History and scholarship
Statistical quality control began with Walter Shewhart's control charts (1931). Deming (1986) spread statistical methods and PDCA in post-war Japan; Juran (1951) set out the quality trilogy; Feigenbaum (1956, HBR) coined total quality control; Ishikawa (1985) developed fishbone diagrams and quality circles; Crosby (1979) argued 'quality is free'; Garvin (1984) defined eight dimensions. ISO 9001 is today's system standard.
What the job involves
QC: incoming, in-process and outgoing inspection, testing and defect analysis. QA: quality systems, claims, audits and supplier quality. Scope and required skills vary by company and industry; check actual job postings and NCS job descriptions.
Hiring and careers
Quality Management Engineer is often preferred; works closely with production management.
FAQ
- QC or QA for new grads?
- Depends on the posting.
- Is there QA in IT?
- Software testing is often called QA.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Shewhart, W. A. (1931). Economic Control of Quality of Manufactured Product. Van Nostrand.
- Juran, J. M. (Ed.). (1951). Quality Control Handbook. McGraw-Hill.
- Feigenbaum, A. V. (1956). Total quality control. Harvard Business Review, 34(6), 93–101.
- Crosby, P. B. (1979). Quality Is Free. McGraw-Hill.
- Garvin, D. A. (1984). What does "product quality" really mean? Sloan Management Review, 26(1), 25–43.
- Ishikawa, K. (1985). What Is Total Quality Control? The Japanese Way. Prentice-Hall.
- Deming, W. E. (1986). Out of the Crisis. MIT Center for Advanced Engineering Study.
- International Organization for Standardization. (2015). ISO 9001:2015 Quality management systems — Requirements. ISO.
- 국가직무능력표준(NCS). https://www.ncs.go.kr
- 고용24 직업정보(고용노동부·한국고용정보원). https://www.work24.go.kr