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Term: Quality Assurance

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Term: Quality Assurance

Definition:
Quality Assurance (QA) is often confused with Quality Control (QC), but where QC activities are concentrated on detecting defects, QA is proactive and concerned with preventing defects by ensuring that the required levels of quality are achieved for a product or service. A QA program is heavily dependent on data from QC data to search for patterns and trends. QA activities also include controlled experiments, design reviews, and system tests. QA programs can influence quality through creating Quality Assurance Plans, quality-related policies, or creating and conducting trainings.
Category:
General
See also:
Quality control; Metrology