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Home / Insights / Blog / QA Testing vs. QC Testing: What’s the Difference?
May 26, 2023 - by Ahesanali Vijapura
The terms quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) are often used interchangeably. Although both are tightly linked, are part of quality management, and are sometimes difficult to differentiate, they are far from being the same. While QA testing focuses on providing assurance that quality requested will be achieved, QC testing focuses on fulfilling the quality requested. QA focuses on preventing defects while QC focuses on identifying the defect.
Quality Assurance (QA) is all about ensuring your software meets high standards and performs flawlessly. It focuses on improving reliability and making sure the software is up to par. By proactively identifying and resolving issues, QA strives to prevent problems from occurring, resulting in superior software overall.
Quality Control (QC) is all about making sure your software functions as it should. It involves thoroughly examining the software for any issues or glitches after it has been developed. The main aim is to ensure that the software meets all its requirements and operates smoothly as intended.
QA testing is a function of software quality that assures that procedures and standards are appropriate for a project and are correctly executed. The QA team’s job is to improve development and test processes so that defects do not arise when the product is being developed.
QC testing is a function of software quality that checks that the project follows standards, processes, and procedures laid down, and that the project produces the required internal and external deliverables. The QC team’s job is to identify defects after a product is developed but before it is released. QC aims to identify (and correct) defects in the finished product.
QA, QC, and Testing form a cohesive bond to deliver a top-notch product. QA establishes the standards, QC ensures compliance, and Testing verifies that everything is of quality. This collaborative approach swiftly identifies and resolves issues and ensures a high-quality outcome before it reaches the end-user. Together, these steps guarantee that the product meets the desired standards.
One of the main reasons why many developers give software testing a miss is because it increases development time; however, that’s not entirely true. Although software testing might seem challenging initially, it only aids in ensuring quality and reliability of your product.
Two certain ways of ensuring top-notch quality is to carry out QA and QC testing: QA testing verifies that the processes used to manage and create deliverables are followed, and recognizes faults in the process, and QC testing ensures that the approaches, techniques, methods, and processes are followed in such a way that project deliverables meet the defined quality standards.
Therefore, software quality processes and delivering a quality product through QA and QC not only saves time and money, it mitigates risk and guarantees a competitive edge over rivals – a recipe for success!
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