Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) are both essential to delivering high-quality software, but they are not the same thing.
QA focuses on processes to prevent defects, while QC focuses on the product to detect defects.
–Software testing is a core QC activity but also provides feedback to improve QA processes.
To better understand the differences, take a look at the comparison table below:
| Quality Assurance (QA) | Quality Control (QC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Process-oriented: Issue prevention | Product-oriented: Issue detection |
| Goal | Ensure quality processes are established and correct | Ensure product meets requirements |
| Who’s Involved | Project teams, Review Boards | Testers |
| Examples | Policies, Standards, Risk Assessments. Tools & Guidance, Change Control | Testing, Auditing, Reviews & Inspections, Metrics & Reporting |