Quality assurance is a set of different activities for ensuring the quality in the processes by which products are developed. It aims at preventing defects with a focus on the process, which is used to make the product. It is a proactive quality process. The main goal of QA is the improvement of the development and the testing processes. It establishes a good quality management system and the assessment of its adequacy. It is important for the prevention of quality problems through planned and systematic activities including documentation. Everyone on the team involved in developing the product is responsible for quality assurance. Verification is an example of QA.

Quality control is a set of activities for ensuring the quality of products. The activities focus on identifying defects in the actual products produced. It aims to identify and corrects defects in the final product. Unlike quality assurance, quality control is a reactive process. The main goal of QC is to identify defects after a product is developed and before it’s released. Quality control is usually the responsibility of a specific team that tests the product for defects. Validation and software testing are examples of QC.