Quality Assurance makes sure you are doing the right things, the right way. Quality Control makes sure the results of what you've done are what you expected.
Quality assurance and quality control are related parts of quality management. They help a team develop confidence in its processes and check whether deliverables meet requirements.
Quality assurance
Quality assurance focuses on the processes and systems used to achieve quality. Activities can include defining procedures, reviewing how work is performed, and auditing whether those procedures are appropriate and followed.
Quality control
Quality control focuses on meeting quality requirements. Inspection, testing, and measurement can reveal whether a deliverable meets agreed criteria and where correction is needed.
How they work together
For a training manual, quality assurance might include an editorial workflow and review checklist. Quality control might include checking the finished pages for factual errors, broken links, and formatting problems. Findings from those checks can inform improvements to the workflow.
Both activities may recur throughout a project. Quality control does not have to wait until all quality assurance work is complete, and neither is inherently more time-consuming in every situation.
Explore NYIM project management training. This guide explains general concepts rather than reproducing the current PMP exam outline.