Project Quality Management
Project quality management is an important part of any successful project. Quality management is the systematic approach to planning, controlling, monitoring, and improving project quality. It is the process of ensuring that all project deliverables meet the requirements of the project, and that the project conforms to the agreed-upon quality standard. Quality management focuses on proactively avoiding problems and ensuring that each element of the project meets project specifications.
Quality management is an essential part of any project. Quality is the difference between satisfaction and dissatisfaction with a project result. Quality can refer to the accuracy, reliability, and completeness of the project requirements, deliverables, processes, and outcomes. Quality also involves cost considerations and value offered. Quality management is a discipline that blends together knowledge of quality assurance, product engineering, and project management.
Project quality management involves setting quality standards and managing the quality throughout the lifecycle of the project. Quality planning ensures that the project meets the quality requirements and that those requirements are communicated to everyone involved. Quality assurance, on the other hand, is the process of ensuring that the project meets the standards set. Quality control is the monitoring and appraisal of project activities against standards. Finally, quality improvement is the process of making changes to the project in order to improve the quality.
Projects will vary in their requirements for quality management. On large, complex projects, quality management will be an important part of the project’s success. On smaller projects, quality management may not be as vital to success. Nonetheless, all projects should strive for excellence in all aspects of quality.
The quality management system should be documented and communicated to all stakeholders. This should include processes, procedures, and tools applied throughout the project lifecycle. Quality standards should be established and agreed upon by all stakeholders. These standards should focus on meeting project requirements, as well as providing value and improving product/service quality.
The quality management system should also include rigorous planning and review processes. Quality planning should involve identifying what is necessary to achieve quality, setting appropriate quality standards, and determining processes and tools to check the quality of project deliverables. Quality review should be ongoing, and should involve conducting inspections and tests, analyzing products and processes, and recording and tracking project metrics.
Quality management is a key component of any successful project. By setting appropriate standards, allocating sufficient resources to quality management, and adhering to a documented process, companies can ensure that project deliverables meet the necessary requirements and are of the highest quality.
