Quality Planning vs Quality Assurance vs Quality Control | Project Quality Management

Summary

This video clarifies the distinctions between quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control in project management. Quality planning involves creating a quality management plan with standards, templates, and procedures. Quality assurance ensures the execution of the plan through audits, aiming to follow processes correctly. Quality control measures specific project data, such as cost, to check if the project meets quality standards, taking corrective actions when needed. The video highlights how these practices work together to ensure that a project meets its quality objectives.

Takeaways

• 😀 Quality planning is the first step in ensuring a project meets quality standards, including creating a Quality Management Plan with standards, templates, policies, and procedures.
• 😀 The Quality Management Plan serves as a roadmap for how quality will be maintained throughout the project.
• 😀 Quality Assurance (QA) ensures that the activities planned during quality planning are being properly executed during the project.
• 😀 QA activities mainly involve conducting regular audits to detect any deviations from the Quality Management Plan.
• 😀 These audits are typically performed by the Quality Department, which reports to a different manager than the project manager.
• 😀 Quality Control (QC) focuses on measuring specific project data to determine if quality indicators are improving.
• 😀 QC involves comparing actual project performance against planned outcomes, such as budget and timeline adherence.
• 😀 For example, if a project is over budget, QC will track progress to see if the budget variance improves over time.
• 😀 If QC shows improvements in key metrics, it indicates that the project may eventually meet the original quality standards.
• 😀 If there are no improvements in the data, corrective and preventive actions are required to bring the project within the planned limits.
• 😀 The key distinction is that QA focuses on the process and ensuring things are done correctly, while QC focuses on actual performance and product outcomes.

Q & A

What is the difference between quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control?

Quality planning involves creating a quality management plan with standards, templates, policies, and procedures. Quality assurance ensures the plan is executed through regular audits to check for adherence. Quality control measures specific project data to assess whether the project is meeting quality indicators and takes corrective actions when necessary.

What is included in the quality management plan?

The quality management plan includes things like standards, templates, policies, and procedures that are to be followed during the project to ensure it meets quality objectives.

What is the main goal of quality assurance activities?

The main goal of quality assurance activities is to ensure that the quality management plan is being followed during the project. This is achieved through regular audits and reviews.

Who typically conducts the audits for quality assurance?

Audits for quality assurance are generally conducted by the quality department of the organization, which is independent of the project manager and reports to a different supervisor.

How does quality control measure project progress?

Quality control measures project progress by evaluating specific data against defined quality indicators. For example, checking if the project is within budget or schedule limits, and determining if improvements are being made.

What happens if quality control measurements show no improvement?

If quality control measurements show no improvement or further deviations from the plan, corrective and preventive actions are required to get the project back on track.

How did the example project improve in terms of cost control?

In the example, the project initially showed a 20% cost overrun but improved to a 15% overrun over a period of 3 months, indicating progress towards meeting the original budget goal of a 10% overrun.

What is the role of corrective and preventive actions in quality control?

Corrective and preventive actions are taken when quality control measurements show that the project is deviating from its planned goals. These actions help to steer the project back on course to meet the desired objectives.

Why is quality assurance performed by a separate department from the project management team?

Quality assurance is performed by a separate department to ensure impartiality and objectivity. This helps maintain a clear focus on whether the project is adhering to the quality standards, without influence from the project manager's priorities.

How does quality planning relate to project success?

Quality planning sets the foundation for a successful project by defining clear standards, policies, and procedures. A well-developed quality management plan ensures that the project will be executed efficiently and meet quality expectations.