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Project Quality Management: Quality is Meeting Expectations

November 15, 2008 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Quality Management

Project Quality Management: Quality is Meeting Expectations (#1 in the series Quality Management in Project Management)
By Joseph Phillips

When expectations are met quality is met. That’s right. When you expect a level of service, a predefined level of satisfaction, and then those expectations are met, quality has been fulfilled. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to read The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) you have my condolences. This book, in my opinion, reads like a toaster manual. Having said that, the PMBOK is often referred to as the Bible when it comes to project management. According the to PMBOK quality is defined as “the totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs.”

Whoop-tee-do. Did they get an attorney to write that?

In English, when it comes to project management, quality is the ability of the project to meet all of the project scope requirements - and the implied needs of the project scope. Let me give you an example: you and I are building a brick house and we’ve approved all of the blueprints, the design documents, the landscaping, and everything else down to the type of door knobs and bathtub drains.

The builder builds the foundation, frames the house, and has the mason lay the bricks. On our first inspection, however, we notice that the mason has done something terrible. Each brick, on one side, is embossed with “Chicago Brick Company.” Our mason has consistently laid the bricks with the text “Chicago Brick Company” facing out. Our beautiful brick house looks great from a distance, but up close we’re one big ad for the Chicago Brick Company. Say it with me: Greeaaat.

Of course we object, but the mason and the architect counter-object because we never stated that the text should face inward, not outward. Besides, they have built the house exactly to our design documents and blue prints down to the doorknobs and bathtub drains, so what’s the problem?

The problem is that the house, while it satisfied stated objectives, did not meet implied objectives.

Joseph Phillips is the author of five books on project management and is a, PMI Project Management Professional, a CompTIA certified Project Professional, and a Certified Technical Trainer. For more information about Project Management Training, please visit Project Seminars.

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