PM 656 Week 13: Quality Assurance and Control
This learning module addresses the role of quality assurance and control.
In PM654, we focused on the role of quality planning in the project lifecycle. This week, we
will review the role of quality assurance and control. Briefly, in PM654, we found quality as
the totality of an entity’s characteristics that bears on its ability to satisfy stated or implied
needs.
Quality can also be defined as fitness for use or conformance to requirements. According to
PMBOK, project quality management is the responsibility of the project manager and involves
the three processes of quality planning, quality assurance and quality control. Quality, in
general, is related to products and processes, and we can apply quality management tools
and techniques in these two areas - namely project outcomes (products and tangible
deliverables) and project management processes.
A Quality Assurance Plan can help improve the quality and reliability of project outcomes and
project management processes. This is covered in one of the reading assignments, Effective
Quality Assurance Planning by Orlando Marone. The Marone article delves into the
components of quality assurance planning and recommends six major sections for a quality
assurance plan:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Plan Overview
Deliverables Quality Assurance
Quality Assurances Processes
Audits and Reviews
Team Responsibilities
Quality Assurance Manager Responsibilities
Marone also notes that good quality management will help avoid the cost overruns and
schedule slippage involved in rework needed to fulfill the customer’s acceptance criteria.
Since the development and execution of a quality assurance plan requires time and resources,
it is important to maintain a balance between the investment in the quality assurance plan
and the anticipated positive impact on the project. Each of you will have an opportunity to
consider that balance as you share your organization’s approach to quality management and
integrate your views with those of your team.
Material for Learning Module 13
Watch: 7 Basic Quality Tools: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhi_M3koE7c
Read: Chapter 8, “Project Quality Management” in the PMBOK
Marone, Orlando (1999) Effective Quality Assurance Planning. Proceedings of the 30th
Annual Project Management Institute 199 Seminars & Symposium, Philadelphia, PA
Kwak, Y. H., Wetter, J. J., & Anbari, F. T. (2006). Business process best practices:
project management or Six Sigma? Paper presented at PMI® Research Conference:
New Directions in Project Management, Montréal, Québec, Canada. Newtown Square,
PA: Project Management Institute.
As you read this article, consider the relationships between project management and six sigma.
Think about how you can use each approach to better perform your projects.
Before attempting any assignment, you should review all rubrics provided with the assignment
in Blackboard.
Team Assignments
Assignment 13T – Quality Assurance Plan.
You’ve been asked to create a framework for project quality assurance for a project. Support
this framework with references to your individual experiences and with references to at least
two articles from the professional literature on quality and/or project management.
The leadership team is busy and will appreciate quality over quantity (no pun intended). With
this thought in mind, your quality assurance plan should be a maximum of four pages (not
including the cover page).
NOTE: To receive credit for this assignment, you must use appropriate sources and include
a pdf copy of any articles cited beyond those included with this assignment.
PM 656 requires you to consider organizational practices and policies through the prism of
the MPM course materials (e.g., textbooks, PMBOK, and journal articles). WCU’s Hunter
Library provides access to electronic databases that offer Project Management journals such
as the following:
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Project Management Journal
International Journal of Project Management
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Automation in Construction
Wrap-up
Please submit your assignments by the due date and time given in the course schedule. If
you have any questions about anything in this learning module, please get in touch with me
as soon as possible