What is the primary focus of quality assurance (QA)?

The primary focus of quality assurance (QA) is to prevent defects before they occur. This proactive approach emphasizes establishing and maintaining processes that ensure quality throughout the production or service delivery stages. Quality assurance involves systematic activities and methodologies aimed at preventing errors, thereby enhancing the overall quality of products and services.

By concentrating on process improvement, QA helps create a framework that supports consistent quality output and minimizes the likelihood of defects reaching the end user. This can involve various strategies, such as process design, documentation, training, and continuous improvement initiatives that align with the organization's quality standards.

Identifying defects in finished products, measuring customer satisfaction, and improving employee performance, while related to quality management, are not the main focus of QA. These activities may form part of a broader quality management system but do not encapsulate the essence of quality assurance itself, which is centered on prevention and process management.