CQA

CQA is an acronym used in multiple fields, and its meaning depends on the context. It is not associated with a single, universal concept.

Community Question Answering refers to platforms and systems that enable users to ask questions and receive answers from a community. Notable examples include general question sites and specialized networks that rely on user-generated content, voting, tagging, and moderation to curate knowledge. In research and technology, CQA can also denote datasets of questions and answers used for natural language processing and information retrieval tasks.

Certified Quality Auditor is a professional certification offered by the American Society for Quality (ASQ). It recognizes expertise in auditing quality systems, processes, and compliance. Certification typically requires relevant work experience, successful completion of an examination, and adherence to a code of ethics, with recertification at intervals. The exam covers auditing principles, quality management systems, process and product audits, statistics and sampling, and corrective actions. The credential is widely used in manufacturing, healthcare, and service industries to demonstrate competency in evaluating and improving quality programs.

Critical Quality Attributes are properties that must be controlled to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of a product, especially in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. CQAs are identified during development and are linked to specifications, control strategies, and process parameters. Monitoring and controlling CQAs helps ensure consistent product performance and regulatory compliance.

Other uses include Code Quality Assurance or Customer Quality Assurance, terms used within software development or customer-facing operations to describe quality-related activities. Because CQA has several distinct meanings, the intended sense is typically clarified by domain or accompanying context.