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Project Management: Working to Improve Quality

A lot of project managers tend to focus on using their resources in an economical manner and driving down the cost of a project. This cost-based approach is realistic, of course, especially since you have to justify expenses and project delays to your superiors. However, cost cutting does not have to be limited to the economical use of resources. Managing and improving the quality of a project can also go a long way to reduce costs. Emphasizing on quality can also help you drive up the success rate of your project. But what is quality in project management? Let’s take a look.

Defining Quality

In project management, quality is meant to represent excellence. It means delivering a product that is exactly according to the specifications required. Quality also means that a customer is completely satisfied with the product.

Now that we understand the concept of quality in the context of project management, let’s take a look at some of the main factors involved in project management that impact quality.

Factors that Help Improve Project Management Quality

The following factors can help determine the quality of a project:

Defining the Purpose of the Project

Defining the purpose of a project is very important. Even before you start planning, it is important that you understand the scope and what you are aiming to achieve. Failing to understand what is required will influence the subsequent stages of your project as well. It will lead to ineffective planning and execution. Controlling and measuring the performance of a project with an ambiguous scope is also difficult. This is because you are measuring project performance against the wrong benchmark. It is very unlikely that such a project will meet the standard of quality required.

Making Use of Online Project Management Software

The use of online project management software can also make a difference in quality. It minimizes the chances of human error and helps you plan the project in a better way. Online project management software is also useful for managing risks associated with a project. It can improve the flow of information between project teams and provide you with greater transparency on progress made.

Selecting the Right People

Each project is a specialized assignment that requires a unique set of skills to achieve completion. This is also why all project management roles are temporary. As the scope of a project shifts, you naturally require a different set of individuals to manage it.

Selecting the right team is thus very important in improving the quality of a project. You must make sure that each team member has the skill-set and knowledge required to carry the project through. Besides choosing individuals that possess technical knowledge that is pertinent to the project, you must also try and build a team that possesses a sense of ownership. They must be able to introduce innovation into the project and contribute to the overall quality.

To Sum It Up

There are several factors that contribute to improving the quality of a project. Besides teamwork and good management skills, the use of online project management software can also make a difference.