Why Quality Assurance is More Relevant than Quality Control

Quality in business is a comprehensive term, and it implies that products or services are fit for use. However, in a broader definition stated by experts, quality is maintaining a standard in a product or service regarding its feature, design, durability, and reliability, and ensuring it meets every customer need or expectation. There is a significant difference between the quality control (QC) approach and quality assurance (QA). For businesses that wonder why or how to achieve ISO certification, an international quality assurance certification emphasizes the latter. QC checks and evaluates whether the products or services are up to a good quality standard, but it does not evaluate the internal and external processes that produce products or services. QA does that, therefore, QA is a complex process that ensures the business and its processes and end products/services meet the appropriate standard of quality.

Here is why quality assurance is more important than quality control in a business.

QA is the foundation for ISO certification

When a business achieves quality assurance certification, it proves that their product or service is of good quality, produced by efficient processes, and satisfies the customers. ISO 9001 certification is the globally recognized certification that shows that the business follows a strict quality management system (QMS). Any business that succeeds at getting ISO 9001 certification has passed the audits by an authorized certification body. The audits are carried out on the processes of the organization, including its operations, supply chain, end products, and services. The certification guarantees or verifies that the business follows processes that are in line with international quality regulations and consistently improves them to maintain ISO certification.

Primary functions of QA are lasting than QC

QC is the process that ensures the end products or services delivered to customers are defect-free and of great quality. This is unlike QA because QA also examines and corrects the processes involved in creating the service or product. Therefore, the functions of QC are less comprehensive as it only checks the final products/services to see whether they meet customer specifications or demands. Any issues or faults in them are not immediately corrected, unlike with QA, which leads to the examination of the whole process with thorough audits, ensures efficiency process, and whether there are any non-conformities to industrial regulations. It thus indirectly helps the business make quality improvement plans by streamlining their processes, improving compliance, and assuring the quality of the final products/services.

QC versus QA Activities

QA examines the processes in the business, identifies flaws or inefficiencies that may be hampering the end products, and resolves them. QC activities only examines the end products or services to find defects in them before market delivery. The next lot of products will be manufactured while keeping the QC review in mind so that no more defects are found in the service or products. Put simply, QC is about finding defects in the end products and addressing the issues in the next line of products. Whereas, QA is about raising the efficiency of the processes, removing inconsistencies, and meeting industrial compliances so that the production of any defective product/services is prevented at the earliest. QC is a corrective approach for quality management, QA is a preventive approach.

These points of differences show which one you should adopt for your business. It is undoubtedly the QA, or quality assurance that will lead your business to ISO certification. The entrepreneurs who are stuck on the thought of how to achieve ISO certification need some consulting and guidance from ISO experts who can provide an assured plan for the quality management and certification process.