Conformity and quality control: how do they differ?
Although complementary, conformity and quality control are two distinct concepts in the field of industrial engineering. The key differences between these two concepts include:
Conformity
Conformity refers to the observance of pre-defined standards, regulations, specifications and requirements for a product, process or system.
This involves absolute compliance with the defined criteria, whether these are enacted by industrial standards, government regulations, or internal company specifications.
Conformity guarantees that the product or process complies with quality and safety standards, as well as with other pre-defined criteria.
Quality Control
Quality control is a dynamic and systematic process designed to measure, inspect and evaluate the properties and performance of a product or a process.
This is a proactive activity that identifies potential defects or deviations from specifications, thus enabling corrective measures to be implemented.
Quality control aims to ensure that the end product or process conforms to standards and specifications, using methods such as inspection, testing and measurements.
Main Differences
- Conformity focuses on alignment with predefined standards, whilst quality control focuses on the measurement and evaluation of quality.
- Conformity is often static, referring to established criteria, whilst quality control is a dynamic process involving continuous monitoring and adjustments in real time.
- Conformity applies to all rules and regulations, whilst quality control is specific to the checking of the individual characteristics of a product or process.
The compliance team establishes the standards to be complied with, whilst the quality control team implements methods to ensure that these standards are reached and maintained throughout the service provision or manufacturing process. Both aspects are essential in guaranteeing the quality, reliability and conformity of products or industrial processes.
