CAPM Exam & PMP Exam Study Notes:
Project Quality Management

Written By: Alvin the PM | Last Updated: June 12, 2021
Topic: CAPM Exam & PMP Exam Certification Study Notes

Listed below are my CAPM Exam & PMP Exam Study Notes for Project Quality Management that I’ve used to pass my own CAPM Exam, and which I also intend to use for my 2021 PMP Exam Preparation.

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Please Note: These notes are meant to be a supplementary aid, and not as your primary study material for your CAPM Exam and/or PMP Exam. This is meant to help clarify any confusing topics and explain the most challenging concepts which are difficult to understand & remember. Please reference your own Exam Prep Book or your PMBOK Guide for further detail.

I’ve listed the Knowledge Area below, with an explanation of the following:
1) Overview of each Process Group associated with Project Schedule Management
2) Reference Section & Page in PMBOK 6th Edition
3) ITTO Summary & Analysis (Input, Tool, Technique, Output)
>> Any items marked with an * asterisk are the unique ones & critical topics to master
4) Key Concepts & Helpful Exam Prep Information

Overview of Quality Management

Quality Management is split up into the following three (3) Process Groups:
1) Plan Quality Management (PL)
2) Manage Quality (EX)
3) Control Quality (M&C)

Purpose:
– This is the process for determining how can we address the company’s quality policy in order to meet our project’s quality requirements?

Key Concepts:
1. What is the difference between Quality and Grade?
– Quality = Degree to which characteristics meet requirements. In other words, it’s the extent that our project & final product meets our requirements.
– Grade = Meeting the same function, but has different characteristics. Aka, the ‘degree of functionality’

For example, A low-grade product doesn’t have as many unique features, but it was manufactured with high quality and, as a result, has very low defects.

2. What is the difference between Inspection and Prevention?
Inspection: Preventing our customer from having errors in their received product
Prevention: This helps make sure we are doing things right the first time. Ensures that we eliminate and keep errors from our process

Process #1: Plan Quality Management

1.1 Quality Management: Plan Quality Management (PL)
– Pg. 277, PMBOK 6th Edition

Purpose: Developing the Quality Management Plan and defining our project’s definition of Quality, and how we will accomplish our Quality Objectives. How will we show that we are complying with our quality requirements?

ITTO Analysis: Plan Quality Management
1) What do You Need? (Input) 
– Project Charter, Project Management Plan, Project Documents, EEF/OPA
>> Project Management Plan: *Requirements & Risk Management Plan, Stakeholder Engagement Plan, Scope Baseline
>> Project Documents: Log (Assumption, Risk & Stakeholder Register); Requirements Documentation & Traceability Matrix

2) What is the Result? (Output)
– *Quality Management Plan, *Quality Metrics, Updates to Project Management Plan & Documents

3) How Do You Accomplish It? (Tool/Technique)
–*Inspection & Data Planning; Expert Judgment; Meetings; Data Analysis, Gathering, and Representation; Decision Making
>> Data Gathering: Benchmarking, Brainstorming, Interviews
>> Data Representation: Flowcharts, Logical Data Model, Matrix Diagrams, Mind Mapping
>> Data Analysis: *Cost of Quality and Cost-Benefit Analysis

Key Concepts:
Cost of Quality and Cost-Benefit Analysis are performed to make sure that the appropriate quality level is planned based upon the perceived benefits to costs of each option

1. Cost of Quality is divided into the following:
Category 1: Cost of Conformance (Cost to prevent failures from occurring)
(1) Appraisal Costs: Evaluating the Quality through tests and inspections
(2) Prevention Costs: Building quality into the design & process

Category 2: Cost of Non-Conformance (Cost due to failures)
(1) Internal Failure Costs (From the project: rework, scrap)
(2) External Failure Costs (From customer: Liabilities, warranties, lost sales))

2. Test and Inspection Planning
How will we test & inspect our product to ensure it meets our customer requirements, and that it functions as intended?

3. Data Representation Techniques
(1) Logical Data Model – Visually represents the organization’s data to identify where data integrity and other quality issues can occur

(2) Matrix Diagrams – Use to identify which Quality Metric is the most important based upon the strength of relationships with different factors and parameters

(3) Mind Mapping – Use to visually organize information, diagram different concepts, and identify quality requirements

(4) Example of Flowchart: SIPOC Model (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, and Customers)

Key Terms to Remember:
1. Quality Management Plan – This Plan may be formal or informal, or detailed or high-level – it will be tailored depending on your organization. It contains information for how your Team will follow the organization’s procedures to achieve the Quality Goals.

What’s inside the Quality Management Plan?
1 – Quality Standards and Goals
2 – Quality Roles & Responsibilities
3 – All defined Quality-related activities for the project (e.g. Quality Control and Management)
4 – Quality Procedures (NCMRs, CAPAs, Continuous Improvement)

Alvin the PM

2. Quality Metrics – These metrics determine which variables should be measured as part of Control Quality and Manage Quality
>> Examples of Quality Metrics: # of non-conformances, % of tasks completed on time, # of defects/day

Process #2: Manage Quality

1.2 Quality Management: Manage Quality (EX)
– Pg. 288, PMBOK 6th Edition

Purpose: It’s in this process that you are using your Quality Management Plan to perform the required quality activities and meet the agreed upon Quality Goals, Objectives & Metrics. What are the areas of low quality, and how can we improve our processes, by adopting continuous improvement?

ITTO Analysis: Manage Quality
1) What do You Need? (Input) 
– Project Management Plan, Project Documents, OPA
>> Project Management Plan: Quality Management Plan
>> Project Documents: *QC Measurements, *Quality Metrics, Lessons Learned, Risk Report

2) What is the Result? (Output)
– *Quality Reports, *Test & Evaluation Documents, Change Requests, Updates to Project Management Plan & Project Documents

3) How Do You Accomplish It? (Tool/Technique)
**Key Tools: Quality Improvement Methods; Design For X; Audits; Problem Solving

Other Tools: Data Gathering, Analysis, Representation; Decision Making
>> Data Gathering: Checklists
>> Data Analysis: Alternatives, Document Analysis, Process Analysis, Root Cause Analysis
>> Data Representation: Affinity Diagram, Cause & Effect Diagrams, Flowcharts, Histograms, Matrix Diagrams, Scatter Diagrams
Decision Making: Multicriteria Decision Analysis

*Alvin’s Exam Prep Tip: Manage Quality has many Tools & Techniques… Just remember to focus on understanding the unique & critical Tools/Techniques to this process, such as the ones I’ve bolded above.

Key Concepts:
Manage Quality can also be known as Quality Assurance, which is focused on using processes effectively and verifying that the final product meets the customer’s needs and requirements.

It is everyone’s responsibility to perform Manage Quality, including the Sponsor and Customer. We all play a role with managing quality.

In traditional projects, quality management may be performed by a specific team; in Agile projects, Quality Management is typically performed and shared among the entire team.

Critical Data Representation Techniques
We use the following Data Representation Techniques to solve problems, analyze testing and inspection results, and identify the root causes of issues discovered

(1) Affinity Diagram – Organizes defect causes into different groups

(2)  Cause and Effect Diagram (aka. Fishbone Diagram) – Goal is to identify the reasons of a problem. If our defect rate is increasing, we can use the Fishbone Diagram to identify what potential causes may have led to this increase.

(3) Scatter Diagram – Shows relationship between two variables

(4) Flowchart – A series of steps which leads to a defect or nonconformance

(5) Histogram – A commonly used type of histogram is the Pareto Chart, which focuses on the top 20% which produces 80% of your results

(6) Matrix Diagram– This shows the relationship between two variables.

Key Terms to Remember:
1. Quality Control Measurements – QC Measurements are used to verify that your project deliverables meet specifications.
>> You use Quality Control measurements in order to verify that the appropriate processes are being followed in order to produce the correct deliverables.

2. Checklists – Help verify that the acceptance criteria is met for frequently occurring tasks

3. Alternatives Analysis – Which option is the best to use?

4. Document Analysis – Analyze different reports (e.g. Quality, Test, and Performance Reports) and focus on the processes which require the most attention

5. Quality Reports – Contains any type of issues, potential areas of improvements for the project and/or product, and corrective action recommendations (rework, repair, inspection, etc)

6. Test and Evaluation Documents – Help determine if we are meeting our quality goals

7. Audits – Audits are used to inspect processes, find areas of opportunity to drive improvement, verify that approved changes have been implemented, and determine best practices moving forward.
>> This also is used to help answer the following question: Do our activities comply with our organization’s procedures?

8. Design for X (DFX) – Design for Excellence. These are recommended guidelines and best practices to optimize a design’s characteristics and features. The ‘X’ in DFX can represent different areas such as manufacturability, assembly, inspection, testing, and service.

9. Quality Improvement Methods – This consists of the methodologies of Plan-Do-Check-Act and Six Sigma in order to improve the organization’s processes and adopt a philosophy of Continuous Improvement.

Process #3: Control Quality

1.3 Quality Management: Control Quality (M&C)
– Pg. 298, PMBOK 6th Edition

Purpose: Monitoring the results of our Quality Management Activities and evaluating if our produced product meets our customer’s requirements and functions as intended.

Uses verification activities to confirm quality requirements are being met, and  investigates into the root cause of quality issues.

Alvin’s Exam Prep Tip:
It’s in this process of Control Quality that you are verifying and checking the Deliverable – Does it meet the requirements? If it doesn’t, you raise a Change Request.

Alvin the PM

ITTO Analysis: Control Quality
1) What do You Need? (Input) 
– *Deliverables, *Work Performance Data, *Approved Change Requests, Project Management Plan, Project Documents, OPA/EEF
>> Project Management Plan: Quality Mgmt Plan
>> Project Documents: *Quality Metrics, *Test & Evaluation Documents, Lessons Learned Register

2) What is the Result? (Output)
– *Quality Control Measurements, *Verified Deliverables, *Work Performance Information, *Change Requests, Updates to Project Documents & Project Management Plan

3) How Do You Accomplish It? (Tool/Technique)
– Inspection; Testing/Product Evaluations; Meetings; Data Gathering, Analysis, and Representation
>> Data Gathering Tools: Checklists, Check Sheets, Statistical Sampling, Questionnaires & Surveys
>> Data Analysis: Root Cause Analysis, Performance Reviews
>> Data Representation: Cause & Effect Diagrams; Control Charts; Histograms; Scatter Diagrams

Key Concepts:
1. Control Quality produces Verified Deliverables which are inputs into Validate Scope

2. Before we validate our design with our customers and deliver our final product, we perform Control Quality to verify that our project deliverables are complete, comply with all standards & regulations and that it functions as intended (i.e. fitness for use)

3. Difference between Agile & Waterfall Methodologies for Control Quality Activities
– Agile Approach: Control Quality may be performed by all members throughout the project
– Waterfall Approach: Control Quality activities performed by a specific group towards the end of the project.

4. Approved Change Requests originate as Outputs from Perform Integrated Change Control. (Click here to review Integration Management)
>> Control Quality uses these Approved Changes Requests to verify if everything that has been implemented is complete and correct.

5. Project Deliverables are outputs from Direct & Manage Project Work, and are compared to the Acceptance Criteria from the Project Scope Statement.

6. Testing / Product Evaluations is used to investigate if any issues, non-conformances, or defects are present within the product

Key Terms to Remember:
1. Work Performance Data contains the raw data of our product & project status. Examples include Quality metrics, Observations, Technical Measurements, and Project Performance Data (e.g. cost & schedule).
>> Remember that Work Performance Data is an output from Direct & Manage Project Work. Refer to Integration Management for detail.

2. Work Performance Information is based upon the analyzed Work Performance Data and contains information regarding why we rejected parts. Examples of Work Performance Information may include: Reworks required, Corrective Actions needed, List of Deliverables, Quality Metrics, etc.

3. Quality Metrics – A product or project attribute that we want to measure against. This is an output from Plan Quality Management established during the Planning phase of the project.

**4. Make sure you understand the difference between Checklists and Checksheets
Checklists – Helps verify that activities are being conducted in accordance with the quality requirements in a highly structured manner

Checksheets – Think of this as a Tally Sheet, which is used to record the frequency of occurrence for an event or defect. >> For example, on 10/1, there were 20 occurrences of Defect A, and on 10/15, there were 30 additional occurrences of Defect A.

5. Verified Deliverables – This process helps verify if your deliverables are correct and meet the requirements.
>> What this means: You’ve inspected a deliverable, and you’ve determined that it functions as intended (“fit for use”), and it conforms to its requirements. At this point in time, the deliverable is now ready to be sent over to the customer, and it therefore becomes an input to Validate Scope of the Scope Management Knowledge Area. Refer to Scope Management for detail.

6. Control Charts – Is your process stable or does it have too much variability that parts will be out-of-tolerance and not meet the product specifications?
>> Maps your raw data measurements against the mean, and Upper & Lower Control Limits. These Control Limits are calculated from +/- 3 standard deviations (3 deviations from the mean).

7. Statistical Sampling – In order to verify the quality of a product and confirm if it meets its Acceptance Criteria, this involves sampling a portion of units from a population to perform testing or inspection (visual or functional)

Conclusion

I hope you found the above information helpful with your Project Management Exam Prep Journey! If you found this useful, please feel free to SHARE and RECOMMEND this website with a friend. My goal is to help other Project Managers pass their own CAPM Exam and PMP Exam, and become Certified in Project Management.

Cheers, Alvin