Project Quality Management Process
Project Quality Management deals with incorporating organizational quality policy into initiating, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling, closing, and making sure that product quality parameters satisfy the stakeholder’s expectations from the project. It also supports product and process improvement processes within the organization.
Quality management is a phenomenon that applies to all types of projects worldwide. The methodology and quality measures are industry and project-specific. For example, the project quality management of software deliverables may use different approaches and measures from those used when building a nuclear power plant. In either case, failure to meet the quality requirements can seriously negatively affect any or all of the project’s stakeholders.
In our lives, we often confuse quality with grades. So, it is very important to know the meaning and definition of “quality.”
Quality as a delivered performance or result is “the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfill requirements” (PMBOK 6th). At the same time, grade as a design intent is a category assigned to deliverables having the same functional use but different technical characteristics (PMBOK 6th).
The project manager and project management team must balance quality and competing demands with some trade-offs to satisfy the customer.
Product Quality
When a project manager or project management team fails to find the balance between quality and other competing demands, they often come up with a product that may be cheap or delivered early. However, the quality requirements still need to be met. As a result, the product must comply with the customer’s quality requirements. When these products fail, they cause much more damage to the brand name and often result in claims and lawsuits against the organization.
So, the cost of making a quality product is always less than the ultimate cost of making a product with no quality.
But how do we know whether the product is a good quality product or not? We can measure the quality by using quality metrics.
A quality metric describes a project or product attribute and how it will be verified to prove compliance with it. A few examples of quality metrics are:
- Failure rate
- Of defects
- Of defectives
- Reliability
- Usability
- Serviceability
- Durability
- Customer satisfaction scores
- Percentage of compliance terms
In short, project quality management allows you to plan how the quality will be managed, measured, and controlled throughout the project lifecycle. It helps you to define your processes and keep auditing your process throughout the execution of the project deliverables. It ensures that they go through appropriate quality checks when the deliverables are ready. As a result, all deliverables will be accepted by the customer, and the project will transit towards closing smoothly and efficiently.
Project Quality Management is a knowledge area in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) that deals with managing the quality of a project’s deliverables and processes. It involves developing a quality management plan, implementing that plan, and monitoring and controlling the quality of the project’s outputs. There are three main processes in Project Quality Management:
- Plan Quality Management
- Manage Quality
- Control Quality
In this article, we will discuss each of these processes in detail, including their inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs.
Plan Quality Management:
Plan Quality Management is the process of identifying the quality requirements for the project and specifying how the project will ensure that those requirements are met. The main purpose of this process is to develop a quality management plan that will guide the project team throughout the project’s life cycle.
Inputs:
- Project Management Plan: This contains the overall plan for the project, including the scope, schedule, cost, and resources.
- Project Charter: This document outlines the project’s objectives, stakeholders, and high-level requirements.
- Stakeholder Register: This document contains information about the project’s stakeholders, including their interests and expectations.
- Organizational Process Assets: This refers to the organization’s templates, standards, and guidelines for quality management.
Tools and Techniques:
- Expert Judgment: The project team can seek input from subject matter experts to identify quality requirements and develop the quality management plan.
- Data Gathering: The project team can gather data about the project’s quality requirements by conducting surveys, focus groups, or interviews.
- Data Analysis: The project team can analyze the data gathered to identify patterns, trends, and themes that can inform the development of the quality management plan.
- Decision Making: The project team can use decision-making techniques to prioritize quality requirements and make decisions about how to ensure that those requirements are met.
Outputs:
- Quality Management Plan: This document outlines the project’s quality objectives, quality standards, and quality assurance and control activities.
Manage Quality:
Manage Quality is the process of implementing the quality management plan and ensuring that the project’s deliverables meet the quality standards specified in that plan. This process involves monitoring and controlling the quality of the project’s outputs throughout the project’s life cycle.
Inputs:
- Quality Management Plan: This document outlines the project’s quality objectives, quality standards, and quality assurance and control activities.
- Project Documents: This includes any documents related to the project, such as the project schedule, budget, and scope.
- Approved Change Requests: Any changes to the project’s scope, schedule, or budget that have been approved must be taken into account when managing quality.
Tools and Techniques:
- Data Gathering: The project team can gather data about the quality of the project’s outputs by conducting inspections, testing, or surveys.
- Data Analysis: The project team can analyze the data gathered to identify patterns, trends, and themes that can inform the decision-making process.
- Decision Making: The project team can use decision-making techniques to make decisions about how to address any quality issues that arise during the project’s life cycle.
- Quality Audits: The project team can conduct quality audits to ensure that the project’s quality management activities are effective.
Outputs:
- Quality Control Measurements: This includes any measurements taken to ensure that the project’s outputs meet the quality standards specified in the quality management plan.
- Verified Deliverables: These are the project’s outputs that have been reviewed and approved as meeting the project’s quality standards.
Control Quality:
Control Quality is the process of monitoring and controlling the quality of the project’s outputs and taking corrective action when necessary. The main purpose of this process is to ensure that the project’s outputs meet the quality standards specified in the quality management plan.
Inputs:
- Quality Management Plan: This document outlines the project’s quality objectives, quality standards, and quality assurance and control activities.
- Project Documents: This includes any documents related to the project, such as the project schedule, budget, and scope.
- Verified Deliverables: These are the project’s outputs that have been reviewed and approved as meeting the project’s quality standards.
Tools and Techniques:
- Data Gathering: The project team can gather data about the quality of the project’s outputs by conducting inspections, testing, or surveys.
- Data Analysis: The project team can analyze the data gathered to identify patterns, trends, and themes that can inform the decision-making process.
- Decision Making: The project team can use decision-making techniques to make decisions about how to address any quality issues that arise during the project’s life cycle.
- Quality Control Measurements: The project team can take measurements to ensure that the project’s outputs meet the quality standards specified in the quality management plan.
Outputs:
- Quality Control Measurements: This includes any measurements taken to ensure that the project’s outputs meet the quality standards specified in the quality management plan.
- Validated Changes: These are changes to the project’s scope, schedule, or budget that have been reviewed and approved as meeting the project’s quality standards.
- Work Performance Data: This is data about the project’s performance, including information about the project’s quality, schedule, and budget.