Software Quality Assurance (QA) and Software Quality Control (QC) are related but distinct practices in the software development process.
Quality Assurance (QA) is an anticipatory procedure that is aimed at averting mistakes and ensuring that the software is up to standard and matches the established criteria. This requires the formation and utilization of a set of methods and guidelines to make certain that the software is of a superior quality. This might comprise of procedures such as assessment, code review and process evaluations. The objective of QA is to discover and prevent errors before they enter the final product, and guarantee that the software is able to meet the expectations of the end-users.
Quality Control (QC) is an interactive process that concentrates on uncovering and fixing faults in the code. This involves assessing the program to guarantee that it adheres to the regulations and instructions. This may contain activities like hands-on testing, computerized testing, and accord testing. The purpose of QC is to detect mistakes in the software and make sure they are remedied before the product is propelled.
The difference between Software Quality Assurance and Software Quality Control is that QA focuses on preventing defects, while QC focuses on detecting and correcting defects. Quality assurance (QA) ensures that the software meets specified requirements, while quality control (QC) ensures that it is of high quality. QA and QC are both essential in the software development process because they work together to ensure that the quality of the product is up to par and meets user needs.
Brief Comparison between Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Quality Assurance (QA) | Quality Control (QC) |
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It is a procedure that focuses on providing assurance that quality requested will be achieved | It is a procedure that focuses on fulfilling the quality requested. |
QA aims to prevent the defect | QC aims to identify and fix defects |
It is a method to manage the quality- Verification | It is a method to verify the quality-Validation |
It does not involve executing the program | It always involves executing a program |
It’s a Preventive technique | It’s a Corrective technique |
It’s a Proactive measure | It’s a Reactive measure |
It is the procedure to create the deliverables | It is the procedure to verify that deliverables |
QA involves in full software development life cycle | QC involves in full software testing life cycle |
In order to meet the customer requirements, QA defines standards and methodologies | QC confirms that the standards are followed while working on the product |
It is performed before Quality Control | It is performed only after QA activity is done |
It is a Low-Level Activity, it can identify an error and mistakes which QC cannot | It is a High-Level Activity, it can identify an error that QA cannot |
Its main motive is to prevent defects in the system. It is a less time-consuming activity | Its main motive is to identify defects or bugs in the system. It is a more time-consuming activity |
QA ensures that everything is executed in the right way, and that is why it falls under verification activity | QC ensures that whatever we have done is as per the requirement, and that is why it falls under validation activity |
It requires the involvement of the whole team | It requires the involvement of the Testing team |
The statistical technique applied on QA is known as SPC or Statistical Process Control (SPC) | The statistical technique applied to QC is known as SQC or Statistical Quality Control |