Quality Assurance and Control

✅ 1. What is Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC)?

Aspect	Quality Assurance (QA)	Quality Control (QC)
Definition	A process-oriented approach to ensure quality in processes used to create deliverables.	A product-oriented approach focused on identifying defects in the final deliverables.
Focus	Preventing defects by improving processes.	Detecting defects in products before delivery.
Goal	Ensure processes are adequate to produce quality outputs.	Identify and correct defects in the output.
When applied	Throughout the project lifecycle.	After product creation but before release.

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✅ 2. Why are QA and QC Important?

Reason	Benefit
Ensure customer satisfaction	Deliver products that meet user expectations.
Reduce costs	Prevent costly rework and delays.
Improve product reliability	Ensure consistent quality and fewer failures.
Increase efficiency	Standardized processes reduce errors.
Build trust	Higher quality enhances brand reputation.

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✅ 3. Key Differences Between QA and QC

Quality Assurance (QA)	Quality Control (QC)
Focuses on processes	Focuses on products
Preventive in nature	Corrective in nature
Involves standards, guidelines, audits	Involves inspections, testing, reviews
Proactive	Reactive
Example: Code review standards	Example: Testing software to find bugs

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✅ 4. Activities in Quality Assurance (QA)

Activity	Purpose
Process Definition and Implementation	Set up processes and workflows to ensure quality.
Training and Guidelines	Equip teams with knowledge on quality standards.
Process Audits	Check if teams follow defined processes.
Continuous Improvement	Identify ways to improve processes over time.
Documentation of Standards	Ensure all team members know the quality expectations.

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✅ 5. Activities in Quality Control (QC)

Activity	Purpose
Testing (Unit, Integration, System)	Detect functional and technical defects.
Inspections and Reviews	Verify deliverables against requirements.
Defect Reporting and Tracking	Document and manage discovered issues.
Acceptance Criteria Validation	Ensure outputs meet agreed-upon standards.
Final Quality Check	Confirm readiness for release or delivery.

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✅ 6. Tools Used in QA and QC

Category	Examples of Tools	Purpose
Project Management	Jira, Trello, Asana	Track tasks, issues, and processes.
Testing Tools (QC)	Selenium, JUnit, Postman, Cypress	Automate and manage testing processes.
Code Quality (QA)	SonarQube, ESLint, CodeClimate	Enforce coding standards, detect code issues.
Version Control	Git, GitHub, GitLab	Manage and review codebase changes.
CI/CD Tools (QA + QC)	Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI	Automate builds, tests, and deployments.

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✅ 7. QA and QC in Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

SDLC Phase	QA Focus	QC Focus
Requirements Gathering	Ensure requirements are clear, complete.	Review requirements for inconsistencies.
Design	Define design standards and review processes.	Review designs for errors.
Development	Enforce coding guidelines, peer reviews.	Unit testing, code inspections.
Testing	Ensure test plans cover all scenarios.	Execute tests to find defects.
Deployment	Review deployment processes.	Verify deployed product works as intended.

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✅ 8. Role of Business Analyst (BA) in QA and QC

Responsibility	QA/QC Aspect
Define and clarify requirements	Ensure quality of requirements (QA).
Participate in design reviews	Verify alignment with business needs (QA/QC).
Review test cases and plans	Ensure coverage of all business scenarios (QA/QC).
Validate outputs against requirements	Check final product quality (QC).
Support defect resolution	Clarify issues, help in resolving defects (QC).

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✅ 9. Quality Standards and Frameworks

Standard/Framework	Purpose
ISO 9001	General quality management system.
CMMI (Capability Maturity Model)	Improve process maturity.
Six Sigma	Process improvement and defect reduction.
IEEE Standards for Software Quality	Guidelines for software engineering quality.
Agile QA practices	Continuous feedback and testing in Agile.

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✅ 10. Benefits of Integrating QA and QC

Benefit	Explanation
Fewer defects and rework	Saves time and cost.
Higher customer satisfaction	Product meets or exceeds expectations.
Improved team morale	Fewer last-minute crises and blame.
Better project predictability	Easier to manage time, budget, and scope.
Compliance with standards	Meets regulatory and industry standards.

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✅ 11. Summary of QA and QC

Aspect	Explanation
QA	Focuses on process quality and preventing defects.
QC	Focuses on product quality and identifying defects.
Activities	QA: Process setup, training, audits. QC: Testing, inspections, defect management.
Tools	Jira, Selenium, SonarQube, Jenkins.
BA’s Role	Ensure requirements quality, support testing, validate outputs.