Quality Issues in Project Management
QUALITY ISSUES IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT
1. Introduction
There are a number of issues surrounding the general area of “quality” in project management. You will need to be aware of some of the requirements of PRINCE (or PRINCE2) as well as the more general aspects of the ISO 9000 and 14000 series.
2. Quality requirements as part of PRINCE
PRINCE2 (Projects in Controlled Environments) was revised from PRINCE in 1996 and is the accepted standard for the control of projects in the computing area of the public sector. It is also widely used outside this sector as a way of formalising project control procedures.
It lays down 8 key processes concerning (content generally obvious):
1. Directing of the project.
2. Planning of the project
3. Starting the project
4. Initiating the project
5. Controlling a stage of the project
6. Managing product delivery
7. Managing the stage boundaries
8. Closing the project
This could be how any project is organised, of course. But the standard itself lays down a lot of bureaucratic detail about the level and structure of the documentation required.
As part of this procedure there is:
A quality log: a record of any checks carried out on the process (with signatures).
An issues log: a record of any issues which arose from the quality log entries.
A risk log: showing how risks are allocated and subsequently dealt with and by whom.
Of course, despite the adoption of PRINCE2 procedures (or any other procedures) ... projects do still “fail”! (In bucket loads – see the press over a couple of months)
The following web pages may be of interest: http://www.ogc.gov.uk/methods_prince_2.asp Government source page. http://www.pmtoday.co.uk General PM info. http://www.usergroup.org.uk/ PRINCE2 user group (you have to join). http://www.prince2.org.uk/ worth a try for background information. http://www.apmgroup.co.uk is part of “Association of PM”
.... and/or run your own
1. Introduction
There are a number of issues surrounding the general area of “quality” in project management. You will need to be aware of some of the requirements of PRINCE (or PRINCE2) as well as the more general aspects of the ISO 9000 and 14000 series.
2. Quality requirements as part of PRINCE
PRINCE2 (Projects in Controlled Environments) was revised from PRINCE in 1996 and is the accepted standard for the control of projects in the computing area of the public sector. It is also widely used outside this sector as a way of formalising project control procedures.
It lays down 8 key processes concerning (content generally obvious):
1. Directing of the project.
2. Planning of the project
3. Starting the project
4. Initiating the project
5. Controlling a stage of the project
6. Managing product delivery
7. Managing the stage boundaries
8. Closing the project
This could be how any project is organised, of course. But the standard itself lays down a lot of bureaucratic detail about the level and structure of the documentation required.
As part of this procedure there is:
A quality log: a record of any checks carried out on the process (with signatures).
An issues log: a record of any issues which arose from the quality log entries.
A risk log: showing how risks are allocated and subsequently dealt with and by whom.
Of course, despite the adoption of PRINCE2 procedures (or any other procedures) ... projects do still “fail”! (In bucket loads – see the press over a couple of months)
The following web pages may be of interest: http://www.ogc.gov.uk/methods_prince_2.asp Government source page. http://www.pmtoday.co.uk General PM info. http://www.usergroup.org.uk/ PRINCE2 user group (you have to join). http://www.prince2.org.uk/ worth a try for background information. http://www.apmgroup.co.uk is part of “Association of PM”
.... and/or run your own