Lecture #9

Project Quality Management

Quality Processes-
Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Ghazala Amin
Focusing on customers is not just
a quality issue in any project;
it is sound business practice.
Customer Satisfaction translates
directly into increased profits.

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 WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO MEET
CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS?
• Needs of customers have to be met
• Understanding of one’s customers leads to
customer satisfaction
• Japanese relate quality to customer satisfaction

Inadequate internal facilities Poor

Quality
Poorly designed processes
Project

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 Quality Assurance

• The process of evaluating overall

project performance on a regular
basis to provide confidence that the
project will satisfy the relevant
quality standards.

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 QUALITY ASSURANCE
THERE ARE NO FACTS ONLY INTERPRETATIONS
-FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

• Any action directed towards providing

consumers with products (goods & services) of
appropriate quality

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 Quality Control
• Quality Control is the process of monitoring
specific project results to determine if they comply
with relevant quality standards

• The organizational unit that is assigned

responsibility for quality control.

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 Quality Assurance vs Quality Control

Reference: Dr. Harold Kerzner’s PROJECT MANAGEMENT A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO PLANNING, SCHEDULING, AND CONTROLLING
Page 988 and 989: QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL

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 Quality Assurance
• The organizational unit –”Quality Assurance” team that is
assigned the responsibility for assuring quality.

– Internal quality assurance:

• assurance is provided to the project management
team and to the management team of the performing
organization.
– External quality assurance:
• assurance is provided to the customer and others not
actively involved in the work of the project.

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 Quality Assurance
• Quality assurance is the planned and systematic
activities implemented within the quality system to
provide confidence that the project will satisfy
relevant quality standards

• Project Manager can have greatest impact on the

quality of his project by establishing process and
procedures to assure that scope statement
conforms to the actual requirement of the customer.

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 Quality Assurance - Inputs
• Some mandatory inputs to quality assurance
should be;
– Quality management plan
• Quality management plan should be used as a road
map to guide the QA team with enforcing processes
and procedures.
– Results of quality control measurements
• records of quality control testing and measurement in
a format for comparison and analysis.

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 Quality Audit
• The method most commonly employed for enforcing the
Quality Assurance process is;

– Quality audits
• A structured review of all quality management
activities.

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 Quality Audit

• The objective of a quality audit is to identify

lessons learned that can improve performance of
this project or of other projects within the
performing organization.

• May be scheduled or random; may be carried out

by trained in-house auditors or by third parties
such as quality system registration agencies.

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 Quality Assurance - Output
• Quality Assurance Audits results in;

– Quality improvement
• Includes taking action to increase the effectiveness
and efficiency of the project to provide added benefits
to the project stakeholders.

• In most cases will require preparation of change

requests or taking corrective action and will be
handled according to the procedures for integrated
change control.
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 Table 8-1. Table of Contents for a
Quality Assurance Plan*
1.0 Draft Quality Assurance Plan
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Purpose
1.3 Policy Statement
1.4 Scope
2.0 Management
2.1 Organizational Structure
2.2 Roles and Responsibilities
2.2.1 Technical Monitor/Senior
Management
2.2.2 Task Leader
2.2.3 Quality Assurance Team
2.2.4 Technical Staff
3.0 Required Documentation
*U.S. Department of Energy
4.0 Quality Assurance Procedures
4.1 Walkthrough Procedure
4.2 Review Process
4.2.1 Review Procedures
4.3 Audit Process
4.3.1 Audit Procedures
4.4 Evaluation Process
4.5 Process Improvement
5.0 Problem Reporting Procedures
5.1 Noncompliance Reporting Procedures
6.0 Quality Assurance Metrics
Appendix
Quality Assurance Checklist Forms
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 Quality Control

• Technique to Control &

Check Quality

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 Quality Control
• Quality Control is the process of monitoring
specific project results to determine if they comply
with relevant quality standards

• The organizational unit that is assigned

responsibility for quality control.

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 Quality Control
• Quality control involves monitoring specific project
results to determine if they comply with relevant
standards and identifying ways to eliminate causes of
unsatisfactory results

• Project Team members with specific technical expertise

setup process and procedures to ensure each step of
project provides quality output from design and
development through implementation and maintenance.

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 Quality Control

• Some Inputs to the Quality Control Process

are;
– Work results
– Quality management plan
– Operational definitions
– Checklists

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 Quality Control
• Some Tools & Techniques used are;
– Inspection
– Control charts
– Pareto diagram
– Statistical sampling
– Flowcharting
– Trend analysis

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 Quality Control
• Inspection:
– Includes activities such as measuring, examining,
and testing undertaken to determine whether
results conform to requirements.
– May be conducted at any level (e.g., the results
of a single activity may be inspected or the final
project product).
– May be called reviews, product reviews,
audits, and walkthroughs.

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 Quality Control - Outputs
• Results in;
– Quality improvement
– Acceptance decisions
• Decisions to either accept or reject the inspected
items.
• Rejected items may require rework.
– Rework

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 Quality Control - Outputs
• What is Rework?
– Rework
• Action taken to bring a defective or nonconforming
item into
• compliance with requirements or specifications.
Rework, especially
• unanticipated, is a frequent cause of project overruns
in most application areas.
• The project team should make every reasonable effort
to minimize rework.

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 Quality Control – Outputs

–Process adjustments
• Immediate corrective or preventive action
as a result of
• quality control measurements. In some
cases, the process adjustment may
• need to be handled according to
procedures for integrated change control.

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 Scope Verification vs Quality
Control
– Scope Verification
• Scope verification is primarily concerned with the
acceptance of work results

– Quality control
• Quality Control is primarily concerned with the
correctness of work results.

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