Quality assurance

Quality assurance is the system a business uses to make sure that the quality of production meets customer needs throughout the whole production process. Rather than leaving quality to be checked once the item is finished, it builds quality into every stage, from choosing materials to packing the finished item.

This makes quality assurance broader than quality control. Quality control checks output against a standard and aims to detect faults. Quality assurance looks at the whole process and aims to prevent faults from happening in the first place. In a business using quality assurance, every employee is often responsible for quality at their own stage. A machinist making waterproof jackets might check the stitching before passing the jacket on, rather than leaving every check to an inspector at the end.

Quality assurance in practice

For example, a bike manufacturer could set a standard for each frame weld, train staff to check their own welds, and record measurements at the welding stage. If a measurement is outside the standard, the problem is corrected before the frame moves on. The business is trying to stop faulty frames being completed, not just finding them later.

Quality assurance and quality control

Large businesses and limits

Large businesses may have a separate quality assurance department. Its staff measure and check each stage, keep records and increase confidence that the process is working. But quality assurance does not guarantee that no faulty products will ever be made: people can still make mistakes, and materials or equipment can still fail.