Quality Management vs Quality Assurance - Similarities & Differences

Quality Management vs Quality Assurance

Though quality management and quality assurance contribute to maintaining the quality of products and services, organizations must not use them interchangeably. Quality management vs quality assurance helps lay out the key factors that will help businesses analyze the key factors, which is a significant part of a successful business operation. 

Quality management is a wider area of discussion than quality assurance. The latter deals with preventing discrepancies/inconsistencies in the products while they are manufactured or processed in a business to avoid losing customers. On the other hand, the former deals with all the steps/stages/phases of product development implemented by a business to fulfill customers' expectations. 

Both quality assurance and quality management can be done if the company takes a series of steps properly. 

• Standardize production practices
• Integrate proper resource planning
• Build a firm communication model
• Set determinant testing rules and assign testing systems, such as ISO and SOP, for the same
• Conduct thorough inspection at every stage 

What is Quality Management? 

Quality management, also known as total quality management, is the series of steps that oversee whether all the activities are accomplished or not to maintain a certain level of quality. Quality management does everything from determining the quality policy to creating and implementing proper manufacturing and control plans. It is the master to achieve long-term success in a company. 

Once the specifications are finalized, quality management forms the basis for maximum customer satisfaction and minimum rejects. The most important series of standards is the ISO 9000, which deals with the fundamentals of quality management. 

The most appropriate example of quality management is Toyota's implementation of the Kanban system. Kanban is a signal that creates a chain reaction that results in a specific action. Toyota brought its 'just-in-time' inventory process by using this concept to make its assembly line more efficient. They decided to keep enough inventory to fulfill customers' orders in time. 

Benefits of Quality Management

Using specific standard specifications under quality management, the following benefits can be achieved:

• Less waste, greater efficiency
• Improved risk management, reduced losses
• Better internal communication between management and teams
• Increased revenues 
• Fulfillment of short-term goals and plans
• Proper regulation to build first-class products and services
• Consistency in controlling significant business operations 
• A better understanding of customer needs and wants
• Enhanced customer satisfaction
• Strengthening of team spirits
• Upliftment in participation of employees 
• Reduction in mistakes and wrongdoings
• Expansion of business in global markets
• Well-managed business operations
• Significant growth overseas 
• Identification of potential areas of improvement 

What is Quality Assurance? 

The main focus of quality assurance is to eliminate defects and analyze the defective products to ensure the pre-defined specifications are met meticulously. All stages during the process are observed to check the imposed standards that focus on quality. Those products that do not meet the requirements are sorted out and brought to the attention. Rework is done until the final quality is met like the other products. 

It is a part of the quality management system that boosts confidence in the company to work on problems they face during manufacturing. There are different stages of quality assurance, which are defined as:

• Plan: The organizations define a set of specifications and rules in relation to producing high-end products. 

• Do: Development and testing phase where all the implementations and checks are done. 

• Check: Monitoring, modifying, and controlling defective products are done. 

• Act: A quality checker sort outs the defective product from the batch and takes necessary actions to eliminate the inadequacies in the product. 

Benefits of Quality Assurance 

• Empowers team members
• Improves production efficiency
• Enhances the quality of products
• Maintains customer trust and develops new relationships
• Encourages business growth
• Enhances management style
• Aligns company goals
• Boosts onboarding processes
• Sets new benchmarks for quality services
• Regulation and monitoring of remote agents
• Achieve new goals in terms of performance 
• Creates cost efficiency
• Helps to reduce defective services 

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