Quality Techniques QA & QC in Process & Product
Quality is an important factor when it comes to any product or service. With the high market competition, quality has become the market differentiator for almost all products and services.
Therefore, all manufacturers and service providers out there constantly look for enhancing their product or the service quality.
In order to maintain or enhance the quality of the offerings, manufacturers use two techniques, Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC). These two practices make sure that the end product or the service meets the quality requirements and standards defined for the product or the service.
There are many methods followed by organizations to achieve and maintain the required level of quality. Some organizations believe in the concepts of Total Quality Management (TQM) and some others believe in Internal and External Standards.
The Standards usually define the processes and procedures for organizational activities and assist to maintain the quality in every aspect of organizational functioning.
When it comes to Standards for Quality, there are many. ISO (International Standards Organization) is one of the prominent bodies for defining quality standards for different industries. It is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations.
The ISO makes Standards and Guidelines for a variety of businesses and purposes and publishes technical reports. Therefore, complying with standards such as ISO has become a necessity when it comes to attracting the customers. Many organizations try to adhere to the quality requirements of ISO.
In addition to that, there are many other standards that are specific to various industries.
The model is a collection of best practices that help organizations improve their processes and meet business goals. It covers practices for planning, engineering, and managing software development and maintenance, and can help organizations improve their cost, schedule, functionality, and product quality.
Since standards have become a symbol for products and service quality, the customers are now keen on buying their product or the service from a certified manufacturer or a service provider.
Quality Techniques of Quality Assurance (QA) & Quality Control (QC) : In a very simple language, QA is a Process-oriented practice whereas QC is a Product-oriented process. Many people get confused between Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC).
Let’s discuss :
Quality Assurance (QA)
A QA (Quality Assurance) process consists of a sequence of connected activities and steps to meet the goals set by a QA strategy. This process is carried out by a team typically comprising QA Engineers, a Test Lead, and a Test Manager. QA is a broad practice used for assuring the quality of products or services.
The QA process is a set of steps that aims to prevent issues throughout the development process.
The main stages of the QA process are typically:
(i) Analyze requirements
(ii) Plan tests
(iii) Design tests
(iv) Execute tests and report defects
(v) Run re-tests and regression tests
(vi) Run release tests
In QA, a constant effort is made to enhance the quality practices in the organization.
Therefore, continuous improvements are expected in quality functions in the company. For this, there is a dedicated quality assurance team commissioned.
Sometimes, in larger organizations, a ‘Process’ team is also allocated for enhancing the processes and procedures in addition to the quality assurance team.
Quality Assurance Team (QAT) of the organization has many responsibilities. First and foremost responsibility is to define a process for achieving and improving quality.
Some organizations come up with their own process and others adopt a standard processes such as ISO or CMMi. Processes such as CMMi allow the organizations to define their own internal processes and adhere by them.
Quality Assurance Function (QAF) of an organization uses a number of tools for enhancing the quality practices. These tools vary from simple techniques to sophisticated software systems.
The Quality Assurance Professionals (QAP) also should go through formal industrial trainings and get them certified. This is especially applicable for quality assurance functions in software development houses.
Since quality is a relative term, there is plenty of opportunity to enhance the quality of products and services.
The Quality Assurance Teams (QATs) of organizations constantly work to enhance the existing quality of products and services by optimizing the existing production processes and introducing new processes.
Quality Control (QC)
As we have already discussed, Organizations can define their own internal quality standards, processes and procedures; the organization will develop these over time and then relevant stakeholders will be required to adhere by them.
The process of making sure that the stakeholders are adhered to the defined standards and procedures is called Quality Control. In Quality Control, a verification process takes place.
Certain activities and products are verified against a defined set of rules or standards.
Aim of QC :
These three objectives will be evident in any manufacturer with a robust and functional quality control program.
1. The first is to improve product quality and reduce risks.
2. The second is to gain production efficiencies.
3. And the third is to garner customer loyalty.
Quality Control is a process through which a business seeks to ensure that product quality is maintained or improved. Quality Control involves testing units and determining if they are within the specifications for the final product.
Thus, Quality Control inspection have checklists that serve two main purposes :
1. They outline quality standards and product requirements the company is expected to meet, and
2. They provide objective criteria for inspecting the product to ensure it meets customer’s expectations.
Every organization that practices QC needs to have a Quality Manual (QM). The QM outlines the quality focus and the objectives in the organization.
The QM gives the quality guidance to different departments and functions. Therefore, everyone in the organization needs to be aware of his or her responsibilities mentioned in the quality manual.
Concluding, when it comes to our focus, we understand that QC is a Product-Oriented Process. When it comes to QA, it is a Process-Oriented practice.
When QA makes sure that the process of manufacturing the product does adhere to standards, QC makes sure the end product meets the quality requirements.
QA primarily focuses on the processes and procedures that improve quality, including training, documentation, monitoring and audits.
QC focuses on the product to find defects that remain after development. QC professionals find these issues in a variety of ways, including software testing and beta or canary testing.
Both QA and QC help organizations improve their development and testing processes, and can help reduce problems and costs.
RAJEEV VERMA 