Chapter 8 Vocab

Question 1

benchmarking

Answer 1

A process of using prior projects internal or external to the performing organization to compare and set quality standards for processes and results.

Question 2

benefit/cost analysis

Answer 2

The process of determining the pros and cons of any project, process, product, or activity.

Question 3

checklists

Answer 3

A listing of activities that workers check to ensure the work has been completed consistently; used in quality control.

Question 4

continuous process improvement

Answer 4

A goal of quality assurance to improve the project’s processes and deliverables; meshes with the project’s process improvement plan, which is to improve the processes of the project.

Question 5

control charts

Answer 5

These illustrate the performance of a project over time. They map the results of inspections against a chart. Control charts are typically used in projects or operations that have repetitive activities, such as manufacturing, testing series, or help desk functions. Upper and lower control limits indicate if values are in control or out of control.

Question 6

cost of conformance

Answer 6

The cost of completing the project work to satisfy the proj- ect scope and the expected level of quality. Examples include training, safety measures, and quality management activities. Also known as the cost of quality.

Question 7

cost of nonconformance

Answer 7

The cost of not completing the project with quality, including wasted time for corrective actions, rework, and wasted materials. Could also mean loss of business, loss of sales, and lawsuits. Also known as the cost of poor quality.

Question 8

design of experiments

Answer 8

This relies on statistical “what-if” scenarios to determine which variables within a project will result in the best outcome; it can also be used to eliminate a defect. The design of experiments approach is most often used on the product of the project, rather than on the project itself.

Question 9

flow chart

Answer 9

A chart that illustrates how the parts of a system occur in sequence.

Question 10

histogram

Answer 10

A bar chart; a Pareto diagram is an example of a histogram.

Question 11

ISO 9000

Answer 11

An international standard that helps organizations follow their own quality procedures. ISO 9000 is not a quality system, but a method of following proce- dures created by an organization

Question 12

operational definitions

Answer 12

The quantifiable terms and values used to measure a process, activity, or work result. Operational definitions are also known as metrics.

Question 13

Pareto diagrams

Answer 13

A Pareto diagram is related to Pareto’s Law: 80 percent of the problems come from 20 percent of the issues (this is also known as the “80/20 rule”). A Pareto diagram illustrates problems by assigned cause, from smallest to largest.

Question 14

process adjustments

Answer 14

When quality is lacking, process adjustments are needed for immediate corrective actions or for future preventive actions to ensure that quality improves. Process adjustments may qualify for a change request and be funneled through the change control system as part of integration management.

Question 15

quality assurance

Answer 15

An executing process to ensure that the project is adhering to the quality expectations of the project customer and organization. QA is a prevention- driven process to perform the project work with quality to avoid errors, waste, and delays.

Question 16

quality audits

Answer 16

A quality audit is a process to confirm that the quality processes are performing correctly on the current project. The quality audit determines how to make things better for the project and other projects within the organization. Quality audits measure the project’s ability to maintain the expected level of quality.

Question 17

quality control

Answer 17

A process in which the work results are monitored to see if they meet relevant quality standards.

Question 18

quality management plan

Answer 18

This document describes how the project manager and the project team will fulfill the quality policy. In an ISO 9000 environment, the quality management plan is referred to as the “project quality system.”

Question 19

quality policy

Answer 19

The formal policy an organization follows to achieve a preset stan- dard of quality. The project team should either adapt the quality policy of the organiza- tion to guide the project implementation or create its own policy if one does not exist within the performing organization.

Question 20

run chart

Answer 20

Similar to a control chart, a run chart tracks trends over time and displays those trends in a graph with the plotted data mapped to a specific date.

Question 21

scatter diagram

Answer 21

Tracks the relationship between two or more variables to deter- mine if the one variable affects the other. It allows the project team, quality control team, or project manager to make adjustments to improve the overall results of the project.

Question 22

statistical sampling

Answer 22

A process of choosing a percentage of results at random for inspection. Statistical sampling can reduce the costs of quality control.

Question 23

trend analysis

Answer 23

Trend analysis is taking past results to predict future performance.