Final answer:
Quality assurance is about maintaining a certain quality level and preventing errors by adhering to standards, while quality improvement is an ongoing process seeking to enhance and innovate beyond existing standards.
Step-by-step explanation:
A critical difference between quality assurance (QA) and quality improvement is a shift in focus. Quality assurance is concerned with maintaining a certain level of quality in the production of goods or services. It's about adherence to standards and specifications to prevent errors. In contrast, quality improvement is a continuous process that involves seeking out ways to enhance processes, services, or products, thereby increasing efficiency and effectiveness.
Quality assurance typically involves routine checks and standardized procedures to ensure that what is being produced meets specified criteria. These checks are preventive by nature, with the goal of catching issues before they become bigger problems. However, quality improvement is a more proactive and ongoing effort. It doesn't just seek to meet the existing standards, but rather to find new, innovative ways to do things better, and is often associated with process improvement methodologies like Six Sigma or lean management.
Key Aspects of Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement
- Standardization: QA focuses on maintaining set standards.
- Prevention: QA aims to prevent errors through consistent checking.
- Innovation: QI is focused on continually finding ways to improve.
- Improvement: QI seeks to increase efficiency and effectiveness beyond existing standards.