C H A P T E R 11 Project Quality Management In Practice G E R E E S T R E U N , P M P, C S Q E , G V S O F T WA R E S O L U T I O N S , I N C . What do we mean by "quality management" on projects? Often, discussions of quality become confused when it is not clear whether we are referring to the quality of the process-- the process of documenting and executing the project--or to the quality of the finished product. The Project Quality Management processes described in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Fourth Edition, address that confusion by including all the activities that determine quality standards, objectives, and responsibilities so that the project will satisfy the quality requirements and produce a product that meets quality standards. The Quality Management processes implement the quality management system through the procedures and processes of quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control. Quality Management facilitates continuous process improvement activities conducted through- out the project effort. The quality management approach described in the PMBOK ® Guide, Fourth Edition, is compatible with the other quality approaches. 1 Quality processes should be used on all types of projects. The quality approach when building a house is different from that used when developing software for an embedded medical device. In either case, if quality require- ments are not met, there could be a negative impact to both the customer and the company building the product. For instance, building a house without the proper architectural diagrams or building inspections can cause costly rework after the customer takes possession of the dwelling, which would leave the devel- oper liable for damages. In the case of an embedded medical 123 American Management Association www.amanet.org