Quality Assurance is pivotal for ensuring project deliverables meet predefined standards and stakeholder expectations. In this video, I look at QA in project management, incorporating the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle for continuous improvement.
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Quality Assurance
QA Management
Effective QA management not only minimizes risks, but it also enhances project success rates, client satisfaction, and team morale.
What is Quality Assurance?
In Project Management, Quality Assurance refers to the systematic processes that we design to ensure that our project deliverables meet quality standards. It involves:
- planning
- execution
- monitoring throughout the project lifecycle.
Unlike Quality Control (QC), which focuses on detecting and rectifying defects, QA emphasizes prevention and adherence to predefined quality criteria.
Setting Clear Quality Objectives
At the project outset, we need to establish clear quality objectives that align with project goals and stakeholder expectations.
It helps to make these quality objectives specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Since it will be your stakeholders who assess your project outcomes, it is best to involve them in defining quality standards. This also fosters ownership and promotes alignment around project requirements.
Building a Robust Quality Assurance Team
A competent QA team is indispensable for implementing Quality Assurance effectively. You should define clear roles and responsibilities to ensure accountability and foster collaboration. Cultivating a culture of quality within your wider project team encourages proactive problem-solving, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement.
Implementing Effective QA Processes
Effective QA processes form the backbone of successful project management. We base them on the Deming, or Shewhart Cycle – also called the PDCA cycle:
- Plan
- Do
- Check
- Act
This is the basis for continuous improvement and iterative refinement of your QA practices.
- Plan
Planning entails defining quality standards, establishing QA procedures, and allocating resources. - Do
Execution involves implementing QA processes and monitoring project quality. - Check
Checking entails evaluating project performance against predefined metrics and standards. - Act
Acting involves implementing corrective actions and incorporating lessons learned to enhance future project quality.
Ensuring Compliance with Standards and Regulations
In many projects, it will be necessary to adhere to industry standards, legal or regulatory requirements, or client specifications. So, build these compliance requirements into your QA processes.
Conducting Comprehensive Quality Audits
Then, use regular audits to
- verify compliance,
- mitigate risks associated with non-compliance,
- evaluate project performance,
- identify areas for improvement, and
- ensure compliance with quality standards.
This will build stakeholder trust and be a core part of your project governance.
Audits should go on through all project phases, from initiation to closure, enabling early detection and resolution of quality issues.
Document audit findings and implement corrective actions quickly. Build team accountability to encourage continuous improvement within your project.
Emphasizing Continuous Improvement with PDCA Cycle
The PDCA cycle serves as a framework for continuous improvement of your project QA process. The checking stage involves reviewing project quality and performance. And, critically, acting involves implementing corrective actions and to further improve your QA processes, based on lessons learned. The PDCA creates iterative improvement throughout the project lifecycle.
Quality Assurance: Conclusion
Mastering quality assurance in project management requires clear objectives, robust processes, stakeholder engagement, constant attention, and continuous improvement using the PDCA cycle. Quality is important in itself, but the QA process will also mitigate risks and deliver successful outcomes that meet or exceed stakeholder expectations.
Embracing a culture of quality and continuous improvement empowers project teams to adapt to changing circumstances, innovate, and excel in today’s dynamic project environments.
Recommended Articles and Videos to Help with Quality Management
Carefully curated recommendations for you:
- In Praise of Quality: Why it Should Matter to You | Video
- Project Quality Management: Principles and Practices You Need to Know [article]
- Project Quality Management 101 | Video
- QD, QC, QA: 3 Quality Processes… in 60 seconds
What Kit does a Project Manager Need?
I asked Project Managers in a couple of forums what material things you need to have, to do your job as a Project Manager. They responded magnificently. I compiled their answers into a Kit list. I added my own.
Check out the Kit a Project Manager needs
Note that the links are affiliated.
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