Project Quality and Communication Management

Project quality management is the management of processes through policy development to support quality management systems.  Quality management is a continual process improvement activity based on the project requirements.  Quality management helps meet stakeholder expectations.

Planning quality management is done through the identification of quality requirements for project deliverables. Quality planning provides direction on how to manage quality and validate it is correct. In order to manage quality, project managers use a cost benefit analysis to refine work by lowering costs, requiring less rework, and improving productivity.  The cost of quality is the total cost over the product life cycle to prevent nonconformance to standards. A quality management plan is used to focus efforts into reduction of costs.

Performing quality assurance involves auditing quality control measures to ensure quality standards are used. Quality assurance is a methodical and systematic process which executes data developed in the quality management and quality control processes.  Quality tools include affinity diagrams, process control charts, tree diagrams, prioritization matrices, and matrix diagrams.

Controlling quality is the process of recording the results of quality management activities to recommend needed changes.  Quality management activities allow for identification of poor product or process quality and allow for proactive and reactive changes.

Planning communications management involves determining the best approach for communicating stakeholder needs.  The project manager will determine the most effective means of communication with stakeholders.  Communication is important for project success.

The key considerations include:

• Who needs information and is authorized to receive it?
• When is the information needed?
• What format should the communication be in?
• Where is the information stored?
• How can it be retrieved?

Managing communications involves creating efficient and effective communications for project stakeholders.  The process involves management of project information through a project communication management plan which documents the creation, collection, distribution, and disposition of project details.

Controlling communications ensures optimal information flow so that stakeholders receive necessary information. Communications must be controlled throughout the project life cycle.  Some information will require more frequent communication and will be driven by stakeholder needs such as project performance measures of schedule, cost, and quality, or other problematic issues.  As part of the planning phase, you also need to have a strategy of how to disseminate information.

Team Communications

• Responsibility
• Coordination
• Status
• Authorization

Ask yourself …

1. What is your objective for this communication?
2. Who needs information, why, and when?
3. What type of information will they need and how much detail should it have?
4. What medium will best accomplish that?

A project communication plan is the written strategy for getting the right information to the right project stakeholders at the right time.  
Each stakeholder has different requirements for information as they participate in the project in different ways.  As a project manager, you need to decide how often to contact each stakeholder and what kind of information you need to pass to them.

You need to have the following types of communication with your team members:

• Responsibility – Each member needs to know what they are supposed to do in the project.
• Coordination – You need to provide information so that the team members can work together efficiently.  

You can learn more about Project Management and gain the MSI Project Management Certification here.