Quality assurance, for example, focuses on the function of the product quality, which guarantees that the processes, standards, and procedures are suitable for the project and are properly implemented.
On the other hand, quality management tends to focus on the bigger picture, such as developing plans which determine the standards that need to be applied to the project.
In quality assurance, the main responsibility is to ensure with confidence that quality requirements will be satisfied. Conversely, a quality manager determines whether the project is compliant with the quality specifications specified in the quality management plan.
Quality assurance can be thought of as a proactive means that helps to identify weaknesses in a product’s development process, while quality management is all-encompassing, meaning it consists of laying down standards that define the project quality metrics and the benchmark.
Overall, quality assurance is process-oriented, and it does not involve the execution of the product. It identifies weaknesses in the products and helps to improve the quality. In contrast, quality managers are all about analyzing the process and eliminating any problem or variable that might result in an incorrect product.