Unit 32 – Assignment 3 – Quality aspects of Prince2 project implementation. Task: As a result of the merging of Uxbridge College and Harrow College is has been decided to replace the existing Colleges network systems with a new single system to support all of the Colleges’ sites. Appendix  A  gives an overview of the quality theme followed in Prince2 when implementing a project, while appendix B explains the documentation developed. Considering the given scenario, explain the purpose and sketch the contents for the following Prince2 quality documentation.   Quality requirements section of the project brief. Quality management strategy. Quality register. P1.3, P2.1, M2.3   Criterion The leaner : P1.3 can discuss quality assurance practices at all stages of the system lifecycle P2.1 has reviewed  the quality control documentation for each stage of the system lifecycle M2.3 has identified a range of sources of information when defining the required documentation     Appendix A Managing Quality in PRINCE2 / home / blog / quality-theme-prince2 Written by Andy Trainer – Thu 19 Jul 2012 Andy is a training manager at Silicon Beach who likes to write about Management, Project Management and Six Sigma. The word “theme” is used in PRINCE2® to refer to the various crucial aspects of a project, why they should be a priority, and how they should be controlled. They are known as themes because they are referred back to throughout the whole PRINCE2 process. The PRINCE2 themes are Business Case, Organisation, Plans, Progress, Risk, Quality and Change. A few weeks ago, I talked about the Plans theme of PRINCE2, and now it’s time to outline the Quality theme. Of course, we go through all the PRINCE2 themes and processes in our PRINCE2 training courses, to equip you to pass the exams and to give you real-world knowledge that you can apply as soon as you return to work. Quality of the output is a priority within PRINCE2 projects - and of course for all business owners, CEOs and project managers. Once the customer’s expectations of quality have been identified, standards will be documented and processes put in place to check throughout the project lifecycle that these quality standards are going to be met. Part of the quality theme is ensuring that these processes are being used correctly. The Quality Theme in PRINCE2 In a nutshell, the purpose of the quality theme is to define and implement the means by which the project will create products that are fit for purpose. This has two approaches – making sure the customer’s expectations are met and ensuring the expected benefits of these expectations are realised and achieved. This is often overlooked when projects are run without structure – the benefits of the product to the customer are ultimately what they are looking for, and supplying a product that doesn't lead to these expected benefits will mean disappointment. The Quality theme covers both the quality of the final product and the quality of the project management. Many businesses will have quality standards and assurance practices in place before implementing PRINCE2, and PRINCE2 is flexible enough to fit within these. Product Quality The Quality theme of PRINCE2 ensures an explicit common understanding of what the project will create (the scope) and the criteria against which the project’s final product(s) will be assessed. The most important thing is that the customer’s quality expectations are documented along with how they will be assessed in a quantifiable way. If a customer is being vague about their quality requirements, the project manager must take responsibility for clarifying these and documenting the results. Customer quality expectations should also be prioritised in case something has to be compromised whilst the project is in progress. Once the required quality has been identified and documented, the costs and timescales for the project can be estimated. If these are too high then the customer may need to reconsider their quality expectations. All quality criteria must include tolerances within which the quality can vary, and by how much. The Quality Trail There are 11 steps in the PRINCE2 Quality Trail: Ascertaining customer quality expectations Defining the acceptance criteria Writing a Quality Management Strategy Adding quality details to the Stage Plan Identifying planned quality check dates Defining a product’s quality criteria Explaining the quality requirements for each piece of work Reporting on the quality of work produced Checking that quality work is being done correctly Controlling change Keeping track of changes to products  Management Quality The Quality theme also covers the implementation of continuous improvement during the project, e.g. looking for ways to make the project management practices more effective or efficient. This is expressed along the way and when reviewing the project once the product has been delivered. This focus on continuous improvement is important to the PRINCE2 method, so the quality of the practices that achieved the final product is seen as just as important as the quality of the product itself. An example of managing process quality could be how quickly the project manager became aware of and reacted to issues during the execution of the project. If these were not identified quickly, the project board should assess why this was and how the project could be run differently next time. For more on the PRINCE2 process, have a look at our process model diagram. Quality Documentation The quality requirements for a project and its products are documented in many forms. In many cases, a Quality File will be created, which contains the Quality Register, the Product Descriptions, and other documents related to quality. Product descriptions created in the Starting Up A Project process are included in the Project Brief and will include quality requirements for the final product as well as other products required along the way. The Quality Management Strategy is created during Project Initiation and identifies the quality standards that will be used across the project and the main quality responsibilities. This will reference and feed back to the relevant existing Quality Assurance processes of the customer, supplier and/or organisation carrying out the project. The Quality Management strategy will also contain details of personnel responsibilities for controlling quality. The Quality Register will summarise tests that have been planned, who will perform them and the results of these as they are carried out. As each stage plan is created, the Project Manager will enter details in the Quality Register. Each stage plan will identify when the products of that stage will be checked against acceptance criteria, how and by whom. Quality Reviews will be carried out by the customer or the end user, to check the product meets its product description and quality crite Unit 32 – Ass 3 – Appendix B Prince2: Quality Theme The PRINCE2 theme of Quality is concerned with ensuring that products are fit for their intended purposes and satisfy the quality expectations of customers and users. Quality expectations are set and restated through the life of a project and initially within the Project Mandate Project brief Project Initiation Documentation (PID) There are four inter-related Quality Management areas: Quality System Quality Assurance Quality Planning Quality Control Quality Management Systems The Quality systems and methods employed within a project usually operate within a larger Quality Management System adopted by the organisation (such as ISO9000). PRINCE2 suggests that this should include at minimum A quality manual Statement of quality policy Include documentation of Techniques Procedures Tools Expertise Quality Assurance should be external to the project team. If a corporate QA function does not exist, it should usually be managed from within the Project Board by the Project Assurance role. Project Management responsibilities include… Quality Planning Overall approach Stage quality activities Quality Control Objectives and Requirements Overall approach Capture of customer expectations of quality Project brief The quality management strategy section of the Project Initiation Document There are two broad kinds of quality methods – “In-process” and “Appraisals”.  Difference Between Quality Assurance And Quality Control Quality Assurance sets standards, defines processes, ensures they are followed Quality Control inspects products to ensure they meet specifications Product Descriptions Product Descriptions consist of Purpose of product Products comprising this product Customer quality expectations Acceptance criteria Project level quality tolerance Product descriptions are mandatory and should also include quality specifications and a description of quality methods. They are used to manage product delivery. Quality Review techniques should be based upon product descriptions. Quality Management Strategy Produced by the ‘Initiating a Project’ Process. The strategy consists of Quality Management Systems Applicable Standards Approach to Project Assurance Tailoring Quality Register Provides an audit trail of planned and undertaken quality events. As products are produced appropriate control techniques are used to test them. The quality review technique described in PRINCE2 is one such control technique. Quality Reviews Reviews ensure that products meet quality standards. Reviews can be invoked at any time during a project, usually as part of the ‘Managing Product Delivery’ process. Reviewers use quality criteria from the product descriptions to ensure the required standards are met. Quality Review Objectives Assess product against set criteria Provide wider acceptance of product Confirm product is complete Baseline product for change control  Quality Review Technique Consists of Preparation, Agenda and Follow-up Review Preparation Time and Location Attendees Distribute copy of product Assess against quality criteria Prepare question list Review Agenda Review errors Agree actions Sign-off of products (if appropriate) Document actions Follow-up Complete actions Communicate results File records When the review is complete, the product is approved by an appropriate person or group. As a result of the review a product can be considered as complete, conditionally complete or incomplete. Quality Review Roles Chair (In a quality review, this role would produce a consolidated question list prior to the review meeting agenda. The chair of a quality review is first identified in the Stage Plan) Reviewer Presenter Administrator