Chapter 6 Flashcards
The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfill requirements; also known as the conformance to requirements and fitness for use
Quality
When a project’s processes and products meet written specifications
Conformance to requirements
When a product can be used as it was intended
Fitness for use
Describes how the project team will implement quality policies. Its format and content vary based on the particular project and organizational needs.
Quality management plan
A standard of measurement; allows organizations to measure their performance in certain areas and compare over time or with other organizations
Metric
A graphical screen summarizing key project metrics
Project dashboard
Comparison of the cost of quality to the expected benefit
Cost-benefit analysis
A metric that looks at the total money spent during the project to avoid project failures and compares it to the total sum of money potentially spent after the project because of failures
Cost-of-quality analysis
Tool to determine various alternative solutions to a problem
Cause and effect diagrams
A diagram of the activities, sequence of steps, and branching possibilities that exist for a particular process
Flowcharts
Lists that organize data that will help with the collection of useful information about a potential problem
Checklists
Bar charts that show important sources of the cause of the problem
Pareto diagrams and histograms
Charts that show upper and lower acceptable limits for a particular output. If the output falls between the acceptable limits, quality has been established. If it falls outside the limits, the problem needs to be addressed
Control charts
A visual summary that examines cause-and-effect relationships between two variables that may be involved in the problem you are trying to identify
Scatterplot diagrams
To ensure that the requirements are met to the satisfaction of the customer and that the deliverables are ready to be used
The aim of quality management
A graphical representation of how authority and responsibility are distributed within the project
Project organizational chart
A matrix that maps the work of the project as described in the WBS to the people responsible for performing the work; can also be used to define general roles and responsibilities
Responsibility assignment matrix (RAM)
A type of responsibility assignment matrix that shows who does the work, who signs off on the work or has authority for it, who has the information necessary to complete the work, and who needs to be notified of the status/results of the work
RACI charts
A column chart that shows the number of resources required for or assigned to a project over time
Resource histogram
Describes when and how people will be added to and removed from a project; describes the number of and types of people needed to work on a project; describes how these resources will be acquired, trained, rewarded, and reassigned after their work on the project is completed
Staffing management plan
Used by many companies to help promote teamwork and to clarify team communications
Team charter
Meet customer requirements and expectations
Customer satisfaction
Planning for quality is more important than dealing with quality once the product is delivered
Prevention over inspection
Some examples of this type of quality metric are Total Quality Management and Six Sigma
Continuous improvement
Ultimately it’s up to management to enforce and provide adequate resources to ensure quality is met
Management responsibility
It’s usually more cost effective to spend money to prevent poor quality at the beginning of the project or during the project (referred to as internal failure costs). Once the product goes out to the customer, returns and warranties will cost the organization a lot more (referred to as external failure costs); Affects the project’s break-even point
Cost of quality
Involves generating, collecting, disseminating, and sorting project information
Project communications management
