QA stands for Quality Assurance, which is a systematic process used to determine if a product or service meets quality standards. It is a term used in both manufacturing and service industries to describe the systematic efforts taken to assure that the product(s) delivered to customer(s) meet with the contractual and other agreed-upon performance, design, and quality specifications. QA is not limited to manufacturing and can be applied to any business or non-business activity, including design, consulting, banking, insurance, computer software development, retailing, investment, transportation, education, and translation.
In software development, QA practices seek to prevent malfunctioning code or products, while QC (Quality Control) implements testing and troubleshooting and fixes code. QA testing ensures that things work before they are released to the public and is most commonly associated with software development. QA testing is an essential part of the software development life cycle, and it ensures that an organizations product is as high-quality as possible.
QA is very important in the medical field because it helps to identify the standards of medical equipment and services. Hospitals and laboratories make use of external agencies to ensure standards for equipment such as X-ray machines, Diagnostic Radiology, and AERB.
In summary, QA is a process used to ensure that a product or service meets specified requirements and quality standards. It is applicable to various industries, including software development and the medical field.
