Other Tools of Quality Control

Other Tools used in Quality Control includes:

• Scatter Diagram
  Tracks 2 variables to see if they are related.
  
  
• Run Chart
  Look at history and see a parttern of variation.
  
  
• Histogram
  Helps identify the cause of problem in a process by the shape and width of the distribution.
  
  
• Cause and Effect Diagram
  
  
• Flow Chart
  
  
• Statistical Sampling
  This involves choosing part of a population of interest for inspection.
  Often reduce the cost of quality control.
  
  
• Inspection
  Determine whether it conforms to the standards.

What is a Pareto Diagram

A Pareto diagram/chart helps focus attention on the most critical issues.

It prioritises potential "causes" of the problems.

It is referred to as 80/20 rule that 80% of problems or defects are most often due to 20% of the causes.

Tools of Quality Control - Control Charts

Control Charts are graphs used to analyse and communicate the variability of a process (or project activity) over time.

The components include the process mean the Upper Control Limit (UCL) and the Lower Control Limit (LCL).

Data points within this range are generally though of as "In Control".

Introducing Quality Control

Quality Control is the process of monitoring project work result to:

• determine if they comply with relevant quality standards.
• identify ways to eliminate causes of unacceptable performance.

PMP Definition of Quality Audit

A quality Audit is an independent evaluation, inspection or review of a project's quality assurance system to improve quality performance of a project

The audits can take place at scheduled or random intervals.

The result of a quality audit (eg lesson learned) are important for the current project as well as for later projects or other parts of the organisation.

What is Quality Assurance in PMP

Quality Assurance:

• looks at whether standard and procedure that are being followed.
• begins in the initiating and planning processes and continues throughout the project.
• is iterative and may be adapted based on the identification and resolution of quality problems over the project life cycle.

The actualy quality assurance process varies with the needs of each project.

What is the Best Practice in Creating a Quality Plan

The best practice when creating a quality plan includes:

• Review the organization's quality policy.
• Determine how your project team will implement the policy.
• Review the product description to identiy customer/stakeholder quality requirements.
• Determine the cost of quality trade-offs.

What is Flowchart

Flowchart shows the sequence of events and flow of inputs and outputs. It also shows the elements between a process or system.

It gets a definite beginning and end along with decision points clearly called out. This can be done with the actions to take based on the result of each decision.

Cause and Effect Diagram

Cause and Effect Diagram is also called an Ishikawa or Fishbone diagram. It identifies and analyse potential causes of probems in a process or system. Furthermore, it helps to organizes potential causes of problems into defined categories.

Design of Experiments (DOE)

Design of Experiment (DOE) is:

• a technique to systematically identify varying levels of independent variables.

It determines:

• which variable has the greatest effect.
• what is the relationship between each variable and the quality specifications (with customer focused).
• What is the best value for each variable, ensuring optimal quality or value.

Benchmarking in Quality Planning

Benchmarking is a tool used in Quality Planning. It

• Addresses the evaluation of a group's business or project practices
  - in comparison to those of other groups.
  
  
• Identify best practics
  - in order to meet them

What is Cost Benefit Analysis in PMP

Cost Benefit Analysis is a process of determing the pros and cons of any process, product or activity.

Benefit

• Completing quality work increases productivity.

Costs

• Completing quality work may cost more monies than the work is worth.

Gold Plating (or Extra Work)

• The customer does not need or want more than what was required.
  
  
  
  

What is the advantage of using Cost Benefit Analysis in Quality Planning?

When work is completed correctly the first time, as expected, the project does not have to spend additional fjunds to redo the work.

What are the Major Tools used for Quality Planning

For Quality Planning, the following 5 tools are commonly used:

• Cost Benefit Analysis
• Cost of Quality (COQ)
• Benchmarking
• Design of Experiment
• Additional Tools for Quality Planning

Definition of Quality Planning

Quality planning is the process of ensuring a project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken.


How to perform Quality Planning?

A project manager should perform quality planning regularly and concurrently with other planning processes to adjust for cost or time factors.

Total Quality Management in PMP

Total Quality Management (TQM) is:

• an approach to create customer satifaction by empowering workers.
• on going process rather than a one-time event (ie continuous improvement).

Continuous Improvement is small improvements in products or processes to reduce costs and ensure consistency of performance of product of products or service.

Fitness for Use - The product or service is capable of being used.

Fitness for Purpose - The product or service will meet its intended purpose. No gold plating.

Key Points in Quality Control

Quality Control is used to measure specific project results against standards. Steps include:

1. Measure specific project results again quality standards.
2. Implement approved changes to the quality baseline.
3. Identify quality improvement.
4. Repair defects.
5. Recommend changes, corrective and preventive actions and defect repair to Integrated Change Control.

Key Points in Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance is used to determine if the project is complying with organisational and project policies and processes. Steps include:

1. Perform continuous improvements.
2. Determine if project activities comply with organisational and project policies, processes and procedures - quality audit.
3. Correct deficiencies.
4. Identify improvements that the company needs to make.
5. Recommend changes and corrective actions to integrated change control.

Key Points in Quality Planning

Key point in Quality Planning is to determine a plan for quality. This includes:

1. Find existing quality standard for product and project management.
2. Create additional project specific standards.
3. Determine what work you will do to meet the standards.
4. Determine how you will measureto make sure you meet the standards.
5. Balance the needs of quality with scope, cost, time, risk and satisfaction.
6. Create a quality management plan and add it to the project management plan.

A new Topic on Project Quality Management

I am going to start a new topics on Project Quality Management. For Project Quality Management, the following are the critical areas:

Perform Quality Planning

• Identifying which quality standards are relevant to the project and determining how to satisfy them.
  

Perform Quality Assurance

• Applying the planned, systematic quality activities to ensure that the project employs all processes needed to meet requirements.
  

Perform Quality Control

• Monitoring specific project results to determine whether they comply with relevant quality standards and identifying ways to eliminate causes of unsatisfactory performance.