What are the Skills Needed for Quality Control and Quality Assurance

Quality Control and Quality Assurance (QC/QA) are both associated with a successful business regardless of its nature. They assure that the quality of products and services is at its best to increase customer satisfaction while minimising wastage and maximising production. We explore their significance within the pharmaceutical industry.

When seeking candidates for these roles, employers typically prioritise individuals with strong combination of technical skills, analytical skills, and interpersonal qualities. Many of these qualities are transferable skills from other positions within the pharmaceutical environment.

 

What is Quality Control and Quality Assurance?

Quality Control is a general term that refers to a range of actions and activities directed towards the improvement of the standard of the product. It aims at fixing the problem at the rudimentary stage to save a business from incurring unnecessary expenditures and losing its potential customers by delivering substandard goods. Quality Control is primarily concerned with ensuring that products or services meet specified standards and requirements. It involves inspection, testing, and verification of products or processes to identify and correct defects. Typically occurs after the product or service is produced or delivered.

Quality Assurance is broadly concerned with preventing defects and ensuring that quality is built into the entire process. Includes planning, implementing, and maintainingquality systems, policies, and procedures. Occurs throughout the entire product or service lifecycle, from design and development to production and delivery.

We explore this in more detail, and with GMP, but to summarise very plainly, QC is reactive, and QA is proactive.

 

Key Skills for QC/QA Professionals

Professional’s skills are so many but at the same time, to succeed in the occupations, practitioners will require several personal networks which are technical skills, analysis skills as well as soft skills. Some of these include the following:

 

Technical Skills

• Knowledge of Quality Standards: The ability to audit domestic and international quality regulatory and quality management requirements such as ISO 9001, Six Sigma, or Lean Manufacturing.
• Statistical Analysis: The use of within person comparison analysis and other relevant measurements in assessing the quality of a product.
• Testing and Inspection Techniques: Respect to the various types of tests destructive and non-destructive and the processes of inspection.
• Technical Writing: The practice of documentation with quality plans, test documents, and procedures in a lucid and precise manner.
• Automation Tools: Related to the testing processes and analysis of data using different testing and analysis automation tools.

Analytical Assistant

• Problem-Solving: Finding and fixing quality problems, their causes, and how to regulate them in the future.
• Attention to Detail: Careful noticing in order not to deviate from the specifications and standards.
• Critical Analysis: Ability to think through and reason about a given situation even where elements appear complex.
• Data Analysis: Sizable amounts of numerical information needed to conduct decision making processes.

Interpersonal and Communication Skills

• Effective Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to convey findings, recommendations, and quality reports clearly.
• Teamwork: Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to drive quality improvements.
• Problem-Solving: The capacity to work collaboratively to identify and resolve quality issues.
• Relationship Building: The ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

 

Find your next Quality Role

At QCS Staffing, we have many Quality roles. Browse our pharmaceutical roles or submit your resume to kickstart your dream career.

We’re determined to help place our candidates in the best roles. We take the time to understand the needs of clients and candidates, so they always receive the best possible service.