8 - Project Quality & Communications Management

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from lecture notes on Project Quality Management and Project Communications Management.

Product Quality Management address 2 things

1. Management of the project

2. Product of the project

Plan Quality Management

Process of identifying quality requirements/standards for the project and documenting how compliance will be demonstrated.

Stakeholder Analysis (Quality)

Critical activity of translating stakeholder needs, wants, and expectations into measurable project requirements.

Grade (Quality Context)

A category for deliverables with the same functional use but different technical characteristics (high quality ≠ high grade).

Quality vs. Grade

Low quality is always a problem; low grade may be acceptable if it meets requirements.

Modern Quality Management

• Customer Satisfaction

• Prevention over Inspection

• Continuous Improvement

• Management Responsibilities

• Cost of Quality

Tools and Techniques for QM

• Cost Benefit Analysis = Less Rework

• Cost of Quality = preventing nonconformance

Design of Experiment (DoE)

Statistical method used to identify which factors influence specific product or process variables.

Quality Management Plan

Subsidiary plan detailing how the team will implement quality policy, covering QC, QA, and continuous improvement.

Process Improvement Plan

Document that defines steps to analyze and enhance project processes by removing waste and non-value-added activities.

Quality Metrics

Specific project or product attributes and how they will be measured by quality control.

Perform Quality Assurance

Process of auditing quality requirements and QC results to ensure correct standards and definitions are used.

Quality Audits

Structured, independent review assessing compliance with policies, processes, and procedures, identifying best practices and gaps.

Process Analysis

Technique to examine problems, constraints, and non-value-added activities; includes root cause analysis.

Control Quality

Monitoring and recording quality activities to assess performance, verify deliverables, and recommend corrective actions.

Prevention (Quality)

Keeping errors out of the process through proactive measures.

Inspection (Quality)

Keeping errors out of the hands of the customer by detecting defects in outputs.

Attribute Sampling

Sampling method where result either conforms or does not conform to requirements (pass/fail).

Variable Sampling

Sampling method measuring degree of conformity on a continuous scale.

Special Causes

Unusual events causing variability outside a process’s normal variation.

Common (Random) Causes

Normal, inherent variation present in a stable process.

Tolerances

Specified range of acceptable results for a product or process.

Control Limits

Statistical boundaries of common variation on a control chart; indicate when a process may be out of control.

Project Communications Management

Processes ensuring timely and appropriate creation, distribution, storage, retrieval, and disposition of project information.

Positive Stakeholder

Negative Stakeholders

Neutral Stakeholders

• Party that benefits from a successful project outcome.

• Party that perceives project success as detrimental to their interests.

• Party largely unaffected unless specific issues arise, then may shift to positive or negative.

Stakeholder Management Strategy

Approach to increase support and minimize negative impacts of stakeholders across the project life cycle.

Communications Requirements Analysis

Process of defining what information each stakeholder needs and the value it provides, to avoid overload.

Communications Management Plan

Document specifying stakeholder requirements, information content, format, frequency, responsible parties, and escalation paths.

Command Media

Formal policies, procedures, contracts, records, and reports governing project work and communication.

Performance Report

Compiled information comparing actual performance to the baseline; may include bar charts, EV data, forecasts.

Plan Quality Management - Outputs

1. Quality Management Plan

2. Process Improvement Plan

3. Quality Metrics

4. Quality Checklists

Quality Assurance Techniques

1. Process Analysis

2. Quality Audits

Control Quality Inputs

• PMP

• Quality Metrics

• Quality Checklists

• Work Performance Data

• Approved Change Requests

• Deliverables

• Project Documents

• OPA

7 Basic Quality Tools

1. Cause and Effect Diagrams

2. Flowcharts

3. Check sheets

4. Pareto Diagrams

5. Histograms

6. Control charts

7. Scatter Diagrams

Communication Plan Content

• Communications item

• purpose

• frequency

• start / end dates

• format/medium

• responsibility

Performance Reporting

• Performance Reports

• Forecasts

• Recommended Correction Actions

• Lessons learned