Quality and Risk Management

As we progress with Project Planning we must now shift our focus to two very significant aspects of project management – Quality and Risks.

Quality Management Plan

What is Quality?

As per the 6th Edition of the PMBOK; Quality is "the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements, decrease rework & costs, increase productivity as well as stakeholder satisfaction."

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines quality as - "the totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs."

If you take a closer look at both the definitions it is evident that conformance to requirements, fit for use and deliver the intended value to the customer, sponsor and or stakeholders involved is the true indicator of quality.

And hence, it is safe to state that the fundamental need is to deliver a product or a service that is in accordance with the requirements & specifications as defined at the beginning of the project and directly meets/exceeds the customer expectations.

This also makes it clear for us that Quality is not a one-time activity. It is a fundamental principle that must be attended to right from project initiation through closure.

And yes, Quality is everyone's responsibility right from the top to the bottom of the project chain – Sponsors, stakeholders, Project Managers, Project Teams and the organization as a whole.

Similarly let us take a look at Quality Management.

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Planning In Project Management

Explore and understand the most crucial phase of the Project Management Lifecycle in this chapter - Project Planning. Planning in any endeavor is an extensive exercise.

Project Planning results in lots and lots of plan and when all these individual plan come together, you see the grandiose image of your end objective.

This master plan shows you the glimpse of your product or service once all your plans are executed in letter and spirit.

In very simple terms, by the end of the Project Planning phase you come to know

• What will be delivered
• When will it be delivered
•  How will you get it
• Who will help you get
• How much will you have to spend
• What risks can impact your end result
• How to handle those risks

Thus essentially the single most important output of Project Planning is – "Project Management Plan".

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Initiation In Project Management Life Cycle

The Project Management Lifecycle is kick started with the crucial Project Initiation Phase. The entire basis of why you should be developing/delivering a product, service or an event is formed with the Project Initiation.

It is important to note that a Project Manager is duly appointed to the project which also signifies executive intent. In a way he is the first resource assigned to the project.

The project manager needs to establish the business case for the project; ensure that the proposed outcome is aligned with the organization’s strategic goals; prepare an initial budget and timeline, and also involve relevant stakeholders, sponsors and identify team members who will work on the project once the business case is approved.

Key Project Initiation Activities

• Develop aBusiness Case
• Undertake feasibility study
• Establish Project charter
• Appoint project team
• Perform phase review

Developing Business Case

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Project Management Life Cycle

We all know that Project is an endeavor that has a definite start and end. Thus, it makes it all the more important to have well defined life cycle in place. Life cycle is helpful in laying out transparent and time bound entry and exit points throughout the project stages.

Time boxing the stages ensures we stay on track and deliver with quality. One of the key objectives of any project is always having a balance among the triple constraints – Time, Cost & Quality. The better the balance, better the chances of the project being successful.

No matter what project it is that you’re preparing for, the project management life cycle can assist you and your team in narrowing the project's focus, keeping its objectives in order and finishing the project on time, on budget and with minimum surprises (unwanted)!

PMI is the world’s largest nonprofit membership association for the project management profession. It has set the standards for project, program, and portfolio management and offers training and certifications. The gold standard of certification from the association is the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

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