited by Charles.C, 07 July 2020 - 10:26 AM.
added

Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


evelynjackson

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Posted 07 July 2020 - 12:10 PM

Hi Everyone:

 

Quality assurance and Quality control are used as synonyms.

For example, in food production, the main goal of Quality Assurance is to ensure the performed process and prevent any defects during primary production. On the other hand, Quality Control is there to detect a number of possible hazards caused by microbiological growth, chemical or physical contamination. Both aspects bind together will improve and ensure safe food products.

 

Quality assurance (QA) is a process in which we process for food and we check that these processes are good or not.

Quality control In this term For Example we use food boxes for betterment of the quality the food and remain healthy for long time period.


Edited by evelynjackson, 07 July 2020 - 12:11 PM.


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Charles.C

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Posted 07 July 2020 - 12:56 PM

Hi Everyone:

 

Quality assurance and Quality control are used as synonyms.

For example, in food production, the main goal of Quality Assurance is to ensure the performed process and prevent any defects during primary production. On the other hand, Quality Control is there to detect a number of possible hazards caused by microbiological growth, chemical or physical contamination. Both aspects bind together will improve and ensure safe food products.

 

Quality assurance (QA) is a process in which we process for food and we check that these processes are good or not.

Quality control In this term For Example we use food boxes for betterment of the quality the food and remain healthy for long time period.

Hi evelyn,

 

To summarise, as I understand, yr answer to the OP is Nil. :thumbup:


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


El Molino

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Posted 07 July 2020 - 05:55 PM

QA is the quality program (who, what) and standards specified for product - QC is the process activities to verify the findings (attributes, color size weight , labs ) are meeting the standards laid out in the QA program



QualityMitch

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Posted 07 July 2020 - 08:25 PM

Assurance are the tasks, processes and procedures that are in place to assure that the quality is good.

Control are the processes, procedures, and tasks that are in place to ensure that bad product is detected.



VThiruselvi

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Posted 08 July 2020 - 01:09 AM

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN QA AND QC

Quality assurance and quality control are two aspects of quality management. While some quality assurance and quality control activities are interrelated, the two are defined differently. Typically, QA activities and responsibilities cover virtually all of the quality system in one fashion or another, while QC is a subset of the QA activities. Also, elements in the quality system might not be specifically covered by QA/QC activities and responsibilities but may involve QA and QC. Below are ISO 9000 definitions from ISO 9000:2015: Quality management systems - Fundamentals and Vocabulary.

 

 

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance can be defined as "part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled." The confidence provided by quality assurance is twofold—internally to management and externally to customers, government agencies, regulators, certifiers, and third parties. An alternate definition is "all the planned and systematic activities implemented within the quality system that can be demonstrated to provide confidence that a product or service will fulfill requirements for quality."

 

Quality Control

Quality control can be defined as "part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements." While quality assurance relates to how a process is performed or how a product is made, quality control is more the inspection aspect of quality management. An alternate definition is "the operational techniques and activities used to fulfill requirements for quality."

 

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES ON QA AND QC

For some service organizations, the concept of quality control may be foreign because there is no tangible product to inspect and control. The quality assurance function in a service organization may not include quality control of the service but may include quality control of any products involved in providing the service.

 

A service may include products that are documents (such as a report, contract, or design) or tangible products (such as a rental car or units of blood). It may be necessary to control product quality in a service organization to ensure that the service meets customer requirements.

 

QA, QC, and Inspection

Inspection is the process of measuring, examining, and testing to gauge one or more characteristics of a product or service and the comparison of these with specified requirements to determine conformity. Products, processes, and various other results can be inspected to make sure that the object coming off a production line, or the service being provided, is correct and meets specifications.

 

Quality Assurance and Audit Functions

Auditing is part of the quality assurance function. It is important to ensure quality because it is used to compare actual conditions with requirements and to report those results to management.

 

In The Quality Audit: A Management Evaluation Tool (McGraw-Hill, 1988), Charles Mill wrote that auditing and inspection are not interchangeable: “The auditor may use inspection techniques as an evaluation tool, but the audit should not be involved in carrying out any verification activities leading to the actual acceptance or rejection of a product or service. An audit should be involved with the evaluation of the process and controls covering the production and verification activities.”

 

Formal management systems have evolved to direct and control organizations. There are quality management systems (QMSs) as well as environmental or other management systems, and each of these systems may be audited.





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