Anticlue

Perform Quality Assurance

Quality assurance is the execution of planned, systematic quality activities to assure the project will take advantage of all processes necessary so the product, application or service meets customer requirements. An aspect of quality assurance is continuous process improvement which entails using an iterative process for improving the quality of all processes. The goal of continuous process improvement is to reduce waste and non-value added activities allowing processes to operate at an increased level of efficiency and effectiveness.
The inputs to performing quality assurance incorporate information from project plans, project performance, and project changes. This information provides a basis for performing the quality-related activities that lead to continuous improvement. The inputs are:

• Quality Management Plan - The Quality Management Plan describes how the team will implement the performing organization's quality policy. The Quality Management Plan is the plan on validating previous design decisions. For example the database schema will be reviewed by colleagues from the DBA department and development to assure it of third normal form. This is a peer review.
• Process Improvement Plan - The Process Improvement Plan lists the steps for analyzing processes that expedite the identification of ineffective wasteful process or non-value added activities.
• Quality Metrics - Quality metrics describe the specific attributes of the project work that will be measured to determine whether the work meets quality standards. Quality metrics are used to provide information on cost, rework, and cycle time to improve the quality of the project deliverables and work processes
• Work Performance Information – Work performance information are the technical performance measures (CPI, SPI), project deliverables status, required corrective actions, and performance reports.
• Approved Change Requests – Approved change requests are modifications to scope, cost, time or quality which have been approved through the integrated change control process.
• Quality Control Measurements – Quality Control Measurements are the outputs of Quality control that may be used to evaluate and analyze the current quality standards.
• Implemented Change Requests – Implemented Change requested are approved change requests which have been executed and implemented.
• Implemented Corrective Actions – Implemented Corrective Actions are approved corrective actions to bring project performance back in line with anticipated performance which have been implemented as a part of project execution.
• Implemented Defect Repair – Implemented Defect Repairs are approved defected repairs to the product, application or service back in line with expect quality standards.
• Implemented Preventative Actions – Implemented Preventative Actions are approved preventative actions to mitigate risk to a project’s performance.

The tools and techniques for the Perform Quality Assurance process give performing organizations the tools they need to achieve quality results while reducing costs. The tools and techniques for the Quality Assurance Process are:

• Quality Planning Tools and Techniques - there are some common tools and techniques which project managers employ during the process. For example:
  1. Cost-benefit analysis - A cost-benefit analysis evaluates the cost-benefit tradeoffs for making a potential change.
  2. Design of experiments (DOE) – Design of experiments is a statistical method which identifies influencing factors of the product or process being created. This technique provides a way to change all of the influencing factors at once instead of on a factor by factor basis.
  3. Benchmarking – Benchmarking engages in comparing projects as a basis to measure performance.
  4. Costs of Quality (COQ) – Costs of Quality are the total costs incurred by investing in preventing nonconformance to requirements, appraising the conformance to requirements, and failing to meet the requirements.
  5. Affinity diagramming – The affinity diagram helps to categorize brainstorming ideas.
  6. Force field analysis – Force field analysis examines and evaluates all the forces for and against a decision. Project managers use this method to weigh the pros and cons of a decision.
  7. Nominal group techniques – Nominal group techniques are structured procedures that identify and rank major problems or key issues that need to be addressed. Project managers may use this method to obtain multiple ideas from team members on a particular problem or issue.
  8. Matrix diagrams – Matrix diagrams are used to compare the efficiency and effectiveness of alternatives based on the relationship between two criteria. A project manager can use a matrix diagram to analyze the relationship between project cost and project performance.
  9. Flowcharts - Flowcharts are graphical representations of a process. A flowchart allows a project team to create a diagram of the events in a process. By examining flowcharts carefully, the project team can often identify gaps in workflow that could cause problems and errors.
• Quality Audits – A quality audit is a structured, independent review which ascertains if the project is complying with prescribed policies, processes, and procedures. The purpose of a quality audit is to identify inefficient and ineffective policies, processes, and procedures in use on the project.
• Process Analysis – Process analysis examines problems and constraints experienced and non-value added activities identified within a process. After performing a root cause analysis, the improvements are implemented and a control monitor is placed to assure the process has been improved.
• Quality Control Tools and Techniques – The Quality Control Tools and Techniques are the Seven Basic Tools of Quality.

Remember Quality Assurance is repeated throughout project execution. The outputs from the Perform Quality Assurance process provide a way to turn the findings of quality assurance activities into actions that improve the organization's ability to meet quality requirements. After performing quality assurance, one will have the resulting outputs:

• Requested Changes - Requested changes are proposed alterations to the performing organization's policies, processes, or procedures.
• Recommended Corrective Actions - Recommended corrective actions correct the results of work activities that weren't performed according to required procedures, and they bring performance into compliance with planned quality standards. These are reactive actions taken to address the findings of quality audits or process analysis.
• Organizational Process Asset Updates – Organizational Process Asset Updates update the set of quality standards the organization applies to standard processes.
• Project Management Plan Updates - As an organization executes a Quality Management Plan, it sometimes discovers that the plan needs to be modified. Since the Quality Management Plan is a subsidiary plan of the Project Management Plan, updates to the Quality Management Plan are updates to the Project Management Plan