Project Quality Management

What Is Project Quality?

 The International Organization for Standardization

(ISO) defines quality as “the degree to which a set of
inherent characteristics fulfils requirements”
(ISO9000:2000)
 Other experts define quality based on:
 Conformance to requirements: The project’s
processes and products meet written specifications
 Fitness for use: A product can be used as it was
intended
 What Is Project Quality
Management?
 Project quality management ensures that the project
will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken
 Project quality management Processes include:
 Planning quality management: Identifying which quality
standards are relevant to the project and how to satisfy
them
 Performing quality assurance: Periodically evaluating
overall project performance to ensure the project will
satisfy the relevant quality standards
 Performing quality control: Monitoring specific
project results to ensure that they comply with the
relevant quality standards
 Planning Quality
 Implies the ability to anticipate situations and
prepare actions to bring about the desired
outcome

 Important to prevent defects by:

 Selecting proper materials

 Training and indoctrinating people in quality

 Planning a process that ensures the appropriate

outcome
 Scope Aspects of IT Projects
 Functionality is the degree to which a system
performs its intended function
 Features are the system’s special characteristics
that appeal to users
 System outputs are the screens and reports the
system generates
 Performance addresses how well a product or
service performs the customer’s intended use
 Reliability is the ability of a product or service to
perform as expected under normal conditions
 Maintainability addresses the ease of performing
maintenance on a product
 Who’s Responsible for the Quality
of Projects?
 Project managers are ultimately responsible for
quality management on their projects

 Several organizations and references can help project

managers and their teams understand quality
 International Organization for Standardization
(www.iso.org)

 IEEE (www.ieee.org)
 Performing Quality Assurance

 Quality assurance includes all the activities related

to satisfying the relevant quality standards for a
project
 Another goal of quality assurance is continuous quality
improvement
 Benchmarking generates ideas for quality
improvements by comparing specific project practices
or product characteristics to those of other projects or
products within or outside the performing organization.
 A quality audit is a structured review of specific
quality management activities that help identify
lessons learned that could improve performance on
current or future projects.
 Controlling Quality
 The main outputs of quality control are:
 Acceptance decisions
 Rework
 Process adjustments
 There are Seven Basic Tools of Quality that
help in performing quality control
 Testing

 Many IT professionals think of testing as a

stage that comes near the end of IT product
development

 Testing should be done during almost every

phase of the IT product development life
cycle
 Types of Tests
 Unit testing tests each individual component (often
a program) to ensure it is as defect-free as possible
 Integration testing occurs between unit and
system testing to test functionally grouped
components
 System testing tests the entire system as one
entity
 User acceptance testing is an independent test
performed by end users prior to accepting the
delivered system
 Testing Alone Is Not Enough
 Watts S. Humphrey, a renowned expert on software
quality, defines a software defect as anything that
must be changed before delivery of the program
 Testing does not sufficiently prevent software defects
because:
 The number of ways to test a complex system is huge
 Users will continue to invent new ways to use a system
that its developers never considered
 Humphrey suggests that people rethink the software
development process to provide no potential defects
when you enter system testing; developers must be
responsible for providing error-free code at each stage
of testing
 Modern Quality Management
 Modern quality management:

 Requires customer satisfaction

 Prefers prevention to inspection

 Recognizes management responsibility for quality

 Noteworthy quality experts include Deming,

Juran, Crosby, Ishikawa, Taguchi, and
Feigenbaum
 ISO Standards
 ISO 9000 is a quality system standard that:
 Is a three-part, continuous cycle of planning,
controlling, and documenting quality in an
organization
 Provides minimum requirements needed for an
organization to meet its quality certification standards
 Helps organizations around the world reduce costs and
improve customer satisfaction
 See www.iso.org for more information
 Improving Information
Technology Project Quality
 Several suggestions for improving quality for IT
projects include:
 Establish leadership that promotes quality

 Understand the cost of quality

 Focus on organizational influences and workplace

factors that affect quality

 Follow maturity models

 Expectations and Cultural
Differences in Quality
 Project managers must understand and manage
stakeholder expectations.

 Expectations also vary by:

 Organization’s culture

 Geographic regions
 Using Software to Assist in
Project Quality Management
 Spreadsheet and charting software helps create
Pareto diagrams, fishbone diagrams, and so on
 Statistical software packages help perform
statistical analysis
 Specialized software products help manage Six
Sigma projects or create quality control charts
 Project management software helps create Gantt
charts and other tools to help plan and track work
related to quality management
 Project Human Resources Management?
 Project Human Resource Management includes the
processes required to make the most effective use of
the people involved with the project.
 It includes all the project stakeholders—sponsors,
customers, partners, individual contributors, and
others.
 It includes the following major processes:
1. Organizational Planning —identifying,
documenting, and assigning project roles,
responsibilities, and reporting relationships.
2. Staff Acquisition—getting the human resources
needed assigned to and working on the project.
3. Team Development —developing individual and
group competencies to enhance project performance.
 These processes interact with each other and with
the processes in the other knowledge areas as well.
 Each process may involve effort from one or more
individuals or groups of individuals, based on the
needs of the project.
 There is a substantial body of literature about dealing
with people in an operational, ongoing context.
 Some of the many topics include:
 Leading, communicating, negotiating, and others
General Management Skills.
 Delegating, motivating, coaching, mentoring, and
other subjects related to dealing with individuals.
 Con…
 Team building, dealing with conflict, and other
subjects related to dealing with groups.
 Performance appraisal, recruitment, retention, labor
relations, health and safety regulations, and other
subjects related to administering the human
resource function.
 Most of this material is directly applicable to leading
and managing people on projects, and the project
manager and project management team should be
familiar with it. However, they must also be sensitive
as to how this knowledge is applied on the project.
 Con…
 For example:
 The temporary nature of projects means that the
personal and organizational relationships will
generally be both temporary and new.
 The project management team must take care to
select techniques that are appropriate for such
transient relationships.
 The nature and number of project stakeholders will
often change as the project moves from phase to
phase of its life cycle.
 As a result, techniques that are effective in one
phase may not be effective in another.
 The project management team must take care to
use techniques that are appropriate to the current
needs of the project.
 Con…
 Human resource administrative activities are
seldom a direct responsibility of the project
management team. However, the team must be
sufficiently aware of administrative requirements to
ensure compliance.
Note: Project managers may also have responsibilities
for human resource redeployment and release,
depending upon the industry or organization to which
they belong.
 6.2 Organizational Planning
 Organizational planning involves identifying,
documenting, and assigning project roles,
responsibilities, and reporting relationships. Roles,
responsibilities, and reporting relationships may be
assigned to individuals or to groups.
 The individuals and groups may be part of the
organization performing the project, or they may be
external to it.
 6.3 Project
 Staff acquisition Staff
involves Acquisition
getting the needed human
resources (individuals or groups) assigned to and
working on the project.
 In most environments, the “best” resources may not
be available, and the project management team must
take care to ensure that the resources that are
available will meet project requirements.
 6.4. Project Team
 Team development includes both enhancing the
Development
ability of stakeholders to contribute as individuals as
well as enhancing the ability of the team to function as
a team.
 Individual development (managerial and technical) is
the foundation necessary to develop the team.
 Development as a team is critical to the project’s
ability to meet its objectives.
 Project Team Development over views
 CHAPTER 6
Project Communications Management
 Importance of Good
Communications
 The greatest threat to many projects is a failure to
communicate
 Our culture does not portray IT professionals as being
good communicators
 Research shows that IT professionals must be able to
communicate effectively to succeed in their positions
 Strong verbal and non-technical skills are a key factor
in career advancement for IT professionals
 Project Communications
Management Processes
 Planning communications management:
Determining the information and
communications needs of the stakeholders
 Managing communications: Creating,
distributing, storing, retrieving, and disposing
of project communications based on the
communications management plan
 Controlling communications: Monitoring
and controlling project communications to
ensure that stakeholder communication needs
are met
 Keys to Good
Communications

 Project managers say they spend as much as 90

percent of their time communicating
 Need to focus on group and individual
communication needs
 Use formal and informal methods for
communicating
 Distribute important information in an effective
and timely manner
 Set the stage for communicating bad news
 Determine the number of communication channels
 Importance of Face-to-Face
Communication
 Research says that in a face-to-face interaction:
 58 percent of communication is through body
language.
 35 percent of communication is through how the
words are said
 7 percent of communication is through the content or
words that are spoken
 Pay attention to more than just the actual words
someone is saying
 A person’s tone of voice and body language say a
lot about how he or she really feels
 Personal Preferences Affect
Communication Needs
 Introverts like more private communications, while
extroverts like to discuss things in public
 Intuitive people like to understand the big picture,
while sensing people need step-by-step details.
 Thinkers want to know the logic behind decisions,
while feeling people want to know how something
affects them personally
 Judging people are driven to meet deadlines while
perceiving people need more help in developing
and following plans
 Encouraging More Face-to-Face
Interactions
 Short, frequent meetings are often very effective in
IT projects

 Stand-up meetings force people to focus on what

they really need to communicate

 Some companies have policies preventing the use

of e-mail between certain hours or even entire days
of the week
 Distributing Information in an
Effective and Timely Manner
 Don’t bury crucial information

 Don’t be afraid to report bad information

 Oral communication via meetings and informal

talks helps bring important information—good and
bad—out into the open
 Other Communication
Considerations
 Rarely does the receiver interpret a message
exactly as the sender intended
 Geographic location and cultural background affect
the complexity of project communications
 Different working hours
 Language barriers
 Different cultural norms
Setting the Stage for Communicating
Bad News
Dear Mom and Dad, or should I say Grandma & Grandpa,
Yes, I am pregnant. No, I’m not married yet since Larry, my
boyfriend, is out of a job. Larry’s employers just don’t seem to
appreciate the skills he has learned since he quit high school.
Larry looks much younger than you, Dad, even though he is
three years older. I’m quitting college and getting a job so we
can get an apartment before the baby is born. I found a beautiful
apartment above a 24-hour auto repair garage with good
insulation so the exhaust fumes and noise won’t bother us.
I’m very happy. I thought you would be too.
Love, Ashley
P.S. There is no Larry. I’m not pregnant. I’m not getting married.
I’m not quitting school, but I am getting a “D” in Chemistry. I just
wanted you to have some perspective.
 Determining the Number of
Communications Channels
 As the number of people involved increases, the
complexity of communications increases because
there are more communications channels or
pathways through which people can communicate.
 Number of communications channels = n(n-1)
2

where n is the number of people involved

Figure 10-2. The Impact of the Number of
People on Communications Channels
 Planning Communications
Management

 Every project should include some type of

communications management plan, a document
that guides project communications
 The communications management plan varies with
the needs of the project, but some type of written
plan should always be prepared
 For small projects, the communications management
plan can be part of the team contract
 For large projects, it should be a separate document
 Communications Management
Plan Contents

1. Stakeholder communications requirements

2. Information to be communicated, including format,
content, and level of detail
3. Who will receive the information and who will produce
it
4. Suggested methods or technologies for conveying the
information
5. Frequency of communication
6. Escalation procedures for resolving issues
7. Revision procedures for updating the communications
management plan
8. A glossary of common terminology
 Managing Communications
 Managing communications is a large part of a
project manager’s job
 Getting project information to the right people at
the right time and in a useful format is just as
important as developing the information in the first
place
 Important considerations include the use of
technology, the appropriate methods and media to
use, and performance reporting
Using Technology to Enhance
Creation and Distribution

 Technology can facilitate the process of

creating and distributing information, when
used properly
 It is important to select the appropriate
communication method and media
 Classifications for
Communication Methods

 Interactive communication: Two or more people

interact to exchange information via meetings, phone
calls, or video conferencing. Most effective way to ensure
common understanding
 Push communication: Information is sent or pushed to
recipients without their request via reports, e-mails, faxes,
voice mails, and other means. Ensures that the
information is distributed, but does not ensure that it was
received or understood
 Pull communication: Information is sent to recipients at
their request via Web sites, bulletin boards, e-learning,
knowledge repositories like blogs, and other means
 Reporting Performance
Performance reporting keeps stakeholders informed
about how resources are being used to achieve
project objectives
 Status reports describe where the project stands at a
specific point in time
 Progress reports describe what the project team has
accomplished during a certain period of time
 Forecasts predict future project status and progress
based on past information and trends
Controlling Communications
 The main goal of controlling communications is to
ensure the optimal flow of information throughout the
entire project life cycle
 The project manager and project team should use their
various reporting systems, expert judgment, and
meetings to assess how well communications are
working. If problems exist, the project manager and
team need to take action, which often requires changes
to the earlier processes of planning and managing
project communications
 It is often beneficial to have a facilitator from outside
the project team assess how well communications are
working
 Suggestions for Improving
Project Communications
 Develop better communication skills

 Run effective meetings

 Use e-mail and other technologies effectively

 Use templates for project communications

Developing Better Communication Skills

 Most companies spend a lot of money on technical

training for their employees, even when employees
might benefit more from communications training
 Individual employees are also more likely to enroll
voluntarily in classes to learn the latest technology
than in classes that develop soft skills
 As organizations become more global, they realize
they must invest in ways to improve
communication with people from different countries
and cultures
 It takes leadership to improve communication
Running Effective Meetings
 Determine if a meeting can be avoided
 Define the purpose and intended outcome of the
meeting
 Determine who should attend the meeting
 Provide an agenda to participants before the
meeting
 Prepare handouts and visual aids, and make
logistical arrangements ahead of time
 Run the meeting professionally
 Set the ground rules for the meeting
 Build relationships
Using E-Mail, Instant Messaging, Texting, and
Collaborative Tools Effectively

 Make sure that e-mail, instant messaging,

texting, or collaborative tools are an appropriate
medium for what you want to communicate
 Be sure to send information to the right people
 Use meaningful subject lines and limit the
content of emails to one main subject, and be as
clear and concise as possible
 Be sure to authorize the right people to share and
edit your collaborative documents
 Using Software to
Assist in Project
Communications
 There are many software tools to aid in project
communications
 Today many people telecommute or work remotely at
least part-time. TechCast at George Washington
University forecasts that by 2019, 30 percent of U.S.
private-sector workers could work from home
 Project management software includes new
capabilities to enhance virtual communications
 While technology can aid in the communications
process, it is not the most important. Far more
important is improving an organization’s ability to
communicate, which often involves cultural change
 Project Risk management?
 Risk management is the systematic process of identifying,
analyzing, and responding to project risk.
 It includes maximizing the probability and consequences of positive events and
minimizing the probability and consequences of adverse events to project objectives.
 The following are major processes:
1.Risk Management Planning —deciding how to method and plan the risk
management activities for a project.
2.Risk Identification —determining which risks might affect the project and
documenting their characteristics.
3. Qualitative Risk Analysis —performing a qualitative analysis of risks and
conditions to prioritize their effects on project objectives.
4.Quantitative Risk Analysis —measuring the probability and consequences of risks
and estimating their implications for project objectives.
5. Risk Response Planning —developing procedures and techniques to enhance
opportunities and reduce threats to the project’s objectives.
6. Risk Monitoring and Control —monitoring residual risks, identifying new risks,
executing risk reduction plans, and evaluating their effectiveness throughout the project
life cycle.
 1. Risk Management Planning

 Risk management is the process of deciding

how to approach and plan the risk
management activities for a project.
 It is important to plan for the risk
management processes that follow to ensure
that the level, type, and visibility of risk
management are corresponding with both the
risk and importance of the project to the
organization.
 Input Tools & Outputs
Techniques
1. Project charter 1. Planning 1. Risk
2. Organization’s risk meetings management
management policies
3. Defined roles and
plan
responsibilities
4. Stakeholder risk
tolerances
5. Template for the
organization’s risk
management plan
6. Work breakdown
structure (WBS)
 2. Risk Identification

 Risk identification involves determining which risks might

affect the project and documenting their characteristics.
 Participants in risk identification generally include the
following, as possible: project team, risk management
team, subject matter experts from other parts of the
company, customers, end users, other project managers,
stakeholders, and outside experts.
 Risk identification is an iterative process. The first
iteration may be performed by a part of the project team,
or by the risk management team.
 The entire project team and primary stakeholders may
make a second iteration.
 To achieve an unbiased/balanced analysis, persons who
are not involved in the project may perform the final
iteration.
 Input Tools & Outputs
Techniques
1. Risk 1. Documentation 1. Risks
management reviews 2. Triggers
plan 2. Information- 3. Inputs to other
2. Project gathering processes
planning Techniques
outputs 3. Checklists
3. Risk categories 4. Assumptions
4. Historical analysis
information 5. Diagramming
techniques
 3. Qualitative Risk Analyses

 It is the process of assessing the impact and likelihood of identified risks.

 This process prioritizes risks according to their potential effect on project
objectives. Qualitative risk analysis is one way to determine the importance
of addressing specific risks and guiding risk responses.
 The time-criticality of risk-related actions may magnify the importance of a
risk. An evaluation of the quality of the available information also helps
modify the assessment of the risk.
 Qualitative risk analysis requires that the probability and consequences of
the risks be evaluated using established qualitative-analysis methods and
tools.
 Trends in the results when qualitative analysis is repeated can indicate the
need for more or less risk-management action.
 Use of these tools helps correct biases that are often present in a project
plan. Qualitative risk analysis should be revisited during the project’s life
cycle to stay current with changes in the project risks.
 Cont’d...
Input Tools & Techniques Outputs
1. Risk management 1. Risk probability 1.Overall risk ranking
plan and impact for the project
2. Identified risks 2.Probability/impact 2. List of prioritized
3. Project status risk rating matrix risks
4. Project type 3. Project 3. List of risks for
5. Data precision assumptions testing additional
6. Scales of probability 4. Data precision analysis and
and impact ranking management
7. Assumptions 4.Trends in qualitative
risk analysis results
 4.Quantitative Risk Analysis

 It is process aims to analyze numerically the probability of each risk and its

consequence on project objectives, as well as the extent of overall project risk.

This process uses techniques such as Monte Carlo simulation and decision analysis to:

 Determine the probability of achieving a specific project objective.

 Quantify the risk exposure for the project, and determine the size of cost and

schedule contingency reserves that may be needed.

 Identify risks requiring the most attention by quantifying their relative contribution to

project risk.

 Identify realistic and achievable cost, schedule, or scope targets.

 Quantitative risk analysis generally follows qualitative risk analysis. It requires risk

identification.

 The qualitative and quantitative risk analysis processes can be used separately or
 Cont’d...
Input Tools & Techniques Outputs
1. Risk management plan 1. Interviewing 1. Prioritized list of
2. Identified risks 2. Sensitivity quantified risks
3. List of prioritized risks analysis 2. Probabilistic analysis of
4. List of risks for additional 3. Decision tree the project
5. analysis and management analysis 3. Probability of achieving
6. Historical information 4. Simulation the cost and time objectives
7. Expert judgment 4. Trends in quantitative risk
8. Other planning outputs analysis results
 5.Risk Response Planning

 Risk response planning is the process of developing options and determining

actions to enhance opportunities and reduce threats to the project’s
objectives.
 It includes the identification and assignment of individuals or parties to take
responsibility for each agreed risk response.
 This process ensures that identified risks are properly addressed.

 The effectiveness of response planning will directly determine whether risk

increases or decreases for the project.
 Risk response planning must be appropriate to the severity/strictness of the
risk, cost effective in meeting the challenge, timely to be successful, realistic
within the project context, agreed upon by all parties involved, and owned by
a responsible person.
 Selecting the best risk response from several options is often required.
 Input Tools & Techniques Outputs

1. Risk management plan 1. Avoidance 1. Risk response plan

2. List of prioritized risks 2. Transference 2. Residual risks
3. Risk ranking of the project 3. Secondary risks
3. Mitigation
4. Prioritized list of quantified risks 4. Contractual
4. Acceptance
5. Probabilistic analysis of the project agreements
6. Probability of achieving the cost and time 5. Contingency reserve
objectives amounts needed
7. List of potential responses 6. Inputs to other
8. Risk thresholds processes
9. Risk owners 7. Inputs to a revised
10. Common risk causes project plan
11. Trends in qualitative and quantitative risk
analysis results
 6.Risk Monitoring And Control

 It is the process of keeping track of the identified risks,

monitoring residual risks and identifying new risks,
ensuring the execution of risk plans, and evaluating
their effectiveness in reducing risk.
 Risk monitoring and control records risk metrics that
are associated with implementing contingency plans.
 Risk monitoring and control is an ongoing process for
the life of the project.
 Good risk monitoring and control processes provide
information that assists with making effective decisions
in advance of the risk’s occurring.
 Communication to all project stakeholders is needed to
assess periodically the acceptability of the level of risk
on the project.
 Cont’d...
The purpose of risk monitoring is to determine if:
 Risk responses have been implemented as planned.

 Risk response actions are as effective as expected, or if new responses

should be developed.
 Project assumptions are still valid.

 Risk exposure has changed from its prior state, with analysis of trends.

 A risk trigger has occurred.

 Proper policies and procedures are followed.

 Risks have occurred or arisen that were not previously identified.

 Input Tools & Outputs
Techniques
1. Risk 1. Project risk 1. Workaround plans
management response 2. Corrective action
audits 3. Project change
plan 2. Periodic project requests
2. Risk response risk 4. Updates to the
plan reviews risk
3. Project 3. Earned value response plan
communication analysis 5. Risk database
4. Technical 6. Updates to risk
4. Additional risk performance identification
5. Identification measurement checklists
and analysis 5. Additional risk
6. Scope changes response planning
 Project Management Process
Groups
A process is a series of actions directed toward a particular

result. Process: interrelated actions/activities to achieve pre‐

specified product, result or service Characterized by: inputs,
tools/techniques and output.
 Project management can be viewed as a number of interlinked
processes.
 The project management process groups include:
1. Initiating processes
2. Planning processes
3. Executing processes
4. Monitoring and controlling processes
5. Closing processes
Cont’d...
 Project Initiation

 The this phase of the project lifecycle is where

the project gets defined and authorized by
management.
 The inputs to this phase are usually a statement
of work or a contract given to you by the project
sponsor.
 Other inputs are the environmental factors of
your organization such as policies, procedures,
and cultures to name a few.
 The output of the Initiating process is a Project
Charter and a Preliminary Project Scope
Statement.
 Project Planning

 As you’ve probably guessed, the inputs to the

Planning Process are the Project Charter and
the Preliminary Project Scope Statement that
were the outputs of the Initiating Process.
 The purpose of the Planning Process is to
refine the project objectives and then plan the
steps necessary to achieve those objectives
within the project scope that was given.
 The output of the Planning Process is the
project management Plan.
 Cont’d...
 The main purpose of project planning is
to guide execution.
 Key outputs included in the project
include:
 A team contract.
 A scope statement.
 A work breakdown structure (WBS).
 A project schedule, in the form of a Gantt
chart with all dependencies and resources
entered.
 A list of prioritized risks (part of a risk
register).

Information Technology Project Management, Seventh Edition

 Project Executing

 The this phase the Process Group takes the

project management Plan as input.
 It is here that people and other resources are
combined with the project management Plan to carry
out, or execute, the plan for the project.
 As you can imagine, the outputs of this process are the
project deliverables, any changes such as change
requests, preventive actions, defect repairs, and
performance information about how the project plan
performed.
 Project execution usually takes the most time and
resources.
 Project managers must use their leadership skills to
handle the many challenges that occur during project
execution.
 Project Controlling and Configuration
Management
 Throughout the project there is a need to control
change and monitor that the project is on time and on
budget, while still producing a quality deliverable.
 The Monitoring and Controlling Process group is where
these actions take place.
 It is here that project change requests get approved or
rejected, that defect repairs are approved, and that any
updates to the Project Scope and project management
Plan are reviewed and approved.
 After all the deliverables of the project are created, the
closing process group still has to close the overall
project and provide the deliverables to the customer.
The inputs to this process group are the administrative
and contract closeout procedures.
 You may have had an internal or external vendor that
supplied part of the deliverables that needs to get paid.
 Closing(Cont’d...)
It is here that formal acceptance of the product or
service is obtained from the customer and an orderly
close to the project occurs.
 Involves gaining stakeholder and customer
acceptance of the final products and services.
 Even if projects are not completed, they should be
formally closed in order to reflect on what can be
learned to improve future projects.
 Outputs include project archives and lessons learned
which parts of organizational process assets are.
 Most projects also include a final report and
presentation to the sponsor or senior management.