Project Quality Management

The following table addresses the planning and management activities that make the project output conform to the requirements and help to ensure a satisfied customer.

 
Priority
Area
4
Quality goals easily understood, achieved, and monitored.
3
Quality goals can be defined and measured using existing systems and methods; quality risk low.
2
Quality goals are extensive, require innovative approaches; and may impact project success.
1
Quality goals are difficult to define; hard to measure and achieve; significant risk to project acceptance.
Quality Assurance Plan
Define quality goals; discuss approach and plans to achieve goals; assess risks to success; discuss adequacy of approach; set high standards.
Document explicit quality goals; define methods and tests to achieve, control, predict and verify success; focus on customer satisfaction.
Document QA goals, plans, methods, and systems; consider ilities in quality goals; focus processes on minimizing correction costs.
Document QA plan including quantitative goals, statement of methods to achieve, quality metrics, controls and verifications; link QA to stakeholder and risk analysis.
Quality Management
Consider quality management integral to project work; ensure project team understands role in achieving quality goals; have PM maintain visibility of quality issues.
Implement integrated quality management through delegated quality goals; plan work methods, technologies, measurements and controls to achieve goals; build quality into processes and products.
Integrate quality management tasks into project plan; establish quality goals; delegate goals to work groups; report quality metrics and track progress.
Assign quality management oversight in PM staff; monitor metrics and trends to achieve quality goals; integrate quality management into project planning and risk management.
Quality Metrics, Measurements, and Controls
Conduct subjective (qualitative) or objective (quantitative) assessments periodically; monitor and report quality status at periodic project reviews.
Map quality metrics to quality goals, and report periodically; apply standard quality tools to measure, predict and control results.
Establish quality metrics and conduct quality audits to predict and verify achievement of goals and identify need for corrective actions; apply quality control techniques to project effort.
Implement best practices quality control organization; document quality methods integral to project plan; provide commitment of staff, tools, and methods to support quality effort.
Continuous Quality Improvement
Communicate continually a project goal to work smarter and find better processes; plan the project to accommodate future improvements.
Review the project approach and design concept for modularity, expandability and growth; consider CQI in product life cycle strategy.
Include CQI tasks in project plans and budget; establish CQI goals and metrics, and report progress periodically.
Incorporate CQI/TQM goals into specifications and plans; review project methods for improvement opportunities; institutionalize CQI processes and incorporate provisions into product design.
Version 1.2
© Copyright 1997, James R. Chapman

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