Chapter 8. Managing Project Quality

What good does it do anyone if a project is launched and the monies and time are consumed by the project execution, but the quality of the project's deliverable is unacceptable? Imagine a project to build a new house, and at the project's completion, the house is tilting to one side, the windows all have cracks and holes in them, and the roof has obvious gaps for the rain and birds. This is not, I'm sure, what the homeowners had in mind.

Fortunately, in project management—in good project management—there are mechanisms in place to plan and implement quality throughout the project and not just as an afterthought. Project quality management is all about the project manager, the project team, and the performing organization working together to ensure that the project performs as the project plan calls for so that the project deliverable is in alignment with the project scope statement. Quality in a project is really all about creating a deliverable that satisfies the project requirements and is usable. It's about getting the project done and creating a deliverable that can actually be used by the project customer.