The terms “QA” and “QC” are thrown around so frequently that many people tend to think the two are interchangeable, however, this is far from the truth. Here are many key differences between “Quality Control” and “Quality Assurance.”
To start, let’s take a look at what each of the two processes entail.
What is Quality Assurance?
Quality assurance is the process of ensuring quality throughout the product development process. QA aims to prevent product problems or defects through the perfection of the processes associated with producing a product. It is a proactive process determined before the production of a product even begins. Examples of quality assurance include methodology development, checklists and audits.
The Whopper did not become the iconic burger it is out of thin air. A specific process detailing the proper way to grill the patty, what type of cheese gets melted on top to the perfect amount of ketchup and mayo squeezed on the bun was created to ensure every Whopper is created the same. The iconic burger would not be as beloved if each burger was created differently each time.
What is Quality Control?
Quality control is a step in the production process focusing on the detection of issues with a product. QC’s actions are used to ensure that the finished product matches the determined specifications and quality outlined in the QA process. QC also addresses any defects or issues found with a product. QC is typically performed by a dedicated team rather than by multiple teams and departments as it is not just one step but an integrated part of the production process. The goal of quality control is to catch any issues before a product is sent off to a consumer. Examples of quality control include product inspection and testing.
If people worried their Whopper would come without lettuce, the burger’s iconic status would be derailed. Burger King instills product faith in its customers by ensuring each burger is consistently produced with expected quality. The Whopper would not be one of the most recognizable fast food items if customers were not satisfied with the final product.
Special Orders Don’t Upset Us
Royal Chemical is the Burger King of manufacturing, Have It Your Way! Thinking about placing an order? Here is a look into the “kitchen” to see how we handle quality assurance and quality control for all of our customers.
Royal Chemical will begin with asking a variety of questions to ensure you get your order just the way you want it. As an ISO9001:2015 company, we follow the standard from start to finish to ensure we acknowledge what you need and when you need it. Royal Chemical has a rigorous on-boarding processing that we go through with all of our clients. Once we understand your expectations regarding raw materials, supplied items, formula, mix instructions, lot numbers, packaging, storage and shipping, we then create all the documented processes that inform each department's actions. Our experience allows us to customize a sound process for each and every client, a process that many clients may not even have known they needed. This is the start of our quality assurance process which is above and beyond what many of our competitors provide for their customers.
In addition to all process documentation, Royal Chemical will communicate and include all relevant team members in a briefing to understand the expectations and processes for the product or products. Our team will ensure the documented and agreed upon process for your product from blending to packaging to warehousing and fulfillment.
Now that we understand your order and expectations, quality control checks are put in place to certify the product manufactured conforms to the specifications communicated by your team. There will be a variety of checkpoints identified along the production process as key quality indicators. These can be provided externally from your team or our recommendations based on best practices. Each identified product will be examined to ensure they match the agreed upon specifications. These can include raw material weights, mix times, fill weights, lot numbers, packaging specifications and/or any additional particulars requested and documented. Each of our facilities has a dedicated lab and team to perform the quality control checks needed for each product. The quality control checks are completed for every batch of product we produce and pack. One of the services we provide for our clients, and one that they find a valuable part of quality control process, is lot traceability. Lot traceability provides clients with the complete history of their products that we blend and package. Our lot traceability service provides detailed track and trace metrics for our clients including batch, lot and serial number as well as expiry dates for time sensitive materials. Our dual efforts with quality assurance and quality control ensure each batch of materials we deliver match the agreed upon specifications.
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