Although QA (Quality Assurance) and QC (Quality Control) are closely related aspects of managing quality, they serve distinct roles. QA focuses on the processes and methodologies used to prevent defects during development, ensuring the right processes are followed. QC, on the other hand, is about the actual inspection and testing of the software product to identify defects before release.
Understanding QC (quality control) is essential because it involves activities like testing, validation, and verification that confirm the product meets quality standards. Both QA and QC are vital in delivering reliable software, but QC specifically targets defect detection and correction within the product itself.
Been working in QA processes for a good part of my career, and one thing I often notice is how people mix up QA and QC. To break it down simply—QA is the strategy, the overall approach to ensure you’re building things right from the start. Think good coding practices, team workflows, reviews, etc. On the other hand, QC quality control is where you actually inspect and test the software—that final validation layer before the product goes out. It’s the ‘check before you ship.
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Quality Assurance vs Quality Control: Key Differences | LambdaTest*
Totally agree with @Priyadapanicker, and I’ve seen this in action across multiple projects. I’d add that QA is like your prevention strategy—it’s about building the right thing the right way, and avoiding issues upfront. But QC quality control is your last line of defense. It’s where you catch what slipped through—bugs, UI glitches, performance issues. You could say QA is proactive, QC is reactive. Both need to be strong to deliver reliable software.”
Yep, been there too. What’s interesting is how these two—QA and QC—complement each other. I like to think of QA as designing the perfect recipe and QC quality control as tasting the dish to make sure it turned out right. And in software development, no matter how perfect your recipe is, if you skip the tasting step (QC), you’re flying blind. QC is not just about catching bugs, it’s about validating user experience, functionality, and even emotions tied to using the product. That’s what makes it irreplaceable.