14 Quality Assurance Tools in Project Management
In this article, I want to look at some of the Quality Assurance tools that can be used to ensure that the quality expectations of stakeholders are achieved at the end of the project. Follow me as we look at some of these tools together in this article.
#1 Cause-and-effect-diagram
These are diagrams that illustrate how various factors may be associated with possible problems. A possible cause can be identified by asking “why” and :how: for each problem identified. Cause-and-effect diagrams are also known as Ishikawa or fishbone diagrams.
#2 Control Charts
This is a graphical display of the results or status of a process over time and against established control limits. It helps track the behavior of processes over time and determine if the variances in the processes are within acceptable limits.
#3 Flowcharting
Flowcharting is a process flow diagram that assists the project team’s effort to identify potential quality problems, their associated effect on overall project quality targets, improvement areas, and possible improvement measures.
#4 Histogram
A histogram is a bar chart of variables. Each column symbolizes an element of the problem. The height of each column represents how frequently the element occurs. By using the shape and width of the distribution, the causes of problems are identified.
#5 Pareto Diagram
A Pareto diagram is a Histogram that shows the causes of problems in the order of severity. It has the capability of showing varying problems in a project as well as the number of times that such problems occur in a project.
#6 Run Chart
A Run chart is a line graph showing plotted data points in chronological order. It could show needs in a process overtimes or improvement over time. Trend analysis uses run charts.
Trend analysis is a tool that you can use to communicate forecasting information based on the project’s current performance. It is also used to monitor the project’s technical, cost and schedule performance.
#7 Scatter Diagram
A Scatter Diagram is a diagram showing a relationship between two variables. The diagram plot dependent variables versus independent variables. The more closely the points form a diagonal line, the more closely they are related.
#8 Inspection
This is an official examination of work results to verify that they meet requirements. The inspections may be conducted by an internal and external inspection team. It has to do with going to the project site to see what has been done and make corrections on what needs to be done to correct errors.
#9 Approved Change request review
This ensures that all change requests are reviewed and implemented as approved during the perform integrated change control process for the project. it has to do with analyzing changes before they are approved so that they will not scatter what has been planned already for the project.
#10 Cost-Benefit Analysis
This considers the trade-offs and the benefit of meeting quality requirements of higher productivity and lower costs while increasing stakeholder satisfaction. The business case of each activity is used to compare the cost of each step with its expected benefits.
#11 Cost of Quality (CoQ)
These are costs incurred by preventing non-conformance to requirements, appraising for enforcements to requirements, and failing to meet requirements (rework), internal or external.
#12 Benchmarking
Benchmarking compares the quality project’s processes and systems to those of other comparable groups, both internally or externally. This allows organizations to use their competitor product as a standard. They are to ensure that the quality of their deliverables does not fall below what their competitors has already done.
#13 Design of Experiments
This is a statistical method of identifying the factors that may influence certain product or process variables. During quality planning, DOE determines the number and type of tests to be used and their influence on the cost of quality.
#14 Proprietary Quality management methodologies
A set of available methodologies invented over a series of times. For example, 6-Sigma, Lean 6-Sigma, and Quality function Deployments are methodologies that may facilitate effective project quality planning.
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