Which term denotes the ongoing, organization-wide plan to prevent quality problems before they arise, including procedure development and performance improvement?

• A. Quality assessment
• B. Quality assurance
• C. Quality control
• D. Quality systems

Answer: (B)

Quality assurance is the ongoing, organization-wide plan to prevent quality problems before they arise, including procedure development and performance improvement. QA focuses on the processes used to produce a service or product, ensuring standards are defined, procedures are implemented, and continuous improvements are pursued to prevent defects rather than merely detecting them after the fact. This proactive, process-oriented approach contrasts with quality control, which is about detecting defects in the final product or output, and quality assessment, which evaluates quality after processes have occurred. Quality systems refer to the overall framework that includes QA and QC, plus management systems and documentation, but the specific term that emphasizes preventing problems through procedures and improvement is quality assurance.