Project Quality Management

What the unit covers

This unit sits in the Project Management strand of Business administration and management (incl. project management). The resources follow the three quality processes: planning quality management, performing quality assurance and controlling quality. The mind maps break each one into inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs.

Where to begin

Start with the mind map 8. Project Quality Management. It lays out the planning inputs, such as the project management plan, the stakeholder register, the risk register and requirements documentation. Then open the flashcard deck 08 PROJECT QUALITY MANAGEMENT to fix the key terms, including grade, precision and accuracy.

Going deeper with the maps

• The map on quality versus grade explains that quality means something does what you needed it to do, while grade describes how much people value it.
• The map on cost of quality separates the cost of conformance from the cost of nonconformance, with items such as quality training, studies and surveys.
• The map on perform quality assurance treats it as an executing process, checking that the team follows organisational policies, standards and processes.
• The map on tools and techniques lists affinity diagrams, process decision program charts, interrelationship diagraphs, tree diagrams, brainstorming and force field analysis.
• The audit versus process analysis map compares quality audits, which check compliance with policies, processes and procedures, with process analysis.

Several maps appear in more than one version, so open a couple and keep the layout that makes most sense to you.

Testing yourself

Use the quizzes after reading the maps. PMP Definitions checks vocabulary, while Chapter 8 T/F and Chapter 8 M/C Part 1 test recall in two different styles. The quiz Cal 3 gives a scenario in which senior management only deals with quality problems when it must, which suits applying ideas rather than recalling them. When a question catches you out, go back to the matching map.

Pick one map, take one quiz, and see which topics you want to return to.