Step 03: Quality Control

Description

Objective

 

To

 

            -  confirm that a product is complete,

 

in a way that

 

            -  involves business and technical staff,

 

            -  ensures that products meet defined technical standards,

 

            -  ensures that products meet business requirements,

 

            -  ensures clarity of the product,

 

            -  ensures that there is no ambiguity in the product,

 

            -  establishes a baseline version of the product,

 

            -  continually improves the quality control procedure,

 

so that

 

            -  the related project activities can be signed off as completed and the project can progress.

 

Overview

 

ISO9001 definition of quality; "The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service which bear on its ability to satisfy a given need".

 

Work on a product can only be considered complete when the product has been tested against acceptance criteria, that have been previously established for the product.  It is important that those criteria are established in advance, since it is difficult to produce a product if you do not know what it is you are trying to produce.

 

When quality control is correctly applied, it can make a project team more effective, since it prevents situations where work has been carried out based on a product that is not acceptable. 

 

Establish the degree of quality control to be applied to each product during the planning work for a stage.  This step is used when a product is thought to be complete, and the product is either confirmed as complete, or corrected until it is confirmed as complete

 

The underlying quality principle applied in this methodology is that a quality product is achieved by using a quality process, and quality control is a final, but necessary step in that quality process.  The quality process itself should be reviewed to ensure that it is achieving the objectives set for the process.

Task Summary

 

.010      Schedule Quality Review

.020      Prepare for Quality Review

.030      Conduct Quality Review

.040      Follow-up Quality Review

.050      Review Quality Control Procedures

Project Control : Step 03:   Quality Control

Task .010          Schedule Quality Review

Schedule the Quality Reviews for the current stage.

 

The WBS identifies the resources fulfilling the "review" responsibilities.  The schedule will determine when the Quality Reviews need to take place.  In practice these dates will need to be adjusted to fit individual's calenders. 

 

Alternatively, Quality Reviews can be explicitly defined as separate milestone tasks, without successors.

 

It is recommended that Quality Reviews be scheduled at the beginning of the stage to occur regularly every two or three weeks.  This will ensure that reviewers are aware well in advance when they are to participate, and it will reduce scheduling conflicts.  It will also motivate the project team to create small products at regular intervals.  Quality Reviews can always be postponed if the products are not ready for review.

 

Software Guidelines

Task .020          Prepare for Quality Review

Create a Quality Review Agenda specifying the objective, products, logistics, roles, responsibilities and agenda of the Quality Review.

 

Distribute the Quality Review Agenda and the product to the reviewers not less than 3 working days prior to the review.

 

The reviewers are required to review the product before the Quality Review meeting.  They will annotate the product with comments and errors. 

 

Clients will review the product to ensure accuracy and completeness of business content.

 

Technical reviewers will evaluate the product against specific standards which define the structure, format and content of the product.

Task .030          Conduct Quality Review

The Quality Review is to be conducted in a structured and formal manner.  Participants will fill the following roles:

 

Facilitator

 

            -  schedules and arrange review logistics,

 

            -  chairs the Quality Review,

 

            -  ensures successful execution of the Quality Review according to the agenda,

 

            -  ensures that the appropriate followup action is taken,

 

            -  notifies the Stage Manager of the results,

 

            -  files the Quality Review Exception Item List in the Project Binder.

 

Reviewer

 

            -  identifies deficiences in the product in the light of their prepared comments,

 

            -  does not suggest solutions in order to expedite the review.

 

Author

 

            -  presents the deliverable,

 

            -  provides clarification, but not to defend the product,

 

            -  understand identified deficiences,

 

            -  corrects the product after the Quality Review.

 

Documenter

 

            -  record identified deficiencies in the Quality Review Exception Item List (Item #, Reviewer, Product Section, and a Comment on the deficiency).

 

At the end of the Quality Review the status of the product will be determined:"QR Complete", whereby the product is complete and meets the prescribed quality standard."QR Qualified & Complete", whereby some deficiencies have been identified to be corrected, but does not require another formal Quality Review."QR Qualified & In Progress", whereby the deficiencies are sufficiently numerous or serious to warrant correction and another formal Quality Review.

Task .040          Follow-up Quality Review

For products with a status of:

 

"QR Complete", the Facilitator will notify the Stage Manager who will update the product status from "In Progress" to "QR Complete".

 

"QR Qualified & Complete", the author will correct the product from the Quality Review Exception Item List and annotated copies of the product.  The author may wish to discuss solutions with other individuals, including the reviewers.  The author will also update the Quality Review Exception Item List with the "Action" taken.  Upon completion the author will notify the Stage Manager who will update the product status from "In Progress" to "QR Qualified & Complete".

 

"QR Qualified & In Progress", the Facilitator will notify the Stage Manager who will update the product status from "In Progress" to "QR Qualified & In Progress".   The author will correct the product from the Quality Review Exception Item List and annotated copies of the product, and schedule another Quality Review.  The author will also update the Quality Review Exception Item List with the "Action" taken.

 

Software Guidelines

Task .050          Review Quality Control Procedures

Review the Quality Review Procedures undertaken during the Stage.  Verify that the level of control is appropriate, that the quality objectives for each product are appropriate and that all participants are satisfied both with the process and its outcome.