1. Quality Knowledge Area
PMI Westchester Quality SIG
-Best Practices-
September 2007

2. Objectives
The objective of our first 2007 Quality SIG meeting is as follows:
To review PMI Quality Management Knowledge Area topics for the whole year using a calendar of topics (see next slide)
To agree on covering the recommended quality component topics: quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control
To agree on the tools, techniques, and processes to be used with the quality components

3. Calendar Month Topic Description Tools/Techniques Presenter
September 07
Quality Management Plan
--Plan
--Calendar
--Action items
Linda P. Dowdell
October 07
Quality Planning
Criteria driven
Overview
November 07
Tools
December 07
Techniques
January 08
Quality Assurance
Prevention driven
February 08
March 08
April 08
Quality Control
Inspection driven
May 08
June 08

4. Quality and Quality Management
Quality is about satisfying defined customer’s requirements -- conformance to the customer requirement’s specifications.
Quality Management is about understanding and meeting the customer’s requirements through a comprehensive quality management plan that addresses the process and product aspects of projects.

5. Quality Management Plan
A Quality Management Plan communicates the plan that will be used to ensure project quality.
A Quality Management Plan should describe the three areas of work that are associated with the PMI process groups:
Quality Planning – PMI Planning
Quality Assurance – PMI Executing
Quality Control – PMI Controlling

6. Process and Product Management
Quality Management has a process and a product side.
Process management deals with best practice tools, processes and techniques used in managing a project.
The quality expectation is to run a project in accordance to a standard project lifecycle, and one that is planned, managed and executed using best practice tools and techniques.

7. Process and Product Management (cont.)
Product management deals with the management of scope (requirements), time (schedule), and cost (budget) used in managing the products and services of a project.
The quality expectation is to have the product or services delivered within scope, time and cost

8. Quality Management Components
Over the course of the year, we will be covering several topics -- all in relation to these major components:
Quality Planning
Quality Assurance
Quality Control

9. Components and Elements

10. Quality Planning – Criteria Driven
Quality planning is the stage used to identify the quality criteria that are relevant to the project and to plan how to satisfy them.
It lays out the roles and responsibilities, resources, procedures, and processes to be utilized for quality control and quality assurance.

11. Quality Assurance – Prevention driven
Quality Assurance is about utilizing all the elements defined in quality planning that are needed to meet the customer’s requirements.
Quality Assurance is a continuous process improvement.
Quality Assurance involves managing the quality of the project deliverables. It refers to the actual testing of product components and the entire product before and during delivery.

12. Quality Control – Inspection driven
Quality Control is about ensuring that the products and services of the project comply with relevant quality standards and about eliminating the causes of unsatisfactory performance.
It is the ongoing quality management and review of the process of doing the work of the project during its life cycle.

13. Tools and Techniques
The following are some of the tools and techniques that we may review throughout the year during our monthly sessions, which we should align to the three quality components:
Tools
Risk Register
Scope Statement
Communications Plan

14. Tools and Techniques (cont.)
Checklists – mark off what is been done
Phase reviews -- gateways
Other – management involvement, etc.

15. Quality and Risk Management
We will review quality and risk management because of the relationship that exists between these two knowledge areas:
Proper quality planning can lower risks.

16. Quality Planning Best Practices
We will determine the elements that will be used to evaluate quality:
Priorities: scope, time, cost
Scope statement
Success criteria
Project metrics toward project quality management

17. Quality Assurance Best Practices
We will determine the elements that will be used for quality assurance:
Continuous process improvement: process analysis, removing non-value activities, etc.
Prevention: prevention activities before problems occur
Benchmark quality: establish a baseline

18. Quality Control Best Practices
We will determine the elements that will be used for quality control:
Inspection: e.g. PM and team to inspect work
Scope verification: to ensure product is of good quality.

19. Contact Information
Linda P. Dowdell, PMP, MBA, MS
Dowdell Consulting Services, LLC
A Project Management Services Company
Public Relations Program Manager
& Quality Chair for
The Project Management Institute Westchester