Anticlue

Performing Quality Control

The Quality Control Process engages in monitoring project results to ascertain whether the results conform to the relevant quality standards, and reveals ways to eliminate causes of unacceptable performance. Obviously performing quality control is continuously throughout the project lifecycle.

In order to properly perform quality control, it is good provide the project team with an understanding of the quality control process described in the quality management plan.

The inputs to performing quality control are:

• Quality Management Plan – The quality management plan details how the project team will implement the quality policy.
• Quality Metrics – Quality Metrics are the measurements used to assure the product or service is within the prescribed quality standard.
• Quality Checklists – Quality Checklists are utilized to verify that the required steps have been performed.
• Organizational Process Assets – Organization process assets are the organizations policies, procedures, templates, and standards.
• Work Performance Information – Work performance information is the status on project deliverables, performance measures, and the process on implementing necessary corrective actions.
• Approved Change Request – Approved Change Requests are requested changes which have been approved through the integrated change control process.
• Deliverables – Deliverables are the unique verifiable products or services that are produced and provided by the project.

The tools and techniques for performing quality control can be grouped into three categories: process analysis, data collection, and data analysis. The tools and techniques are:

• Cause and Effect Diagrams - Cause and Effect diagrams graphically illustrate how various factors have the possibility of affecting the outcome.
• Flowcharting – Flowcharting is a graphical presentation of a process. My favorite method is the swim lane diagram.
• Control Charts – Control Charts are a graphical display of the resulting data from a process examined over time against established control limits.
• Histogram – A histogram is a bar chart illustrating the distribution of variables. The height of each column represents the frequency of occurrence.
• Pareto Chart – A Pareto Chart is used to illustrate how many defects are created by categorization. Pareto Diagrams are outcomes of Pareto’s Law where 80 percent of the problems are due to 20 percent of the causes. A key point to remember is that the Pareto Chart has risk inherently built into the chart.
• Run Chart – A Run chart depicts the history and pattern of variation over time. Typically used as a part of trend analysis to monitor either technical performance or cost and schedule performance.
• Scatter Diagram – A scatter diagram portrays the patter of a relationship between two variables. Independent variables are compared to dependent variables. If the points are close to the diagonal line, there is an increased likelihood the variables have a correlation.
• Statistical Sampling – Statistical Sampling selects a part of the population of interest for inspection.
• Inspection – An inspection is the examination of the deliverable product to ascertain whether it conforms to standards. For example code reviews are a form of inspection.
• Defect Repair Review – Defect Repair review is the validation that the defect has been corrected and now the result conforms to quality standards.

The outputs from the Perform Quality Control process document the outcomes of quality control activities and provide a basis for improvements. The outputs are:

• Quality Control Measurements – Quality control measurements are the results which are submitted to quality assurance to reassess and evaluated the organization quality standards.
• Validated Defect Repair – Validated Defect Repair are the accepted or repaired defects.
• Quality Baseline Updates – Quality Baseline updates document the current quality objectives of the project.
• Recommended Corrective Actions – Recommended Corrective Actions are actions needed to bring the project back inline with the plan.
• Recommended Preventative Actions – Recommended Preventative Actions are actions needed to mitigate a possible risk to the project.
• Requested Changes – Requested changes are change requests which need to go through integrated changed control.
• Recommended Defect Repair – A defect which does not meet the quality requirements is submitted for repair.
• Organizational Process Assets – The organizational processes are updated with the completed checklists and lessons learned documentation.
• Validated Deliverables – Validated deliverables are the verified deliverables which have been through the quality control process.
• Project Management Plan Updates – Project Management plan updates are typically any approved change to the quality management plan from performing the quality control process.