Quality Control (QC)

1-1 Quality

Quality means: - fitness for use and this means in simpler words that a product
has good quality when it "conforms to the requirements specified determining by
the customer" or that quality is "meeting or exceeding customer expectations."
The Eight characteristics of Quality

1. Performance
2. Reliability
3. Durability
4. Serviceability
5. Aesthetics
6. Features
7. Perceived Quality
8. Conformance to Standards

1-2 Control

Control refers to the process we employ in order to meet standards. This process
consists of observing our actual performance, comparing this performance with
standard, and then taking action if the detected performance is significantly
different from the standard.

The control process is in the nature of a feedback loop and involves a

universal sequence of steps as follows:

1. Choosing the control subject and choosing a unit of measure.

2. Setting a standard or goal for the control subject.
3. Choosing a sensing device which can measure the control subject in terms of
the unit of measure.
5. Measuring actual performance.
6. Determination the difference between actual and standard.
7. Taking action (if any) on the difference."
 The sequence of steps is universal and applies to control of any- thing, e.g.,
cost control, inventory control, quality control, etc. "If you know how to control,
you can control anything."

There are many aspects of quality in a business context; still primary idea is the
business produces something, whether it is a physical good or a particular service.
These goods and/or services and how they are produced involve many types of
processes, procedures, equipment, personnel, and investments, which all fall under
the quality umbrella. Key aspects of quality and how it's diffused throughout the
business are rooted in the concept of quality management.

1-3 Quality management

Quality management is the act of managing all activities and tasks needed to
maintain a desired level of excellence. This includes the determination of a quality
policy, creating and implementing quality planning and assurance, and quality
control and quality improvement. It is also referred to as total quality management
(TQM). Quality management is focused not only on product quality, but also the
means to achieve it. Quality management has four main components: quality
planning, quality assurance, quality control and quality improvement

1. Quality planning - Quality planning is implemented as a means of "developing

the products, systems, and processes needed to meet or exceed customer
expectations." This includes defining who the customers are, determining their
needs, and developing the tools (systems, processes, etc.) needed to meet those
needs (beginning new products, processes, etc.)
2. Quality assurance – Quality assurance (QA) is procedure or set of procedures
intended to ensure that a product or service providing enough confidence that
business requirements and goals (as outlined in quality planning). This is done
through systematic measurement, comparison with a standard, and monitoring
 of processes to prevention the error. QA includes regulation of the quality of raw
materials, assemblies, products and components; services related to production;
and management, production and inspection processes.
3. Quality control – Quality control (QC) is implemented as a means of fulfilling
quality requirements, reviewing all factors involved in production. The business
confirms that the good or service produced meets organizational goals, often
using tools such as operational auditing and inspection. QC is focused on process
output. We can define quality control as a process of maintaining standards in
manufactured products by testing a sample of the output against the
specification in order to decrease product defects and improve product
quality. A product is considered to be at a high-quality level if it satisfies its
specification or customer requirement.
4. Quality improvement - Quality improvement is implemented as a means of
providing mechanisms for the evaluation and improvement of processes, etc. in
the light of their efficiency, effectiveness, and flexibility (continual improvement).

1-4 Quality assurance versus quality control

Many people think QA and QC are the same and confused by the difference
between these two terms, even experienced professionals but this is not true. Both
are tightly linked and sometimes it is very difficult to detect the differences. In the
fact, both are related to each other but they are different in origins. QA and QC are
part of Quality Management, however QA is focusing on preventing defect by
improve and stabilize production and ensures activities are monitored and verified
that approaches, techniques, methods and processes are designed for the projects
are implemented correctly while QC is focusing on detecting the defect by used
activities monitor and verify that the project deliverables meet the defined quality
standards. Quality Control has to complete after Quality Assurance.

The measurement of part coming out of an assembly line is Quality Control. In

contrast, Quality Assurance measures the assembly line itself, for the purpose of
increasing QC results an example in a factory that produces pens, a
QC manager measures the number of defective pens leaving the
production line. The defective items are counted, defects noted and then rejected
it if the most defects are related to the ink, the QA manager might measure the
results from the ink injection machine and recommend improvements.

Comparison chart

Aspect Quality Assurance Quality Control

Definition QA is a set of activities for QC is a set of activities for ensuring
ensuring quality in the quality in products. The activities
processes by which products focus on identifying defects in the
are developed actual products produced.
Focus on QA aims to prevent defects QC aims to identify (and correct)
with a focus on the process defects in the finished product.
used to make the product. It Quality control, therefore, is a
is a proactive quality reactive process.
process.
Goal The goal of QA is to The goal of QC is to identify defects
improve development and after a product is developed and
test processes so that defects before it's released.
do not arise when the
product is being developed.
How Establish a good quality Finding & eliminating sources of
management system and the quality problems through tools &
assessment of its adequacy. equipment so that customer's
Periodic conformance audits requirements are continually met.
of the operations of the
system.
What Prevention of quality The activities or techniques used to
problems through planned achieve and maintain the product
 and systematic activities quality, process and service.
including documentation.
Responsibility Everyone on the team Quality control is usually the
involved in developing the responsibility of a specific team that
product is responsible for tests the product for defects.
quality assurance.
Example Verification is an example of Validation/Software Testing is an
QA example of QC
Statistical Statistical Tools & When statistical tools & techniques
Techniques Techniques can be applied in are applied to finished products
both QA & QC. When they (process outputs), they are called as
are applied to processes Statistical Quality Control (SQC) &
(process inputs & operational comes under QC.
parameters), they are called
Statistical Process Control
(SPC); & it becomes the part
of QA.
As a tool QA is a managerial tool QC is a corrective tool

Orientation QA is process oriented QC is product oriented