Chapter 12. Ante Up the Completion Bond

Whenever an organization invests in a production system, it must also invest in maintenance of that system. In the IT world, this responsibility falls within the domain of quality assurance—which often is misinterpreted to mean testing in a general sense, although that is more accurately termed quality control. Quality assurance takes a broader view: It’s a form of testing that takes place across the production process, verifying process components as well as product components to better ensure that the final output will meet original specifications. This inprogress testing most often takes the form of quality audits; consequently, many project managers are hesitant to fully embrace quality assurance. They feel that it’s an intrusion into their work methods, that they are being judged. Companies that set up their quality oversight programs in a way that requires program auditors to serve as judges or spies have the wrong perspective on the purpose and use of such programs. As emphasized throughout this chapter, the intent of quality assurance is not to be intrusive but to be supportive—to help project teams stay on process, and to provide guidance should they begin to drift off track. Project management will then welcome quality assurance auditors as organization lieutenants charged with helping each team meet its mission objectives.

Essentially the same approach is used in Hollywood, where it’s been working well for decades. For major studio productions, studio executives monitor progress against a production’s weekly production reports. They use this form of audit—objectively comparing actual against planned values—as a way to determine if things are moving along smoothly. If they’re not, the studio will certainly send someone down to find out what’s happening and set things back on track—one way or another. This form of auditing is even stricter with independent production companies. These companies are required to put up a completion bond for each project, and if they fail to make progress according to plan, the bond company has the right to come in and take over the project.