Quality control in manufacturing is part of an overall quality management program where quality requirements are fulfilled. It consists of the inspection and measurement of products to ensure that they are in spec at the point of production.

Think of quality control as the ground game of quality assurance. While quality assurance provides the framework and protocols for a production process to perform tasks that deliver a product’s quality requirements and ensure confidence in the process, quality control is the completion of the tasks required. Together, these two activities form a company’s quality system.