Which practice is described as preventive rather than reactive in quality management?

• A. QC
• B. QA
• C. Quality Management Strategy (QMS)
• D. Project Closeout (PCO)

Answer: (B)

The main idea is preventive versus reactive approaches in quality work. Quality assurance is preventive in nature because it focuses on building quality into how work is done. It involves defining and improving processes, setting standards, training people, and conducting audits so defects are prevented before they happen. This proactive stance aims to stop issues at the source rather than discovering them after production.

Quality control, by contrast, is more reactive. It concentrates on inspecting and testing the finished product to find defects after they’ve been created, catching problems late rather than preventing them.

A Quality Management System is the overall framework that includes both preventive and reactive activities, guiding how quality is planned, assured, controlled, and improved. Project closeout isn’t about preventing defects in production; it’s the final phase of a project, though it may include final quality checks, it’s not the practice described as preventive.