Information Technology Project

Management Third Edition

By Jack T. Marchewka
Northern Illinois University

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IT Project Quality
Management
Chapter 10
Learning Objectives
Describe the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK ) area
called project quality management (PQM) and how it supports
quality planning, quality assurance, quality control, and
continuous improvement of the projects products and supporting
processes.
Identify several quality gurus, or founders of the quality
movement, and their role in shaping quality philosophies
worldwide.
Describe some of the more common quality initiatives and
management systems that include ISO certification, Six Sigma, and
the capability maturity model (CMM) for software engineering.
Distinguish between validation and verification activities and
how these activities support IT project quality management.
Describe the software engineering discipline called configuration
management and how it is used to manage the changes associated
with all of the projects deliverables and work products.
Apply the quality concepts, methods, and tools introduced in this
chapter to develop a project quality plan.
What is Quality?

an inherent or distinguishing
characteristic; a property; having a
high degree of excellence
Features & functionality
fitness for use
conformance to requirements
PMBOK Project Quality
Management (PQM)
PQM processes include all of the
activities of the performing organization
that determine quality policies,
objectives, and responsibilities so that
the project will satisfy the needs for
which it was undertaken. It implements
the quality management system through the
policy procedures and processes of
quality planning, quality assurance, and
quality control with continuous process
improvement activities conducted
throughout, as appropriate.
PMBOK PQM Processes
Quality planning
Determining which quality standards are important to
the project and deciding how these standards will be
met.
Quality assurance
Evaluating overall project performance regularly to
ensure that the project team is meeting the
specified quality standards.
Quality control
Monitoring the activities and results of the project
to ensure that the project complies with the quality
standards. In addition, the project organization as
a whole should use this information to eliminate
causes of unsatisfactory performance and implement
new processes and techniques to improve project
quality throughout the project organization.
PQM Focuses on
The projects products
Business Case
Project Plan
The IT Solution
Etc.
And the projects processes
Scope management
Risk management
Requirements Analysis
Design
Implementation
Etc.
 The Quality Chain

More efficient & effective use of resources More rework, waste, & errors
Minimize errors Negative impact on project goal &
Meet or exceed stakeholder expectations objectives
Poor quality can be an embarrassment!

Project and IT development processes support the projects products

Customers may be internal or external
Project Quality Management
Quality Tools & Philosophies
Scientific Management
Control Charts
The Total Quality Movement (TQM)
Quality Planning, Improvement, &
Control
Cause & Effect Diagrams, Pareto
Charts, and Flow Charts
Scientific Management
Fredrick W. Taylor (1856 1915)
Management would set arbitrary rules of
thumb
Workers produced so much each day no
more, no less
Believed the production process could be
more efficient
Break a task down into smaller tasks & study it
to find the best and most efficient way of doing
it
Time motion studies

Didnot sit well with labor unions because

many ignored the human factors & believed
profits could be increased by speeding up
the workers
Control Charts
Walter A. Shewhart (1891 1967)
Worked for Western Electric Company (Bell
Telephones)
Quality improvements needed for
underground equipment
Applied statistical theory to control
production processes
The Total Quality Movement
W. Edwards Deming (1900 1993)
Worked with Shewhart at Western
Electric Hawthorne Plant in
Chicago, IL in the 1920s
Management treated the worker as a
cog in the machinery
Final inspection used to control
quality
Worker not directly responsible
Scrap & rework reduced per piece rate

Invitedto give series of day-long

lectures in Japan in the 1950s
Demings 14 Points
1. Have a purpose (improve products and services, be
competitive, stay in business, and provide jobs).
2. Adopt the new philosophy of management.
3. Dont depend on inspection at the end.
4. Dont award business based on price tag.
5. Keep improving constantly.
6. Institute training on the job.
7. Institute leadership.
8. Drive out fear.
9. Break down barriers between departments.
10. Eliminate slogans.
11. a) Eliminate quotas.
b) Eliminate management by objective and by numbers.
12. Take pride in your work.
13. Focus education and self-improvement.
14. It takes everyone to accomplish the transformation.

From Out of the Crisis by W. Edwards Deming (1986)

Quality Planning, Improvement, &
Control
Joseph Juran (1904 - 2007)
Viewed quality as fitness for use
Also invited to Japan to conduct seminars
in the 1950s
Message is that quality does not happen by
accident it must be planned in
 Quality Planning, Improvement, &
Control
Jurans Quality Planning Road Map (Quality
Trilogy)
Quality Planning
1. Identify who are the customers.
2. Determine the needs of those customers.
3. Translate those needs into our language.
4. Develop a product that can respond to those needs.
5. Optimize the product features so as to meet our needs
as well as customer needs.
Quality Improvement
6. Develop a process that is able to produce the product.
7. Optimize the process.
Quality Control
8. Prove that the process can produce the product under
operating conditions.
9. Transfer the process to Operations.
Cause & Effect Diagrams, Pareto
Charts, and Flow Charts
Kaoru Ishikawa (1915 - 1989)
Studied under Deming
Believed quality is a continuous process
that relies on all levels of the
organization
Advocated the use of easy-to-use
statistical tools
Ishikawa, or Fishbone Diagram
Pareto Diagram
Flow Charts
Ishikawa, or Fishbone Diagram
Pareto Chart
Flow Chart
for Project
Scope
Verification
Quality Systems
ISO
6 Sigma
Capability Maturity Model
ISO
International Organization for
Standardization (ISO)
Derived from Greek word isos, meaning
equal
Formed in 1947
Today has over 130 members to facilitate
the international coordination and
unification of industrial standards.
Standards make up the ISO 9000
(organizations) and ISO 14000
(environmental) families
6 Sigma
Originated by Motorola in Schaumburg,
IL
Based on competitive pressures in
1980s Our quality stinks

Sigma Defects Per Million 3 6

1 690,000 Five short or long landings at any One short or long landing in 10 years at
2 308,537 major airport all airports in the US
3 66,807 Approximately 1,350 poorly performed One incorrect surgical operation in 20
surgical operations in one week years
4 6,210
Over 40,500 newborn babies dropped Three newborn babies dropped by
5 233 by doctors or nurses each year doctors or nurses in 100 years
6 3.4 Drinking water unsafe to drink for Water unsafe to drink for one second
about 2 hours each month every six years
6 Sigma D-M-A-I-C Cycle
Define
The first step is to define customer satisfaction goals and
subgoals; for example, reduce cycle time, costs, or defects. These
goals then provide a baseline or benchmark for the process
improvement.
Measure
The Six Sigma team is responsible for identifying a set of relevant
metrics.
Analyze
With data in hand, the team can analyze the data for trends,
patterns, or relationships. Statistical analysis allows for testing
hypotheses, modeling, or conducting experiments.
Improve
Based on solid evidence, improvements can be proposed and
implemented. The Measure-Analyze-Improve steps are generally
iterative to achieve target levels of performance.
Control
Once target levels of performance are achieved, control methods and
tools are put into place in order to maintain performance.
6-Sigma Roles & Responsibilities
Master black belts
People within the organization who have the highest level of
technical and organizational experience and expertise. Master
black belts train black.
Black belts
Should be technically competent and held in high esteem by their
peers. They are actively involved in the Six Sigma change
process.
Green belts
Are Six Sigma team leaders or project managers. Black belts
generally help green belts choose their projects, attend training
with them, and then assist them with their projects once the
project begins.
Champions
Leaders who are committed to the success of the Six Sigma project
and can ensure that barriers to the Six Sigma project are removed.
Usually a high-level manager who can remove obstacles that may
involve funding, support, bureaucracy, or other issues that black
belts are unable to solve on their own.
The Capability Maturity Model
Integration (CMMI)
Developed by the Software Engineering
Institute at Carnegie Mellon
University in 1986
Mitre Corporation and Watts Humphrey
developed a framework to assess and
evaluate the capability of software
processes and their maturity
Called the Capability Maturity Model
(CMM), but has evolved to the CMMI which
is not limited to a specific area but can
be used across different disciplines
Immature Software Organization
Software processes are improvised
Or not followed!
Managers continually fight fires
No basis for judging quality
Schedules & budgets are usually
exceeded
Functionality & quality often
compromised to meet schedules
Mature Software Organization
Has organization-wide ability to
manage software development
Software process is communicated to
staff
Processes are consistent with the way
work gets done
Processes are updated when necessary
Roles & responsibilities are well-
defined
Other CMMI Concepts
Software process
A set of activities, methods, or practices and transformations used by
people to develop and maintain software and the deliverables associated
with software projects. Included are such things as project plans,
design documents, code, test cases, user manuals, and so forth.
Software process capability
The expected results that can be achieved by following a particular
software process. More specifically, the capability of an
organizations software processes provides a way of predicting the
outcomes that can be expected if the same software processes are used
from one software project to the next.
Software process performance
The actual results that are achieved by following a particular software
process. Therefore, the actual results achieved through software
process performance can be compared to the expected results achieved
through software process capability.
Software process maturity
The extent to which a particular software process is explicitly and
consistently defined, managed, measured, controlled, and effectively
used throughout the organization.
Levels of Software Process
Maturity
CMMI
Level 1: Initial
Characterized by an immature
software organization in which the
software process is ad hoc and
often reactive to crises. Does not
have a stable environment for
software projects, and success of a
project rests largely with the
people on the project and not the
processes that they follow.
Key Process Area
no key process areas are in place
CMMI
Level 2:
Repeatable - Basic policies, processes, and
controls for managing a software project are
in place. Previous project successes can be
repeated by other project teams on other
projects.
Key Process Area
Software Configuration Management
Software Quality Assurance
Software Subcontract Management
Software Project Tracking and Oversight
Software Project Planning
Requirements Management
CMMI
Level 3:
Defined - Software engineering and
management processes are documented and
standardized throughout the organization and
become the organizations standard process.
Key Process Area
Peer Reviews
Intergroup Coordination
Software Product Engineering
Integrated Software Management
Training Programs
Organization Process Definition
Organization Process Focus
CMMI
Level 4:
Managed - Quantitative metrics for
measuring and assessing productivity and
quality are established for both software
products and processes which are
characterized as being quantifiable and
predictable.
Key Process Areas
Software Quality Management
Quantitative Process Management
CMMI
Level 5:
Optimizing at the highest level of
software process maturity, the whole
organization is focused on continuous
process improvement.
Key Process Areas
Process Change Management
Technology Change Management
Defect Prevention
The IT Project Quality Plan
Quality Philosophies &
Principles
Focus on customer satisfaction
Prevention, not inspection
Improve the process to improve the
product
Quality is everyones responsibility
Fact-based management
Developing Standards & Metrics
Project Quality Metrics
Process
Control the defects introduced by the processes required
to create the project deliverables
Can be used to improve software development or maintenance
Should focus on the effectiveness of identifying and
removing defects or bugs
Product
Focuses on the intrinsic quality of the deliverables and
satisfaction of the customer, client, or sponsor with
these deliverables
Attempt to describe the characteristics of the projects
deliverables and final product
Project
Focus on the control of the project management processes
to ensure that the project meets its overall goal as well
as its scope, schedule, and budget objectives
Process, Product, & Project
Examples
Metrics
Type Metric Description

Process Defect Arrival Rate The number of defects found over a specific period of time.

Defects by Phase The number of defects found during each phase of the project.

Defect Backlog The number of defects waiting to be fixed.

Fix Response Time The average time it takes to fix a defect.

Defective Fixes The number of fixes that created new defects.

Product Mean Time to Failure Average or mean time elapsed until a product fails.

Defect Density The number of defects per lines of code (LOC) or function points.

Customer Found Defects The number of defects found by the customer.

Customer Satisfaction An index to measure customer satisfaction e.g., scale from 1 (very unsatisfied) to 5 (very
satisfied)

Project Scope Change Requests The number of scope changes requested by the client or sponsor.

Scope Change Approvals The number of scope changes that were approved.

Overdue tasks The number of tasks that were started but not finished by the expected date or time.

Tasks that should have started The number of task that should have started but have been delayed.

Over budgeted tasks The number of tasks (and dollar amount) of tasks that have cost more to complete than expected

Earned Value Budgeted Cost of Work Performed (BCWP) see Chapter 8.

Over allocated Resources The number of resources assigned to more than one task.

Turnover The number of project team members who quit or terminated.

Training Hours The number of training hours per project team member.
Verification & Validation (V&V)
Verification
Focuses on process-related activities
to ensure that the products &
deliverables meet specified
requirements before final testing
Technical Reviews
Walk-throughs

Business
Reviews
Management Reviews
Are we building the product the right
way?
Verification & Validation (V&V)
Validation
Product-oriented activities that
attempt to determine if the system or
project deliverables meet the
customer or clients expectations
Testing
Does the system function as intended
and have all the capabilities &
features defined in the projects
scope and requirements definition
Did we build the right product?
Software Testing
Approaches
Unit Testing Focuses on the module, program, or object level to determine whether
specific functions work properly.
Black Box Testing Tests the program against specified requirements or
functionality.
White Box Testing Examines paths of logic or the structure inside a
program.
Gray Box Testing Focuses on the internal structure of the program.

Integration Tests whether a set of logically related units (e.g., functions, modules,
Testing programs, etc.) work together properly after unit testing is complete.

Systems Tests the system as a whole in an operating environment to verify

Testing functionality and fitness for use. May include tests to verify usability,
performance, stress, compatibility, and documentation.

Acceptance Certifies that the system satisfies the end user or customers scope and
Testing detailed requirements after systems testing is complete. It is the users or
clients responsibility to assure that all features and functionality are
included so that the projects MOV will be achieved.
Change, Control, & Configuration
Management
Changes to the project work must be managed
What changes were made?
Who made the changes?
When were the changes made?
Why were the changes made?
Configuration management includes a set of
processes and tools that allow the project team
to manage its various documents and files as
various configurations of IT solutions and
project deliverables are derived. It may
include specifying and enforcing various
policies that restrict access to specific
individuals or preventing two people from
changing the same document or file at the same
time.
Quality Control Activities

Quality Control Activities should focus on the inputs

and outputs of each process.
Learn, Mature, and Improve
Lessons learned
Provide the basis for continual
improvement
Can be the basis for identifying and
implementing best practices

A quality plan should do more that attempt to build a better IT solution,

it should also support the organization in searching for ways to manage
projects better.