Difference between QA and QC

Beside planning, analyzing and designing, quality assurance and quality control play an important role in the development of the software. 

Terms Quality Assurance and Quality Control look like substitute ones, however there is a difference between them in practice.

QA – Quality Assurance

Before starting work, the QA engineer creates the requirements for the software. The quality assurance process covers the design, creation and release of the software with the least amount of defects and errors for the end user. QA provides such methods and techniques for all members of the process in order to release the best product.

In order to keep up with quality assurance, one must:

• perform technical characteristics and requirements to the PC check;
• perform the risk evaluation;
• perform task planning in order to improve product quality;
• perform preparations of the special documentation, testing environment and data;
• perform testing;
• perform analysis of the testing result, as well as the reports and other documents.

Advantages of the QA cover the process of structuring the software workflow, so there are a plan and tasks that each specialist must perform, for example, the tester who knows when to start testing and follows the plan.

Before the beginning of the Quality Control, all the quality standards and testing measures must be specified.

QC – Quality Control

This process covers the analysis of the testing process, identification and elimination of bugs in software. QC identifies the current state of the product and quality of the work performed.

Quality Control tasks cover:

• checking the software for the release;
• verification of compliance with the requirements and quality of this project.

If a large number of errors are found, the development plan is reviewed and errors are fixed. Thus, QC becomes stuck in the process of working on software.

As for testing, it does not guarantee the quality of the product, but only controls it to meet safety and efficiency standards.

Thus, testing is product-oriented and is in the domain of quality control. From the above, it can be understood that QC and testing are integral to product quality assurance.

QA and QC  are not only interconnected, but also self-substitute each other. The difference becomes clearer in the process of creating of these  features: 

• quality assurance is developed at the stage before product implementation, when the process itself is connected only with analytics;
• quality control is developed at the stage when the product is already partially ready.

However the QA and QC engineers themselves check how each element of the product works separately, as well as their interaction when all elements are gathered.

Developing high-quality software, as well as maintaining quality, is the most important thing in the life cycle of any product. Therefore, it is necessary to adhere to certain standards to meet the requirements of the customer or user of the software.