Top Quality
Quality Management Plan FROM POME BY GAUTAM KOPPALA VT
Quality Management
Overview of Quality
Quality is ultimately defined by the customer, and represents how close the project and deliverables come to meeting the customer’s requirements and expectations.
- Quality is in the eyes of the beholder (customer)
- Does not mean the best or zero defects – meeting mutually agreed upon expectations
What is quality management?
Quality management is the process by which quality is defined, produced and controlled within the project environment. Quality management is not a entirely independent project process. In fact, quality management has close tie-ins to many other project processes, to the point where quality management is often indistinguishable from its partner processes …..
- Requirements Planning: Project “requirements” form the basis of quality expectations and specifications.
- Risk Management: The risk management process is used to evaluate the likelihood and impact of quality failures.
- Change Management: Change control practices are used to maintain quality expectations by limiting unwarranted changes to deliverables and scope.
- Issues Management: The issues management process is used to identify potential quality defects as soon as they arise to enable resolution early on in the project lifecycle.
- Status Reporting: Ongoing, scheduled status reporting is used to ensure that the project manager is advised of potential quality defects and problems as soon as they arise.
- Project Performance Evaluation: The project review process is used to evaluate “quality management” effectiveness, and to improve future practices.
Quality Management in Practice:
Within the project environment, quality management must be applied to two distinct targets.
Process Quality: Relating to the processes used to plan, manage and execute projects.
Deliverables Quality: Relating to the quality of specific project deliverables (products, services and strategies).
Quality management is an ongoing process, applied within projects at a global level (through best practices and standards) and at the “per-project” level, where quality specifications and management steps are applied according to specific project needs. Process quality and deliverables quality are joined at the hip … while high quality processes cannot guarantee high quality results, low quality processes will certainly impede high quality results. As such, the quest for quality, whether for process or deliverables, must address the following key elements:
1) Management Objectives – what are you trying to accomplish through quality management?
2) Quality Specifications – how is quality to be defined for your projects?
3). Quality Consensus – how will these quality definitions be applied, approved and accepted?
4) Quality Control – how will quality be managed and measured as the project proceeds?
5) Quality Defect Correction – how will quality defects be analyzed, mitigated and removed?
To achieve project success on all essential levels (results, costs, time and customer satisfaction), quality management must be more than just an administrative exercise. As a process, quality management must be deployed to achieve certain essential goals…..
- To minimize the subjective nature of quality by defining “quality” in clear, measurable terms.
- To produce results that meet quality standards, within project scheduling and budgetary requirements.
- To minimize costly defects and errors.
- To eliminate costly and non-productive re-work (having to do the same work over again to eliminate defects).
- To maximize customer satisfaction.
- To maximize team morale, performance and productivity.
Quality must be defined through tangible, measurable specifications…..
Meaningful, actionable quality specifications result from collaboration and consensus. Since quality is in the eye of the beholder (the project sponsor and customer), the project team cannot be the primary arbiter of quality. The project sponsor/customers must define their own set of “quality” expectations, and the project manager and his/team must then mold these expectations into actionable specifications and tangible results. If customer quality expectations cannot be met for tangible reasons (technical, timing or cost), the project team must work with the customer to build realistic expectations and consensus.
Specific quality specifications will vary according to intended target (process or deliverable).
A) What constitutes process quality?
- Relevancy: The degree to which the process is pertinent and applicable to project needs and organizational capabilities.
- Flexibility: The degree to which the process is sufficiently flexible to suit varying project needs and circumstances.
- Productivity: The degree to which the process makes the most of available time and resources.
- Efficiency: The degree to which the process produces maximum results in the least amount of time.
- Usability: The degree to which the process is easy to use and follow.
- Completeness: The degree to which the process contains all required elements for a complete, fully applicable workflow.
B) What constitutes deliverables quality?
Quality specifications will vary based on the specific deliverable at hand and based on the prioritization and application of the following variables:
- Completeness & Correctness
- Alignment to Business Needs
- Alignment to Technical Requirements
- Alignment to Customer Expectations
- Form and Function
- Performance
- Availability
- Reliability
- Serviceability
- Usefulness
- Accuracy
As deliverables quality is defined, certain basic questions and conclusions must be addressed: What is your quality goal? Do you aim for zero defect, or do you aim for a best quality compromise? The answer will lie in a balancing of the relevant costs and benefits, coupled with a realistic assessment of capabilities. see Calculating Quality Management Overhead
Quality specifications must be communicated, confirmed and accepted through informed consensus….
One of the most important goals of quality management is to minimize the subjective nature of “quality” through tangible definitions and standards. But definitions alone are not enough. An effective quality management process must provide the means and mechanics by which said definitions are documented, communicated, reviewed, revised and accepted. Throughout the span of any project, the following plans and documents can be used to ensure that quality specifications are clearly stated and approved:
- Quality Management Plans
- Quality Specifications
- Acceptance Criteria
- Success Criteria
- Risk Management Plans
- Change Request Documents
Quality must be managed and controlled throughout the course of the entire project….
In order to achieve expected results, quality requirements and expectations must be clearly stated and defined. But definitions are only a beginning. Once a project is underway, quality must be continually managed and assessed to ensure that these requirements and expectations are fully realized.
Quality control takes place at various points in the project cycle, through a number of validation and verification activities and techniques:
- Manual Reviews/Testing
- Automated Reviews/Testing
- Prototypes
- Pilot Programs
- Lessons Learned Reviews (by peers and customers)
- Quality Audits (by a third party)
Quality defects must be repaired and removed…..
Defects happen. Considering the fast paced, cost constrained nature of most technology projects, zero-defect is an admirable goal, but it may not be a realistic goal. The goal of quality management is to set realistic quality objectives, define quality expectations, ensure minimal defects and eliminate re-work. But, when defects happen, they must be corrected. As such, the quality management process must account for all activities and strategies needed to achieve “quality correction”, to remove and recover from quality defects, errors and omissions.
Concluded Note:
Quality management activities will vary based on the size and scope of the project at hand. At a minimum, the quality management process must be designed to:
- Identify and set relevant quality specifications as part of the project initiation process.
- Communicate quality specifications through documented “acceptance criteria”.
- Ensure that all stakeholders understand and accept these quality specifications.
- Ensure that the project is executed with the use of established project management processes.
- Build the deliverables based on quality specifications.
- Review and test deliverables on a periodic basis to ensure adherence to quality specifications. Note: This is where project variations will likely have the greatest impact. Deliverables type, complexity, value and risk will determine review and test scope, test methodologies, and frequency.
- Measure “quality success” with the use of the lessons learned analysis (interim or post-project). This lessons learned analysis should be designed to address both process and deliverables quality.
Quality management cannot guarantee project success (i.e. a bad idea may be executed perfectly, but it is still a bad idea….), but if quality is not a driving force in project planning and execution, success will be a far more elusive goal. As with any other process, quality management is a matter of balance. Quality management procedures cannot be too cumbersome, where cost overhead is excessive, or where project deliverables are unnecessarily delayed. In addition, zero defect does not define quality. Quality is achieved when business value is met, customers are satisfied, and all tangible quality defects are resolved as needed.
Gautam Koppala,
POME Author
About the Author
GAUTAM KOPPALA, With over ten years, track record of successful leadership, excellent results through strategic skills in driving revenue and profit growth. Demonstrated ability to identify and trouble shoot critical issues impacting productivity, cost, distribution, marketing, Strategic positioning, sales and financial operations, with innate ability to build and maintain strong client relationships in operations. Expert in distilling and managing processes, enhancing internal structures, and promoting multi-skilled team competencies via nurturing mentorship and inspirational leadership. Engagements have spanned operational, strategic, technological and change management roles. Academically, I am a cum laude graduate with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (B-Tech E.E.E.) and a post graduate in Masters in Human Resources Management (M.H.R.M.) and Masters of Foreign Trade (M.F.T.). As you will see my Post Graduation’s were been studied part-time, as well as working full-time as an Engineer. I feel that this demonstrates my ability to maintain dedication, motivation and enthusiasm for a project management over a long period of time. In addition, balancing full-time work with study has perfected my time-management and organizational skills. I believe that my college degrees and gamut certifications in combination with my extensive broad-based work experience along with my drive, resourcefulness and determination, would make me an excellent candidate for a senior management position with any company. Highlights of my background include Operations related Commercial, Supply chain, Sales with a magnificent experience in Project management, technically oriented towards Automation and Security Systems in Industrial and Building sectors. Presently, writing a book on Projects and Operations Management (comprise of 12 volumes, 6K pages), and awaited for the reputed publications. These books can be checked in Google books and scribd websites too.
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