Quality Control vs. Quality Management: What’s the Difference?

Organizations that have to manage a lot of documentation often fall into the conundrum: do we need a quality control system or a quality management system? Are they the same thing with different names, or are they different systems entirely? Exactly what is a quality management system, and what benefits does it bring for the whole quality management process?

The good news is that you can integrate a quality control and a quality management system into one software solution: ENSUR document management software. But first, it’s important to understand how quality control methods and the quality management process are different yet work in tandem to boost your business. Read on to learn more.

Understanding the Quality Management Process

The definition of “quality” is just this—how well does a product meet the designated requirements? Quality management determines what those requirements are. Quality control encompasses the specific responsibilities people have over the project, and when they have them. Let’s define two of the major quality management process terms you should know:

• Quality Management—The planning stage; where quality standards are agreed upon, responsible parties are assigned, specs are decided, meetings are planned, and metrics are defined to determine how well the project meets the outlined specifications.
• Quality Control—During project implementation, responsible parties follow the plans and evaluate how well the project conforms to the specifications drawn up during the quality management phase above.

If quality management is the canopy of an umbrella, quality control is the handle—they’re different parts of the same process—quality management dictates all quality assurance methods (like the spokes of the umbrella). The ENSUR document control system brings them together in one seamless, easy-to-use software package that your entire company can benefit from. This helps to ensure the original product discussed during the planning phase is top-quality in the end.

Quality Control vs. Quality Assurance

It’s important to note that quality control and quality assurance are two sides of the same coin:

• Quality Assurance—QA focuses on fine-tuning the processes necessary to avoid defects in the end product.
• Quality Control—QC tests the end product to discover and root out defects.

So, if QC finds defects, QA may go back and reevaluate processes to eliminate those end errors.

A Document Management System is Key to the Quality Management Process

DocXellent’s ENSUR quality management system harnesses the entire quality management process to empower teams to take a project from planning through implementation, quality assurance, and quality control. Every document related to any project is stored either in an on-site server or in a tightly secured cloud-based location. This includes all the following and more:

• Planning documentation (including digitized versions of legacy and other paper documents that can be electronically indexed and mined for insight)
• Project specifications
• Quality assurance process documentation
• Quality control procedures
• Training documentation
• Change control and the ability for managers to assign and track tasks related to all project documentation from start to finish
• Non-conformance documentation
• Regulatory compliance documentation

ENSUR document management software can deftly tackle all your quality management system documentation, including customized documentation tailored to your industry or business.

Check out our other resources on this topic:

• The Ultimate Guide to Implementing Quality Management
• Best Practices from an Expert on the Quality Audit Process
• 6 Tips to Effectively Manage Your CAPA Workflow
• Three Step Total Quality Management Guide
• Interview With a Quality Expert

To get a first-hand look at how ENSUR can help you fine-tune all your quality control methods, schedule a free demo today.

Tom Tassias is DocXellent's Chief Technology Officer. After joining our team in 2006, he became responsible for providing technical leadership and creating innovative, best-in-class products and document solutions for our customers. Before working at DocXellent, Tom held roles in Information Technology, software development, technical leadership, and project management. Learn more about Tom and the work he does for DocXellent here.