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Explain 5 Actions To Ensure Quality Is Maintained On A Project

Paul Naybour Paul Naybour

Published: 20th April 2013

The is quite a hard question, think about quality planning, control, assurance and continuous improvement.

  1. Paul says:

    Ben
    It was a very hard question (much harder than anything you will get in the exam) but you have done well. The only bit I would add would be to establish project assurance processes such as quality audits and spot checks on quality processes. Also worth mentioning quality controls. Nevertheless your answer is fine, well done.

  2. Student says:

    Paul,

    This was a pretty hard question, I have tried my best to answer it as follows, any comments will be appreciated.

    Thanks

    Ben

    1) Have a plan in place (by the end of the definition phase ready for implementation)
    The PMP is owned by the Project Manager who ultimately owns all subsidiary plans (quality plan).
    In order to ensure that quality is best met there must be a quality plan in which to bench mark the project against. This will not only describe how the project will produce the product/s, but also the way in which it will be managed. One of the key points that will be included within the Quality plan will be the roles and responsibilities in relation to meeting the quality requirements for the project, i.e. who tests the product, who supervises and who manages.
    2) Ensure the right resources are recruited for the project
    The Project Manager needs to ensure from the start (concept) that all resources are competent and experienced enough in their role. He/she needs to ensure that they can work as a team as interacting in their different roles is a huge contributor to meeting quality. Monitoring this process is hugely importantly as it may involve bringing in alternate resources or training personnel.
    3) Have a quality control process in place
    This process is very much based on the degree and nature of the project. A project may just involve a simple sight inspection. For example a brick wall will need to be checked for sufficient cable ties, that they are cleaned ensure water does not penetrate through and that the cavity is of the required distance. Whereas a new IT software package would involve a more in depth group inspection to review the code and content of the software. Overall no matter the scope of a project the ultimatum is to compare the finished product with the specification (acceptance criteria).
    4) Motivate employees to ensure quality is met
    The responsibility for motivating employees lies with the project manager. He/she needs to ensure that the working conditions and environment are of such a nature that workers feel welcomed and comfortable in delivering the products. As well as this the overall morale and culture of the project needs to ensure that they all deliver to the required standards.
    5) Continuous Improvement
    In order to ensure quality is both maintained on the current project and future projects the processes in place need to be monitored to see if they are successful or not. If they do not deliver the required quality standards or personnel are not happy with the way things are being done then adjustments may need to be made to ensure standards are met and workers are happy. Ensuring improvement within a project will involve the need to gate reviews so that before entering the next lifecycle stage issues and positives can be discussed in thorough before they adversely affect the project. This is key as all the processes before handover of the product to the user ultimately affect the future reputation of your product/s ensuring all issues are resolved and lessons are learnt is key to the future reputation of the company and products it produces.

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