- 2082 Baisakh · 4 marks
Differentiate quality control and assurance
Short answer
QA is a proactive, process-focused system to prevent defects through quality plans, audits, and training. QC is a reactive, product-focused set of inspection and testing techniques to detect defects. QA builds quality into the process; QC checks quality in the product.
Differentiate between quality control and quality assurance.
Quality assurance (QA) is the planned and systematic set of activities in the process that gives confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled. Quality control (QC) is the set of operational techniques used to inspect and test the product to check that it meets the requirement.
| Basis | Quality assurance (QA) | Quality control (QC) |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Planned system of activities to give confidence that quality requirements will be met | Operational techniques to check that the work meets the requirement |
| Focus | Process; prevents defects | Product; detects defects |
| Nature | Proactive | Reactive |
| When | Before and during the work | During and after the work |
| Responsibility | Whole organisation and management | Site and testing team |
| Tools | Quality plan, audits, procedures, training | Inspection, tests (cube test, slump, compaction), checklists |
| Example | Setting the method statement and approving materials | Testing concrete cubes at 7 and 28 days |
In short, QA is building quality into the process and QC is checking quality in the product.
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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