TOPIC: Manage Quality vs Control Quality

Can someone explain the difference between the two? Maybe give me a real life example of the two? Still a bit blurry on what their difference really is.

Good morning, Zandra,

I think I can help. "Manage quality" is a proactive step that is incorporated into a process or procedure while "Control quality" is reactive which focuses on the product and a step to fix defects.

For a concrete example from my life as an environmental chemistry laboratory manager. "Manage quality" was incorporated into processes like diluting stock chemicals to the required concentration, disposing of expired reagents, ensuring the balance was calibrated every day it was used, etc. "Control quality" looked at batch records of completed analyses to ensure embedded known and blank samples were within expected tolerances, reviewing procedures for completeness every year and periodically qualifying analysts to do their job correctly by observation, plotting known and blank results to observe trends, and inserting quality samples into their routine work without their knowledge.

Hope that helps.

Hi Zandra,
In addition to Harry's excellent definition for "manage" vs "control" quality, I will share a couple of other examples to hopefully illustrate in a different context.

1. In manufacturing, the use of "poka yoke" (fool-proofing methods) during assembly process would be considered an example of "managing" quality - i.e.: by preventing errors in the assembly process, the organization can eliminate the losses that will arise from assembling a subassembly incorrectly, only to detect it during the "control" process of inspection.
Detecting defects at the "Control" stage is usually more expensive to the organization, since it means the materials and resources have already been expended in
creating a "defect" which is not fit for purpose - which must either be reworked or scrapped.

2. In software, "manage" quality would include methods like peer-review of code, pair programming, etc. to ensure code gets reviewed at the development stage, before handoff to the testing teams.
An example of "controlling" quality would be detecting bugs during QA testing which is costlier than during development.