what is quality control qc 
quality control qc is a process through which a business seeks to ensure that product quality is maintained or improved quality control requires the company to create an environment where management and employees strive for perfection this is done by training personnel creating benchmarks for product quality and testing products to check for statistically significant variations a significant aspect of quality control is the establishment of well defined controls these controls help standardize both production and reactions to quality issues limiting room for error by specifying which production activities are to be completed by which personnel reduces the chance that employees will be involved in tasks for which they do not have adequate training ryan oakley investopediaunderstanding quality control qc quality control involves testing units and determining if they are within the specifications for the final product the purpose of the testing is to determine any need for corrective actions in the manufacturing process good quality control helps companies meet consumer demands for better products creating a product is costly time consuming and can be unsafe without controls in place additionally if a company sends defective products out for purchase it could be held liable for injuries or issues that arise from using its products quality control inspectors ensure that defective or unsafe products are identified and the causes are corrected quality testing is generally completed in each step of a manufacturing or business process employees often begin by testing raw materials pulling samples from the manufacturing line and testing the finished product testing at the various stages of manufacturing helps identify where a production problem is occurring and the remedial steps it requires to prevent it in the future in a non manufacturing business quality testing can involve customer service evaluations questionnaires surveys inspections or audits a business can use any process or method to verify that its end product or service meets the customer s needs and is safe and legal the quality control used in a business is highly dependent on the product or industry for example in food and drug manufacturing quality control includes ensuring the product does not make a consumer sick so the company performs chemical and microbiological testing of samples from the production line in aircraft manufacturing quality control and assurance is of the utmost importance manufacturers are required to document track inspect and reinspect all items and phases of a build to build evidence that everything is completed to very strict standards in automobile manufacturing quality control focuses on parts meeting specifications and tolerances qc ensures engines drive trains and other mechanical parts operate smoothly efficiently safely and as designed in electronics quality testing might involve using meters that measure the flow of electricity and stress testing quality control vs quality assurancequality control and quality assurance are terms often used to define the same thing but there are distinct differences quality control focuses on quality requirements such as ensuring a part meets specifications quality assurance refers to the sum of all actions and processes needed to demonstrate that quality requirements are fulfilled 1