presentation on quality assurance and quality control

What Is the Difference Between Quality Assurance and Quality Control? [+ Examples]

Last Updated on March 22, 2024 by Owen McGab Enaohwo

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Have you ever made a costly mistake because of failing to check and correct errors? Such errors can affect your business and lead to heavy losses. This is where quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) come in. But which of the two should you use in your organization?

For instance, your company needs to design a product. QA will be the architect developing the product blueprint. They outline the specifications, standards, and protocols for creating a high-quality product and establish the guidelines, ensuring that every aspect of the production process aligns with the envisioned outcome.

The QC comes in as the inspector on the assembly line. As the product takes shape, QC examines and tests each component against the predefined standards. This inspection process acts as the last checkpoint, verifying that the final product meets the quality benchmarks set by the QA team during the planning phase.

While QA and QC are frequently used interchangeably, they have key differences. In this article, we’ll examine what you should know about quality assurance versus quality control.

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Table of Contents

What is quality assurance (qa), what is quality control, quality assurance (qa) vs quality control (qc): key differences, quality control vs. quality assurance: focus & goal, quality assurance vs quality control: process & orientation, quality control vs. quality assurance: roles & responsibilities, quality assurance vs. quality control: tools, quality control vs. quality assurance: duration & timeline, quality assurance (qa) vs. quality control (qc): similarities, quality assurance (qa) vs. quality control (qc): examples from which you can learn, how to improve your company’s quality assurance and control using sweetprocess, benefits of implementing quality assurance (qa) and quality control (qc) in your business, minimize risks in your business by implementing quality control and quality assurance.

Quality assurance (QA) is a structured and proactive set of activities designed to ensure that processes are established and adhered to in order to produce products or services of consistent quality.

In business and production, QA is the methodology that sets the standards, guidelines, and protocols governing every step of the process to prevent defects and deviations from quality benchmarks. Therefore, QA managers select development and testing methods to ensure the team uses the right processes.

For instance, in manufacturing, QA may involve:

• Setting strict standards for raw materials
• Implementing rigorous inspection procedures throughout production
• Continually refining processes to enhance overall quality

If the QC team identifies any defect, the feedback is implemented by QA managers. By focusing on prevention rather than detection, QA strives to identify and address potential issues before they impact the final product. This fosters a culture of continuous improvement .

Quality control (QC) is a quality management approach that ensures that the final products or services meet specified quality criteria. QC involves inspections, testing, and evaluations conducted during or after the production process to detect and address any defects or deviations from established standards.

For example, in manufacturing, QC might involve inspecting a sample of finished products to ensure they meet the predefined quality specifications. In software development, QC could include rigorous software testing to identify and rectify any bugs or issues before its release.

Unlike quality assurance, which focuses on preventing defects, QC is about identifying and correcting issues that arise during or after the production phase. They ensure that the end product aligns with the set quality standards before it goes to the client.

Although quality assurance and quality control have a similar foundation, they are different. In this section, we’ll take a closer look at how they differ.

The primary goal of QA is to prevent defects and maintain consistency in quality throughout the entire process. It focuses on setting standards, implementing best practices, and continuously improving processes to ensure that the end product or service meets or exceeds customer expectations.

On the other hand, QC helps identify and correct defects in the service or final product. Once the product gets to the final stage, the QC team evaluates the output to confirm if it meets the predetermined quality criteria.

Which Comes First

You should know which comes first to implement QA and QC in your company. QA is integral to the planning and design phase; therefore, it’s implemented before the actual work begins. This is where the processes and standards are established. QC comes after or during the production work. The QC activities primarily focus on the final output.

QA is proactive, while QC is reactive. This is because QA activities are designed to prevent defects from occurring in the first place. These teams perform regular audits to ensure the final product is delivered without issues.

On the other hand, the QC team will monitor and observe the quality of the final product and provide feedback on quality improvement areas. They react when standards haven’t been met and report them to the QA team to correct.

The other main difference between these two elements of quality management is that QA is process-oriented while QC is product-oriented. This is because QA concentrates on procedures and methods employed to achieve consistent quality. Therefore, they look at the entire lifecycle of the project or process to prevent future errors.

QC focuses on the end result and whether it meets predefined quality standards. QC activities identify and fix problems with the specific output or deliverable to ensure that the company delivers the best product in the market.

Responsibility

With QA, the entire product development team is involved. The responsibility is shared among all team members to ensure that the information and materials are available to deliver the product according to the guidelines.

However, QC has a dedicated team to inspect and test product quality. This team is responsible for identifying and correcting defects in the final product. For instance, if your manufacturing company deals with different products, you’ll have dedicated QC personnel for every product line.

QA activities are usually ongoing throughout the project or process lifecycle. They are integrated into every phase, ensuring continuous quality improvement . On the other hand, QC is short-term.

Orientation

QA is forward-looking because it emphasizes continuous improvement and adherence to standards to prevent future defects. In contrast, QC is backward-looking since it involves detecting and correcting deviations in the final output. Therefore, the QC team has to constantly look at what went wrong in the production and send back the product for improvement.

The emphasis of QA is the prevention of defects through systematic planning, process adherence, and continuous improvement. Therefore, most of this work is during the planning and creation phase. On the other hand, QC is more focused on verification once the product is ready to ensure that it has no issues.

The primary goal of QA is to ensure that processes are in place to prevent defects and deviations from established standards throughout the entire project or production process. To achieve this goal, QA teams place their focus on:

• Process improvement
• Adherence to standards
• Implementation of best practices

QA creates a quality-centric environment by addressing the root causes of potential issues before they can manifest in the final product or service. QA establishes a foundation for the entire team to follow by setting guidelines and standards.

This approach slightly differs from QC, which aims to identify and correct defects or deviations in the final product or service. Unlike QA, which works to prevent issues throughout the entire process, QC is specifically concerned with evaluating the end result to ensure it meets the predefined quality criteria.

QA and QC teams work together in most organizations to achieve total quality management . However, they differ in the way they implement their quality measures. On one end, quality assurance is process-oriented and preventive; therefore, the team systematically plans and implements methodologies to ensure consistent quality throughout the entire project or production process.

The main processes include:

• Documentation : The QA team creates reports and recommends how defects should be corrected to reduce the risk of them happening again.
• Training : The QA team requires training on all levels to be efficient. With this information, they can identify and fix any production issues and maintain standards.
• Audits : A QA audit is essential for every organization. These audits examine whether the business adheres to the set quality requirements.
• Monitoring : The QA process also involves monitoring the activities to ensure that the quality standards are implemented.

In contrast, quality control processes use a product-oriented approach. Since QC is backward-looking and reactive, it’s concerned with validating the outcome against the predefined standards. Quality control processes include:

• Product sampling : Conducting a QC assessment on every product will be costly. Therefore, the QC team randomly selects a set of items from the assembly line to test the quality. This data is used to determine if the products are of good quality.
• Inspection : The QC inspection process involves examining and measuring services, products, and processes to verify if they conform to standards. During this activity, the team can remove defective products and stop further work on spoiled goods.
• Lab tests : For companies that make chemical products or food items, the QC teams have to conduct lab tests to confirm that the products are high quality and free from contamination.

If your company has a QA and QC team, they need to work together to optimize your business processes . However, they have different roles and responsibilities. Here are the main roles of the quality assurance team:

• Project manager : This role is responsible for the entire product development. As a manager, this individual has to balance the budget, productivity, team, and output. Additionally, they guide the team on which defects should be handled first.
• Quality assurance manager : Everyone on the team might not be aware of all the quality standards. The role of a QA manager is to develop these standards and ensure that the team adheres to them.
• Quality control reviewer : This is the individual responsible for reviewing the product or service quality before it reaches the final stages.

On the other hand, the QC roles and responsibilities are essential for testing and inspecting the final product. Here are the roles of the quality control team:

• Quality control officers : These individuals reject products not up to standard. They also train QA teams, conduct assessments, and report issues that need attention.
• Document designer : The quality control team needs a designer to develop the document with the quality standard requirements.
• Checkers : These roles are reserved for individuals who review the designer’s work to confirm that the document meets the standards. You can have two different independent checkers to ensure that you don’t have any errors.

While people like Kaoru Ishikawa developed the initial QA and QC tools , they have evolved over time, and various organizations and individuals have contributed to their creation. The tools often come from a combination of industry best practices, methodologies, or quality management system initiatives.

QA tools enhance the production system to ensure there are no errors. Some of the common tools include:

• Project management software : These tools help set and track project goals to ensure that standards and guidelines are well-documented and accessible to the team.
• Quality audits : Audits are conducted to evaluate the company’s quality management system . The team can determine what’s missing or needs to be rectified from these reviews.
• Process analysis : To understand the business process, you should analyze and review all the components, including procedures, input, and output.

For quality control, you can use the following tools:

• Statistical process control (SPC) charts : Control charts help monitor the stability and consistency of a process over time. They visually represent data to identify patterns or trends that may indicate variations in quality.
• Checklists : QC teams use inspection checklists during the examination of products or services to systematically verify that each aspect complies with the established quality criteria.
• Pareto analysis : This tool helps prioritize and focus efforts on the most significant factors contributing to defects. The 80/20 rule is often applied, where a large majority of issues come from a small number of causes.
• Histograms : Histograms provide a visual representation of the distribution of data. In QC, they can be used to understand the frequency and distribution of defects, helping to identify patterns and outliers.
• Scatter diagrams : You can use these tools to display the relationship between two variables. They identify correlations between factors and defects, making it easy for the QC teams to pinpoint root causes.

QA is a continuous and ongoing process that is integrated into the entire project or production lifecycle. It’s not constrained to specific phases; therefore, the timeline starts during the project planning and persists throughout the execution and delivery. Because of this, the process is medium to long-term.

However, with QC, the timeline is more concentrated and occurs during or after the completion of work. QC is short-term for the team to examine the final product just before it’s released to the customer.

Despite this difference, both QA and QC work together to boost quality management. Your team needs to understand these distinct durations and timelines to make it easier to establish comprehensive quality management practices throughout the lifecycle of the projects.

You should understand how QA and QC work to establish a quality management system for your business. The two concepts have key similarities. Let’s examine them.

Policies, Procedures, and Methodologies

Both QA and QC put an emphasis on establishing robust policies, procedures, and methodologies to ensure product excellence. QA sets guidelines for the entire development process and a commitment to quality standards and continuous improvement. Similarly, QC implements policies focused on inspecting and verifying the final product, aligning with predetermined quality criteria.

Additionally, they both enforce standardized practices to integrate quality seamlessly. The teams rely on structured methodologies to ensure that they identify and address defects. Both QC and QA share a commitment to deliver high-quality outcomes.

Securing a High Quality Product

One of the things that both QA and QC address is ensuring your company secures a high-quality product. Although they might have distinct approaches, these disciplines play a complementary role in delivering products that meet or exceed quality expectations.

Therefore, if you have any issues with the quality of your services or products, you should hire teams to implement both.

Preventing Major Issues

Production issues can cost your company a lot of money. Ultimately, you could lose customers, especially if you release faulty products into the market. To avoid such problems, you can rely on QC and QA to enhance the overall quality of the final product. This combination works perfectly because QA focuses on proactive measures, and QC offers reactive defect identification.

Involve Some Cost and Time Investment

It’s going to cost you to provide quality products and services. Both QA and QC require you to invest money and time. For starters, you must hire teams that can implement these quality management measures. You also need to organize training sessions to ensure your entire team is updated on all quality standards.

Additionally, QC activities require resources for testing equipment, inspection tools, and the actual evaluation of products. The time investment is crucial for thorough testing procedures.

Improve How the Organization Makes Products

Most organizations strive to improve their production process. Therefore, if you want to make better products, both QA and QC will help you achieve this objective. QA focuses on refining processes and methodologies throughout the product development lifecycle, while QC provides feedback that aids in refining the production process.

You can use both processes to drive improvements in product development.

Quality control and quality assurance processes can be used in almost all sectors. In this section, we’ll provide some examples from which you can learn.

Software Development

In a software development company, both QA and QC are integral components to ensure you deliver high-quality software products.

A software development company establishes comprehensive QA processes and methodologies that include:

• QA teams will conduct rigorous code reviews to ensure adherence to coding standards and best practices.
• Developers should write tests before code implementation, allowing for early identification and correction of potential issues.
• Automation tools should be employed to ensure that code changes are regularly integrated, tested, and deployed, minimizing the risk of integration issues.
• QA teams will ensure that each line of code is aligned with specific requirements, preventing deviations and enhancing product reliability.

The QC team will come in at the end to identify and rectify defects in the final software product before it reaches the end user. This involves manual and automated performance and usability testing, user acceptance testing to get feedback, and the use of defect tracking systems to prioritize identified issues.

As one of the most critical industries, healthcare requires high standards. You should provide a safe environment for your patients and healthcare workers. Here are the quality assurance steps you should take:

• Implementing guidelines that ensure that healthcare providers follow standardized practices in patient care.
• QA involves ongoing training programs to ensure healthcare professionals stay updated on the latest medical advancements, technologies, and protocols.
• Identifying potential risks in patient care and implementing protocols to mitigate those risks.
• Double-checking all test results.
• Implementing measures such as incident reporting systems to improve patient safety continually.
• Keeping the hospital free of hazards.

The QC team then focuses on verifying and rectifying issues in patient care to ensure adherence to quality standards. They should conduct regular audits of patient records and clinical procedures. The activities should also cover testing and calibration of medical equipment and diagnostic tools to ensure accurate results.

QC in these facilities also involves tracking patient outcomes and conducting assessments to ensure that treatment plans align with quality standards.

Customer Service

If your company has a customer service team, you need quality assurance and quality control measures to help you interact with customers better. Here are the activities for the QA team:

• QA includes comprehensive training programs for customer service representatives to ensure they possess the necessary skills and communication abilities.
• Set guidelines to ensure timely responses to customer inquiries.
• Implementing systems for collecting and analyzing customer feedback to allow the company to identify areas for improvement.
• QA establishes consistent and positive communication guidelines, ensuring a uniform and professional customer experience.

With these measures in place, the QC team can check customer interactions by listening to recorded customer calls. This allows them to assess representative performance and how they adhere to scripts and resolve customer issues. QC also includes assessments of written communication, such as emails and chat transcripts, to ensure clarity, accuracy, and professionalism.

Food Industry

The food industry is a critical sector that needs proper QA and QC measures. You should check the final product to ensure it meets the set standards. Here are examples of QA measures for a company in this industry:

• Rigorous vetting and monitoring of suppliers to ensure the quality and safety of raw ingredients.
• Have a document containing clear information on the ingredients for food production.
• Ongoing training for food handlers and production staff to uphold hygiene standards and follow proper procedures.
• Regular checks to determine whether the production process is following and meeting specifications or not.
• Implementation of traceability systems to quickly identify and remove potentially unsafe products from the market.
• Collection of customer feedback to improve food quality.

In the QC phase, the team should test food products for taste, texture, nutritional content, and microbiological safety. There should also be random sampling and testing of batches to ensure conformity to quality specifications. The teams should also inspect packaging materials to guarantee they meet safety standards and protect the product from contamination.

You also need QA and QC in education to help you deliver standardized learning experiences. Here are some examples of how QA is implemented:

• Continuously develop and review curricula to ensure alignment with educational standards and relevance to current knowledge.
• Comprehensive training programs for educators to enhance teaching methodologies.
• Creating fair and reliable assessments that accurately measure student learning outcomes.
• Spot-checking for any quality issue.

The QC teams can regularly observe classroom sessions to assess teaching methods, student engagement, and overall instructional quality. They can also check grading assessments and use student feedback surveys to identify areas of improvement.

SweetProcess is a business tool that helps with the smooth implementation of quality assurance and quality control in areas such as process and procedure documentation and task management . This cloud-based tool provides the systemization you need to scale and grow your business.

You can improve and master your processes and collaborate with all your team members from one centralized location. Let’s explore some of the key SweetProcess features:

How to Create a Procedure on SweetProcess

SweetProcess has straightforward features. To create a procedure for your quality standards:

• Log in to your account.
• Click on the “Procedures” tab on the main menu.
• Tap “Create Procedure.”

• Add a procedure title.

Add more details for your QA or QC document on the next tab. These details can be images, videos, or tags that make the procedure more comprehensive. Once you are done, you can assign it to specific teams.

How to Create a Process on SweetProcess

You can follow these steps for process documentation : 

• Log in to your SweetProcess account.
• Click on the “Processes” tab on the main menu.
• Select “Create Process.”

• Add the process title.

Include details about the process, such as tables and links.

Once all your processes are added, SweetProcess organizes them on the dashboard. All team members can view the QA or QC processes from one place.

How to Assign and Manage Tasks on SweetProcess

If you want to assign tasks from your QA and QC documents, you can use SweetProcess easily. To assign these tasks:

• Tap the “Tasks” button on the main menu.
• Select “Assign Task.”

Select the team members and assign the specific tasks. You can add details like the employee name, task name, and due date for better efficiency.

If you have multiple teams, they can collaborate from one place. To monitor the progress, open the “My Tasks” tab. This section will show you what tasks are overdue and what’s due soon.

What are companies saying about SweetProcess?

The co-founder of Spark Marketer , Carter Harkins, was running a successful marketing company in the home services industry. Although the business was thriving, a business consultant pointed out that they were operating without SOPs. Because of this, collaboration was a problem.

Additionally, the team relied heavily on tribal knowledge to work. This approach led to disorganization and affected the quality of work. The business leaders started looking for an alternative tool, which led them to SweetProcess. With this new development, the company now has proper documentation and a knowledge base for all employees. Additionally, they could train employees, which helped standardize operations and output quality.

The other customer successfully using SweetProcess is Tom Vranas, the innovation and culture vice president at Everywhere Wireless . The organization had SOPs but had a challenge distributing them to all team members. Because of this, employees were always asking work-related questions to execute their tasks.

The manual system affected the quality of their work; therefore, Tom started looking for a better platform. With SweetProcess, the employees can access all company details from one place to execute their tasks. This has boosted uniformity and standardized the company’s products and services.

Streamline your operations and ensure a consistently high-quality output that sets your business on the path to success with SweetProcess. Claim your free trial of SweetProcess.

Why should you use quality assurance and quality control in your business? Here are the expected benefits:

Deliver High-Quality Output

If you’ve been struggling with quality output, you need QA and QC in your business. The two disciplines ensure that you adhere to established standards and processes. This way, organizations can minimize defects and errors, resulting in a final output that meets or exceeds customer requirements or expectations.

For instance, in the manufacturing industry, these processes may involve stringent checks at each production stage, ensuring that raw materials meet specifications and workers follow standardized procedures.

Helps an Organization Have Set Guidelines and Standards

QA and QC contribute to the establishment of clear guidelines and standards. This approach provides a framework for consistent and efficient operations within an organization. These guidelines help align the team’s efforts toward common objectives and quality benchmarks.

Therefore, if you are in software development, you’ll have defined coding standards and protocols. Having these standards in place helps the team work cohesively.

Eliminate Waste

In industries like manufacturing and the food industry, wastage can be a costly affair. However, with QA and QC practices, you can identify and rectify issues early in the production process, reducing the likelihood of wastage in terms of materials, time, and resources.

Additionally, when you minimize errors, you can operate more efficiently and reduce unnecessary rework or product recall costs.

Increase Operational Efficiency

Every company strives to be efficient. You can achieve this by implementing quality assurance and quality control measures in the business. Since the processes are standardized, you can streamline operations and minimize errors. Ultimately, efficient operations lead to reduced costs and improved overall productivity.

Provide Customer Satisfaction

In this competitive business world, you need to satisfy your customers. If your products are always faulty, you could lose a market share of loyal clients. You need QA and QC processes to help you deliver quality products or services. Meeting or exceeding customer expectations contributes to customer loyalty and positive brand perception.

Encourage a High Level of Confidence and a Motivated Team

Having robust QA and QC processes in place instills confidence in the team, knowing that their work aligns with established standards and quality expectations. A motivated team is more likely to consistently produce high-quality output and actively contribute to the organization’s success. Ensure that the team is well-trained to keep up with the standards.

Identifies and Corrects Problems as They Occur

One of the key benefits of QA and QC is the ability to identify and correct problems as soon as they arise. For instance, if your business is in construction, the QA processes may involve adherence to building codes and safety standards, while QC activities include on-site inspections and quality checks.

Once the team identifies any construction defects in the building process, they can be corrected to prevent issues from escalating and impacting the final structure.

Implementing quality control and assurance in your business is a strategic move toward minimizing risks and ensuring consistent quality. QC focuses on verifying and rectifying issues in the final output, while QA emphasizes proactive measures to prevent defects throughout the entire process.

To seamlessly integrate QA and QC into your business processes, consider leveraging a powerful tool like SweetProcess . This platform facilitates the creation and implementation of standardized procedures, ensuring that your team follows established guidelines and protocols. With SweetProcess, you can enhance operational efficiency , reduce errors, and maintain high quality across all aspects of your business.

Ready to take control of your processes and minimize risks? Sign up for a free trial of SweetProcess today . No credit card is required!

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Quality Assurance / Quality Control

Jan 02, 2020

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Quality Assurance / Quality Control. An Overview for MLAB 2360 – Clinical 1. Quality Assurance (QA). QA refers to planned and systematic processes that provide confidence of a product's or service's effectiveness. – Wikipedia It makes ‘quality’ a main goal of a production.

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Quality Assurance / Quality Control An Overview for MLAB 2360 – Clinical 1

Quality Assurance (QA) • QA refers to planned and systematic processes that provide confidence of a product's or service's effectiveness. – Wikipedia • It makes ‘quality’ a main goal of a production. • Lab QA: all of the procedures, actions, paperwork that take place to be sure the results given to the physician are accurate. • From pt. ID, to specimen selection, to organization of lab, to clear result report forms.

Quality Control (QC) • Lab QC refers to the measures that must be included during each assay run to verify that the test is working properly. • Lab QC = Running controls and statistically analyzing the data before releasing patient results

Quality Assurance & Quality Control • Quality Assessment and Quality Control measures must include a means to identify, classify, and limit error.

Standards • Highly purified substance, whose exact composition is known. • Non- biological in nature • Uses • Run with pt. sample to validate the run • Ex. With each run of a Urine Osmolality a Std. is often run to determine the accuracy and precision of the run • Generate Calibration Curve • Different concentrations of the Std. are used to plot a graphic curve • Patient samples are compared to the calibration curve and the concentration of the analyte is quantified.

Reference Solutions • Biological in nature • Have an ‘assigned’ value • Used exactly like a standard

Controls • Resemble the patient sample • Have same characteristics as patient sample, color viscosity etc. • Can be purchased as • ‘assayed’ – come with range of established values • ‘un-assayed’ - your lab must use statistical measures to establish their range of values. • The results of any run / analysis must be compare to the ‘range of expected’ results to determine acceptability of the analysis.

Controls, cont’d. • Depending on the test 1 or more levels of control will be required. • Control within expected range = IN CONTROL= accept the QC and report patient results • Control outside of expected range= OUT of CONTROL=address

Comparing Results to the Appropriate Range • Control results - compared to their own range of expected results determined by the control manufacturer or individual laboratory • Patient values – compared to published reference values or patient population reference ranges established within the laboratory.

True Value, Precision and Accuracy • True value – an ideal concept, which cannot be achieved • Accepted True value – The value approximating the ‘True Value’; the difference between the two values is negligible. • Precision: Reproducibility • Accuracy: Proximity to Accepted True Value

Precision and Accuracy Low Accuracy, High Precision High Accuracy, Low Precision High Accuracy, High Precision

Error • Error is the discrepancy between the result obtained in the testing process and its ‘True Value’ / ‘Accepted True Value’ • Pre-Analytical Errors=40% • Analytical Errors=20% • Post-Analytical Errors=20%

Pre-Analytical Errors • Before the specimen is run • Examples: Clerical, patient ID, specimen selection and contamination, improper storage of reagents and specimen, improper transport, etc. • Through Quality Assurance measures, the laboratory tries to maintain control over these factors • Well trained phlebotomy staff, nurses, and physicians • Use of easy patient & specimen identification methods, such as bar code identification.

Analytical error • Testing errors • Random or indeterminate • Hard or impossible to trace • Examples: Electricity surge, One-time events, etc • Systematic or determinant • Identifiable cause • Examples: Specimen carryover, contaminated reagents, instrument component malfunction, dirty electrodes, etc. • Through Quality Control measures, such as always running controls, the laboratory limits these errors.

Post-Analytical Errors • After testing • Examples: Clerical, result reported on wrong patient, instrument to host computer errors, etc. • Quality Assurance measures such as comprehensive and easily read Report sheets for manual tests must be implemented when problems are identified.

Qualitative QC vs. Quantitative QC • Quantitative tests • Measured quantity/concentration of analyte in the control • Data must be graphed and evaluated by numerical statistics • Examples: WBC count, Glucose, quantitative HCG • Qualitative tests and Semi-Quantitative • Qualitative=Pos/Neg or Present/Absent • Semi-Quantitative=Small, Medium, Large • Generally not statistically analyzed • Examples: Clinitest, Acetest, qualitative HCG

QC Data Analysis:Measures of Central tendency • Measures of Central tendency ( how numerical values can be expressed as a central value ) • Mean - Average value • Median - Middle observation • Mode - Most frequent observation

QC Data Analysis:Variance and Standard Deviation • An important tool in the statistical analysis is determining: • Variance = • Standard Deviation (SD) - a measure of the scatter around the arithmetic average (mean) in a Gaussian distribution. • SD= or Square Root of variance

How to Manually Calculate Variance and Standard Deviation: • Subtract the mean from each score. • Square each Result • Sum all of the squares • Divide the sum of the squares by the number of data points (N) • The result is the VARIANCE • Take the square root of the variance. • The result is the SD.

Quality Control • 95% confidence limit (± 2 SD) - 95% of all the results in a Gaussian distribution

How many points fall within 1SD? • Another way of reviewing data • Dispersal / or how the individual data points are distributed about the central value

Levey-Jennings QC Graph (no points)

Levey-Jennings QC Chart for 1 month

Clinical Chemistry Quality Control

Statistical concepts • Shift – when there are 6 consecutive data results on the same side of the mean

Statistical concepts • Trend – when there is a consistent increase OR decrease in the data points over a period of 6 days. (A line connecting the dots will cross the mean.)

Quality of Control Reference (guru) • James O. Westgard, PhD • University of Wisconsin • Teaches in CLS program • Director of Quality Management Services at the U of W Hospital • Westgard rules • http://www.westgard.com/mltirule.htm

13sWestgard Rule • 13s • A single control measurement exceeds three standard deviations from the target mean • Action - Reject

12sWestgard Rule • 12s • A single control measurement exceeds two standard deviations from the target mean • Action – must consider other rule violations (trend, shift, etc) • This is a warning

22sWestgard Rule • 22s • Two consecutive control measurements exceed the same mean plus 2S or the same mean minus 2S control limit. • Action – Reject

R4sWestgard Rule • R4s • One control measurement in a group exceeds the mean plus 2S and another exceeds the mean minus 2S. • Action – Reject

41sWestgard Rule • 41s • Four consecutive control measurements exceed the same mean plus 1S or the same mean minus 1S control limit. • Action – Reject

If QC FAILS? One Possible Plan of Action: (your lab may advise another) • Look at vial of control. If using the last drops—reconstitute or open new vial. • If plenty of QC left in vial, mix well, repour, rerun. Most issues resolve by now. However… • If the QC fails again, check the volumes and expiration dates of the reagents. Change out if necessary. • Calibrate the instrument, run cleaning sequence, or perform maintenance as needed. • Rerun control. • If controls fail repeatedly after multiple efforts, call technical support. Use discretion keeping in mind that controls, calibrators, and reagents are expensive.

Example of what NOT to do: A manager of one our clinical affiliates was infuriated by one of her employees’ wasteful and ineffective use of controls and reagents. When QC failed, the tech reran the controls around 15 times without checking reagent status, recalibrating, performing maintenance, or calling technical support. Lesson: Attempt to fix the problem before rerunning controls.

Other QC Checks • Delta checks • Compares a current test result on a patient to last run patient test, flagging results outside expected physiological variation. • Many False positives, but DO NOT ignore-- investigate • MCHC=Hgb / Hct * 100 (expect 32-36) • Rule of 3=Hemoglobin x3 = hematocrit • Compare patient BUN / creatinine (10/1 – 20/1)

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Data Validation and Laboratory Quality Assurance in EPA's Pacific Southwest (Region 9)

EPA's Pacific Southwest (Region 9) implements and enforces federal environmental laws in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and 148 tribal nations.

• Managing the Quality of Environmental Data in Region 9
• Quality Assurance Planning
• Data Validation & Laboratory Quality Assurance
• Field Sampling Procedures
• Quality Management Plan (QMP)

Audrey L. Johnson ( [email protected] )

Evaluation of Laboratory Data Quality

Laboratory quality assurance, state laboratory certification programs.

In all hazardous site investigations, it is essential to know the quality of the data used for decision-making purposes. The process of generating data of known quality:

• Begins in the planning stages when data quality objectives (DQOs) are established
• Continues during sample collection activities and laboratory analysis
• Is re-evaluated when validating the analytical data
• Is finalized as part of the data quality assessment process

Validation of data requires that appropriate quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures be followed, and that adequate documentation be included for all data generated both in the laboratory and in the field. Professionals trained in data validation procedures review this information, "flag" data with qualifiers when QA/QC criteria are not met, and prepare the data validation report.

The documents presented are used to evaluate the quality of laboratory-generated analytical data

Free viewers and readers are available to read and print documents posted on our website. If you experience a problem reading a document with assistive technology, please contact us .

• EPA Region 9 Data Quality Screening Using Trend Charts v.2 (pdf) (1.7 MB, October 2011) Trend charts are an effective, efficient oversight screening tool for Remedial Project Managers (RPMs), QA Officers (QAOs), field samplers and laboratory managers for monitoring data quality for specific contaminants of concern (COC).
• Superfund Contract Laboratory Program, National Functional Guidelines for Data Review Documents designed to offer guidance on low concentration organic and inorganic analytical data evaluation and review. Although intended for review of analytical data generated through the Contract Laboratory Program (CLP), this guidance may be applicable to data generated through other laboratory programs as well.
• Contract Laboratory Program Guidance for Field Samplers General information about environmental sample collection for the EPA's CLP including minimum CLP requirements, an explanation of the sampling process sequence of events, and information and checklists to help in planning and documenting sampling activities.
• Region 9 Superfund Data Evaluation/Validation Guide [DRAFT] (pdf) (146.8 KB, December 2001, R9QA/006.1) This guidance document is designed by EPA Region 9 Quality Assurance Office to provide assistance to project officers, Superfund contractors, and Superfund grantees in performing timely data evaluation and/or validation of laboratory data.
• Laboratory Documentation Required for Data Evaluation (pdf) (212.9 KB, August 2001, R9QA/004.2) Verification and validation of data requires that appropriate quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures be followed, and that adequate documentation be included for all data generated both in the laboratory and in the field.
• Best Practices for the Detection and Deterrence of Laboratory Fraud (pdf) (485.6 KB, March 1997) This document was produced by the California Military Environmental Coordination Committee in association with Chemical Data Quality/Cost Reduction Process Action Team to detect fraudulent laboratory practices.
• National Laboratory Accreditation Program A voluntary association of State and Federal agencies to establish and promote mutually acceptable performance standards for the operation of environmental laboratories.
• Drinking Water Laboratory Certification Program EPA’s Office of Water implements the Drinking Water Laboratory Certification Program in partnership with EPA Regions and States. Laboratories must be certified by EPA or the State to analyze drinking water samples for compliance monitoring.
• California Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program ELAP provides evaluation and accreditation of environmental testing laboratories to ensure the quality of analytical data used for State of California regulatory purposes.
• Nevada Division of Environmental Protection Certified Laboratories A list of laboratories certified by the State of Nevada.
• Arizona Department Of Health Services Certified Laboratories Facilities A list of Arizona Dept. Of Health Certified Laboratories.
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Top 10 Quality Assurance Roadmap Templates with Samples and Examples

Dikshita Sharma

“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives,” William A. Foster has remarked.

The success of a product or service is closely tied to the user experience. If they’re unsure about the quality of the product, say, if the food is safe to eat, the customers won't spend money on it. This could lead to financial downfalls. For example, if a toy industry sells low-quality toys, the customers will complain and/or return them. Then the replacements will cost money, not to mention the hit on the company’s reputation. How to boost the confidence of the customers?

The solution to avoid this problem is—-------- QUALITY ASSURANCE. All organizations must undertake quality assurance measures to ensure their products or services are up to a high standard.

If you are a software engineer and want to get the most from your team’s effort, you can implement SlideTeam's quality assurance templates and ensure that your product will meet your clients' needs.

Top 10 Quality Assurance Templates

To present the essential elements of a quality assurance plan and roadmap, SlideTeam offers Top 10 Quality Assurance Roadmap Templates with Samples and Examples. Even testing engineers can use these fully customizable PowerPoint templates to illustrate the entire plan of implementing a quality management system.

Are you an entrepreneur looking to develop your quality business in the market? Explore our pre-designed guide to organize your quality maintenance initiatives with better performance and productivity.

So, what's holding you back? A well-framed set of PowerPoint templates knocking at your door. Take clues from these pre-designed templates and maintain high-standard products for your customers.

Let's get started!

Template 1: Quality Assurance Roadmap PowerPoint Presentation Slides

Are you a quality analyst and looking for some impressive visuals to present a quality assurance plan? If so, mark your search end here because SlideTeam offers Quality Assurance Roadmap PPT template. This complete deck contains 16 slides to professionally design quality control timelines and ensure product quality. Demonstrate these ready-made graphic templates to achieve the set targets in a specified time.

Download Now!

Template 2: 6 Months Roadmap for Product Quality Assurance PPT Template

Looking for ready to use PPT template to present your action plan most effectively? Utilize our pre-build 6 months roadmap for product quality assurance slides. This template is designed to reduce paperwork and showcase different activities linked to each other. Customize this tabular roadmap QA template from content to colors/fonts, and you are ready to prove your expertise in strategic planning.

Template 3: Quarterly Engineering Quality Assurance Roadmap PowerPoint Slides

Fantasize your work plan and convey your strategic ideas impactfully with our top-notch quarterly engineering quality assurance roadmap PPT template.  This slide is designed to articulate the workflow, keep the project on track, and divide information into four parts: descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive. Deploy this versatile template to have a clear vision of the goal to be achieved.

Template 4: Agile Quality Assurance Process PowerPoint Presentation

If you want to create a dynamic and engaging presentation on developing new products, use our top-class agile quality assurance process PowerPoint templates. This complete deck of 61 slides will help you to test and retest newly added elements of the product. With tables, bar graphs and pie charts, you can familiarize customers with the crises encountered by your manufacturing company due to poor-quality products and late deliveries. Assimilate this pre-developed agile QA deck to explain the profit, loss, revenue, etc. of your company.

Template 5: Agile Implementation Roadmap Agile Quality Assurance Template

Here is another best-designed agile quality assurance template to design an agile implementation roadmap and keep track of monthly achievements. This slide dispenses thorough explanations of training (scrum master training, product owner training), consulting (improvement) and coaching. Deploy this ready-to-go PPT template to define the roadmap of the agile implementation in your organization.

Template 6: Product Testing and Quality Assurance Roadmap PPT Template

Do you want to prove the efficacy of your products? No worries! SlideTeam has designed product testing and quality assurance roadmap templates with a variety of stages. Use this visually appealing template to present information on topics like business project scoping, test case development, user acceptance test, quality assurance testing, and so on. Download this template at the earliest and win the trust of customers to improve your business.

Template 7: 6 Months Software Quality Assurance Roadmap Timeline PowerPoint Slides

If you want to encapsulate your action plan to beat the competition, our 6 months software quality assurance roadmap timeline PPT template will serve the purpose. Utilize this presentation to represent the essential deliverable, steps implicated, time frame, workforce allotment, and much more. Incorporate this tailor-made design to prioritize your tasks and collaborate with other tasks to meet targets.

Template 8: 6 Months Roadmap for Quality Assurance Timeline PowerPoint Slide

Assimilate our ready-to-use 6 months roadmap for quality assurance timeline template and hit all the milestones within the deadlines. Utilize this PPT slide to streamline information related to an overview of the project, work, budget, timeline, landmarks, and so forth. Perform manual training, development and performance testing with this visually appealing handy slide. Download this template immediately to minimize time lag and increase work efficiency.

Template 9: Software Quality Assurance QA Project Roadmap PPT Template

If you want to identify milestones, bugs, probability ratios, tasks to perform, and the aim of the project before starting it, deploy this top-class quality assurance project roadmap template . Our professionally designed PPT slide will help you to represent initiatives taken in the three quarters including opportunity, problem, owner, impact, domain, scope and tier. So what are you waiting for? Get this template now!

Template 10: Quarterly Roadmap for Quality Assurance Tasks PowerPoint Slide

Are you struggling with achieving the desired target? Demonstrate this quarterly roadmap for quality assurance tasks and align your project milestones, budgets, deliverables, deadlines, etc. Streamline color code specific tasks and keep a close eye on project assessment, quality review, planning & analysis. Personalize this tailor-made roadmap template to produce a cohesive work plan for excellent production management.

Quality Assurance Matters!

The quality of a product can either uplift your business or may lead to failure. We can say, Steve Jobs has rightly said “Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.” So, a quality assurance roadmap may help to improve the standard of your product. Implement our professionally designed Top 10 Quality Assurance Roadmap Templates and let your product grab more attention.

PS: Now, you can test the quality of your product by deploying these handy quality assurance templates. But how to achieve excellent quality and impress your audience? To satisfy this purpose, incorporate our quality management templates and present your management skills compellingly.

FAQs on Quality Assurance (QA)

What is quality assurance(qa).

Quality Assurance is a testing activity that ensures an organization is providing the best product or service to the customers. It manages the quality of raw materials, products & ingredients, services related to production, and the process of management, production, and inspection.

Quality assurance works for two principles: "fit for purpose" and "right first time." The primary intention of Quality Assurance is to prevent mistakes and defects in the production of manufactured products (automobiles, shoes, etc.) and delivered services (let's say, athletic shoe design).

What are the steps in the QA process?

Before implementing a quality assurance process, understand the steps to comprise an inclusive quality assurance:

1)  Review the requirements: Before starting work, the first step is to analyze the requirements of the product, so that QA professionals can be clear about what needs to be fulfilled.

2) Plan the test: After a successful understanding of the requirements, the testers may plan the testing strategy (the approach, the type of testing and the tool) which will be implemented during actual testing.

3) Design the tests: With a plan in hand, the next step is to craft test cases and checklists, prepare the environment for test execution, etc.

4) Test execution and reporting defects: At this stage, the test is executed by QA to find out the bugs and issues responsible for the quality of the product.

5) Run retest: Once bugs have been discovered, submitted and fixed, QA professionals verify fixes by retesting the functionality of the product.

6) Run the release test cycle: After changing all the fixes, the last step is to prepare the test closure document (summary of all the tests performed).

What is a quality assurance (QA) roadmap?

A quality assurance roadmap is a time-based plan that defines where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there. It is a highly detail-oriented discipline that charts the plans, processes, and technologies implemented by an organization to ensure product quality. Usually, it helps QA teams in determining the long-term vision for the company by taking a proactive approach.

What are the latest trends in QA?

Here are the latest trends in QA that will shape its operation in the coming years and beyond:

1)  Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): As per the latest trends, AI and ML would be the future of quality assurance. They allow organizations to come out of the trap of Test Automation by automating the test cases.

2) Scrip less Test Automation (STA): For the past few years, STA has been one of the top QA testing trends in the IT sector. It enables organizations to overcome the problem of a lack of skilled test automation resources.

3) Agile and DevOps: In the present scenario, businesses are adopting Agile and DevOps to help in rapidly adopting change requirements, and to deliver quality output with speed.

4) IoT testing: This sort of testing is rapidly increasing in the industrial sector (fitness, healthcare, home automation, etc.) IoT testing helps in developing smarter solutions to differentiate products from competitors.

5) Blockchain Testing: The most latest trend in QA is crypto what has been deployed by many companies in the form of crypto currencies.

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4 Steps to Quality Control in Pet Food Production

How to select the right product inspection technology for every stage of pet food production.

Pet food production, whether it be wet or dry pet food, demands meticulous attention to detail at every stage to facilitate safety, quality and compliance. Selecting the right product inspection technology for each stage of the production process is crucial. 

In this article, we explore the product inspection technologies that pet food manufacturers should consider installing at four key production stages: incoming goods, mixing process, filling stage and packaging.

Most pet owners treat their animals as cherished members of the family. They expect pet food to meet the same high standards as their own food. Pet food manufacturers must meet consumer expectations and protect their brand image, while navigating complex regulatory requirements and various production challenges.

Using  advanced product inspection technology  can be an invaluable tool in supporting manufacturers with these challenges, providing comprehensive solutions to combat rising costs, enhance productivity and  uphold the integrity of pet food products  throughout the production process.

Rising to the Challenge: Combating Costs and Increasing Productivity

Producing pet food at the scale required to be profitable involves a delicate balance between maintaining efficiency and achieving uncompromised safety and quality. Product inspection technology plays a pivotal role in streamlining production processes by swiftly identifying and resolving issues in real-time. This proactive approach reduces production stoppages and the downtime required for equipment maintenance, as well as the requirements for manual inspections, allowing operations to continue uninterrupted. With the addition of automated physical contaminant detection and inline weight and label control, manufacturers mitigate their risk of costly recalls, empowering them to prosper while upholding their brand integrity in a fiercely competitive market landscape.

Safety and Quality: The Foundation of Pet Food Production

Just as with human food, producing safe products is paramount in pet food production. In fact, pet food is required to meet many of the same stringent regulations as the food we eat. Product inspection – which includes metal detection , x-ray inspection , checkweighing and vision inspection  – is imperative to protecting pet food product safety and quality . These systems are used to identify harmful foreign body contaminants , maintain accurate fill levels , detect packaging defects , and verify label integrity . They work in tandem to make sure that each batch of pet food meets the same high standards of quality as the last. Additionally, they can address concerns such as broken or crushed pieces in dry pet food or snacks. By conducting thorough quality assurance checks throughout the production process, manufacturers can confidently deliver safe and reliable products to pet owners worldwide, nurturing trust and loyalty in their brands.

Read the Earth Animal case study  to see an example of product inspection in action.

Upholding Regulatory Compliance: Meeting Standards Every Step of the Way

In the pet food industry, adherence to regulatory standards is non-negotiable. Retailer codes of practice, guided by industry benchmarks such as the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), sets the bar for food safety and quality. 

Product inspection  helps manufacturers comply with these standards by conducting meticulous inspections at critical control points so regulatory requirements can be met at each stage of the production process.

Upholding compliance demonstrates a commitment to transparency and the highest standards of pet food safety - which can also strengthen consumer trust in the brand.

Manufacturers who use  product inspection equipment during pet food production  at various stages quickly learn just how indispensable of an asset it is for improving efficiency while producing safe and high-quality products, and keeping costs down. 

Stage 1: Incoming Goods - Quality from the Start

Whether processing wet or dry pet food, inspecting incoming ingredients and materials sets the foundation for product integrity throughout the rest of the manufacturing process.  Metal detection and x-ray inspection serve as a frontline defense by inspecting raw materials for unwanted foreign objects such as metal, stone, or glass.

Leveraging these essential tools early in the production process means that  contaminated ingredients can be detected  early - before additional value is added further downstream. It also allows manufacturers to pinpoint suppliers who consistently provide poor quality ingredients. 

Finding physical contaminants  early in the production process also protects downstream equipment from damage, therefore minimizing the risk of downtime for repairs.

Stage 2: Mixing - Maintaining Consistency and Safety

In the critical mixing process where ingredients combine to create the desired pet food formula, both metal detection and x-ray inspection technologies play crucial roles in protecting the safety and quality of both wet and dry pet food products . 

In wet pet food production, hygienically-designed equipment is essential due to sanitary requirements and to prevent dangerous bacterial growth. These advanced systems will accurately detect foreign body contamination within the processed mixture, and when it’s time for changeovers or cleaning, they’re built ruggedly enough to stand up to harsh washdown procedures. 

Stage 3: Filling - Precision and Accuracy

In the filling stage of pet food production, precise, accurate measurements are essential to avoid under-filling (resulting in unhappy customers or fines) or over-filling (resulting in costly product waste or giveaway).

For wet pet food, the focus is on dispensing the correct amount into each container. X-ray inspection can provide fill level checks to make sure packages are not over- or under-filled, and checkweighers can verify container weight for consistency and regulatory compliance.

In dry pet food production, the emphasis is on achieving the correct weight per package. Checkweighing technology provides real-time feedback, aiding in maintaining precise portioning and product quality. With tailored checkweighing technology, manufacturers can streamline filling tasks, mitigate risks and uphold product integrity .

Stage 4: Packaging - Protecting Product Integrity

In the final stage of packaging, implementing product inspection equipment is just as essential as the previous stages.

it’s the last chance for manufacturers to confirm that the products they send out are what they want customers to see on store shelves.

This means that each package is safe to eat, undamaged, displays the correct information for quality and nutrition, and contains the product that is expected – but does not contain the unwanted addition of physical contamination .

With label data and quality checks to verify label accuracy , and completeness checks at the end of the production line, these technologies help support compliance with regulatory standards.

Manufacturers who implement these advanced tools at the end of their production are demonstrating their commitment to protecting their product quality and integrity , which in turn instills confidence in pet owners to foster long-term brand loyalty.

ProdX - The Next Level in Product Safety

ProdX  Food Safety and Quality Management Software  provides the next level in product safety and savings for pet food manufacturers by extending the data management functionality of your product inspection devices. ProdX is a  quality control software for manufacturing  that saves food manufacturers time and money by automating the monitoring, reporting, and collating of all product inspection activities in real-time. The safely-stored data can help manufacturers grow their business by facilitating food safety regulatory compliance, taking due diligence to the next level. By analyzing the data, production line improvements can be identified thereby helping to boost productivity and combat rising costs.

Happy Pets Starts with Product Inspection

Watch this short video to hear from Bingo the Dog and why he thinks product inspection is important to help him be happy, healthy and safe.

Then, download our Pet Food Guide to learn about product inspection for the pet food industry .

Happy Pets Start with Product Inspection

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