PROJECT QUALITY

MANAGEMENT
 Introduction
• Project quality management includes the process
required to ensure that the project satisfies the
needs for which it is undertaken.

• PQM includes all the activities of the overall

management function that determine the quality
policy, objectives, and responsibilities and
implement them within the quality system.
 Means of Implementation of
PQM
• QUALITY PLANING
• QUALITY ASSURANCE
• QUALITY CONTROL
• These processes interact with each other as well as with
the processes of other knowledge areas
• Each process involves an effort of one or more individual
or group of individuals based on the need of the project.
• Each process occurs at least once in every project phase
during the project life cycle.
 Definition
• Q. What is Quality Planning ?

• A. Quality Planning is identifying which

quality standards are relevant to the project
and determining how to satisfy them
• It is a step required to ensure that specified
standards are met
 Definition
• Q. What is Quality Assurance

• A. Quality assurance is evaluating the overall

project performance/system on a regular basis to
provide a confidence that the project will satisfy the
relevant quality standards.
• It is the procedures for guarding against defects and
deficiencies before and during the execution of the
work.
 Definition
• Q. What is Quality Control
• A. Quality Control is the monitoring of specific
project results to determine if they comply with the
relevant quality standards and identifying ways to
eliminate causes of unsatisfactory performance.
• It is a procedure for evaluating completed activities
and elements of the design for conformance with the
requirements.
 Nature of PQM
• Project quality management must address
both the management of the project and the
product of the project.
• Failure to meet quality requirements in
either dimension can have serious and
negative consequences for any or all of the
project stakeholders
 Common understanding
Quality management should complement
modern project management as they both
recognize the importance of :
1- Customer satisfaction
2- Prevention over inspection
3- Management responsibility
4- Processes within phases
(plan – do –check – act cycle)
QUALITY PLANNING

In detail
 Quality plan
• Quality Plan is a document setting out the
specific quality practices, resources and
activities relevant to a particular process or
project.
• Quality plan helps:-
• To focus the minds of those in charge of work upon
the prevention of defects
• To give an effect to the company quality system
/Quality Policy in the context of a particular
project.
• By being a reference document to be used by those
 Quality policy
• The over all intentions and direction of an
organization with regard to quality, as formally
expressed by the top management

• In the case of a joint venture, a quality policy for the

individual project should be developed

• The management team is responsible for dissipating

the quality policy to all project stakeholders through
appropriate information distribution channels
 Contents of Quality plan
content of quality plans should define:
A. The quality objectives to be attained through ;
B. The specific allocation of responsibility and authority
during the different phases of the project;
C. The specific procedures, methods and work instructions to
be applied;
D. Suitable testing, inspection, examination and audit
programs at appropriate stages;
E. A method for changes and modifications in a quality plan
as projects proceed;
F. Other measures necessary to meet objectives.
 A. Quality Objectives
• The steps to be taken to ensure that specified
standards are met need to be planned in a
systematic fashion similar to the following steps
• An important step to identify specified standards is
reviewing the contract document which includes:-
 ERA Standard Technical Specification 2002
 ERA Design Manual 2002 for Design and Build Contract
 The Drawings
 Referenced Material and Testing Standards such as
AASHTO Standard Specification and Method of Testing,
ASTM and BS.
 A. Quality Objectives
• Examination of drawings and specifications
helps to identify problem areas and the allocation
of resources and time for devising solution;
• However at the time of the first issue of a project
quality plan, many of the problems brought to light
will not have been resolved, or may not yet have
emerged
• hence it is necessary that the plan should be
updated as the project proceeds
 B. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
• The specific allocation of responsibility and
authority during the different phases of the project
should be defined in the quality plan
• The project organization chart should define the
roles and responsibilities of the project by
establishing the level of authority and line of
communications for quality issues
TYPICAL PROJECT ORG. CHART
 ROLES….contd
• The plan should requires that decisions should be made on
‘Who does what?’ and on how the various checks and
inspections are to be recorded.
• For example The Project Manger shall be responsible for
 Implementing quality policy of the company, field QA/QC procedures
 Ensuring that QA/QC procedures are distributed and adhered to by the project team
 Ensuring that method statement are develop and complied with by the project
personnel during execution of works
 Ensuring the quality of subcontract works comply with project Quality Procedures
through field supervision
 Ensures that QC records are documented and stored in document control section of
the project and monitor the QC
 Monitoring accurate records of inspection and tests
 Holding regular quality meeting to review quality matters and actions for
improvement
 ROLES….contd
• The Project Material Engineer, reporting to the PM, shall
be responsible for :
 Organizing the project testing facility in compliance with the project
requirements
 Distributing the QA/QC Procedures, developing Test Forms,
Inspection and Test Plan,
 Coordination of field inspection and testing with the Engineer
 Ensure all test reports are logged, distributed, tracked and monitored.
 Submitting inspection and test reports to the project Manager
 ROLES….contd
• Similarly Construction Engineer(s) are ‘process owners and
shall be responsible for:
• Development of method statements for work items (QA)
• Implementing the QA process and
• Preparing Test Forms for inspection and acceptance by the Engineer
• Supervision and monitoring of Subcontract works for quality and that the personnel
of subcontractor are qualified for the work
• Reporting all inspection activities to the project manager

• Operations Manager at Head Office is responsible to

• Assign qualified and skilled personnel, the right resources in type and quantity, and
• monitoring project quality assurance system.
• He/She may have final say on Quality Assurance and Method Statement of the
project.
C. specific procedures, methods and
work instructions
• Part of the quality plan should identify the elements of work
which are to be covered by written work instructions and
procedures
• Some organizations publish standard instructions covering
particular construction operations.
• Example of work permit/procedure
• A checklist is a structured tool used to verify that a set of
required steps or requirements have been performed.
• Procedures facilitates traceability and identification of
executed works quality
D. INSPECTION AND TEST PLAN
INSPECTION AND TEST PLAN
- Having established the sequence and method of
construction, the next step is to determine the Audit
system whereby management ensures that the finished
product will comply with the specification
- The plan, which may be presented as a schedule or flow
chart, will list and reference all the relevant tests and
inspections in the sequence in which they should be
performed, together with the documentation to be used to
record the results
- Notification points (N)
- Hold points (H)
EXAMPLE FOR CONCRETE WORK TEST PLAN
 E. Method for changes and modifications
in a quality plan

• Methods of changing/modifying the quality plan as the

project proceeds include A Planned Test and Inspection as
discussed before
• Another method involves a Documented Procedure For
Queries
• Planning exposes any errors, gaps or discrepancies which
may exist in the drawings and specifications defining the
client’s requirements
• Establishing a documented procedure whereby the
contractor’s queries and the designer’s responses can be
recorded formally is a vital tool for changing/ modifying the
Quality plan
 F. Other measures necessary to meet
objectives
Other methods may include considering the
planning outputs of other Process/PMBOK,
Example:-
• procurement planning outputs may identify the
contractor’s quality requirements that should be
reflected in the overall Quality Management Plan
• SUMMARY VIDEO
QUALITY ASSURANCE

In detail
 Quality Assurance
• Quality assurance encompasses all the planned and
systematic activity implemented in a quality system
to provide confidence that the project will satisfy the
relevant quality standards
• Quality assurance is provided by a Quality
Assurance dept.
• Quality assurance can be INERNAL ( from the
project management team to the performing
organization)
• Quality assurance can be EXTERNAL (provided to
the customer and other parties actively involved in
the work of the project
 Quality Assurance
• The inputs for the Quality Assurance process includes:-
 Quality management plan as previously described
 Results of quality control measurements which are records
of quality control testing and measurement in a format of
comparison or analysis
 Test Plan
 checklist
 Techniques For Quality Assurance

• Quality Audits which are a structured review

of other quality management activities:
- they may be timely or carried out randomly
- They may be carried out by properly trained
Internal-auditors or by third parties such as
quality systems registration agencies
 Tools of Quality Assurance

• VERIFICATION OF MATERIALS COMPLIANCE

• MONITORING SPECIAL PROCESSES
• DOCUMENT CONTROL PROCEDURE
• SAMPLING
• INSPECTION, MEASURING AND TEST EQUIPMENT
• CONDUCTING INSPECTION AND TESTING
• INSPECTION AND TEST STATUS
• CONTROL OF NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT
 VERIFICATION OF MATERIALS
COMPLIANCE
• Verification of compliance with specifications
commences when materials or supplies are received
at the site. The criteria for compliance are usually
defined in the specifications, together with the
appropriate sampling and testing procedures.
• The extent to which materials should be
inspected on receipt should be carefully planned,
bearing in mind the costs of inspection and the
possible penalties which may arise from using
sub- standard items into the works.
 MONITORING SPECIAL PROCESSES

• Special processes can be defined as the results of which

cannot be fully verified by subsequent inspection and
testing of the product and where, for example, processing
deficiency may become apparent only after the product is in
use.
• Examples of special processes carried out on a construction
site include the placement and compaction of concrete,
welding, tunnel grouting and painting. All these operations
depend on operator skill and care.
 MONITORING SPECIAL PROCESSES
• The standard stipulates that to ensure that specified
standards are met, such processes require continuous
monitoring and/or compliance with documented
procedures.
 DOCUMENT CONTROL PROCEDURE
• The procedure should first define the documents which
can directly influence the quality of the product.
Typically, these may include the following:
• Drawings
• Specifications
• Quality plans
• Project procedures
• Work instructions
• Inspection and test plans.
 DOCUMENT CONTROL PROCEDURE

• These documents are classified as ‘controlled documents’.

This means that a register should be kept of each document
listing:-
 the date of origin or receipt of each version (or revision),
and
 the dates and locations of issues.
• The procedure should identify the person responsible for
holding and maintaining the registers and should define the
system and documentation to be used.
 DOCUMENT CONTROL PROCEDURE

• the procedure for document issue has to be capable of

ensuring that:
 The pertinent issues of appropriate documents are
available at all locations where operations essential to the
effective functioning of the quality system are performed.
 Obsolete documents are promptly removed from all points
of issue or use’.
• These requirements may be satisfied by the use of a
numbered document issue slip which identifies the
recipient, lists the accompanying documents and has a
tear-off section to be signed by the recipient as a receipt.
 SAMPLING
• Control and verification of compliance with specification
are provided by inspection and testing. But however
hard we may try, certainty of compliance with
specification will always be beyond our grasp. Even if
our quality plans were to require 100 per cent inspection
and testing of every component
 INSPECTION, MEASURING AND TEST
EQUIPMENT
• The degree of confidence that may be had in
measuring and testing procedures is dependent upon
the accuracy and reliability of the measuring and
testing equipment. Control must therefore be
exerted to ensure that only the correct equipment
is used and that it is systematically maintained and
calibrated.
 CONDUCT INSPECTION AND TESTING
• During the course of the work the checks and tests
scheduled in the Inspection and Test Plans are carried
out in order to control quality.
• standards of quality management system require that ‘the
responsibility, authority and the interrelation of all
personnel who manage, perform and verify work
affecting quality shall be defined’
 INSPECTION AND TEST STATUS
• A system should be operated to indicate the inspection status
of material during intermediate stages of processing or
manufacture so that it is at all times possible to distinguish that
which has been inspected and found acceptable from that
which has not. In many cases, inspection status can
conveniently be indicated by the attachment of stickers or
labels. Another method is the use of a check list.
• For example, airliner crews use pre- printed check sheets to
tick off all the checks they are obliged to carry out at each stage
of a flight or a check sheet for use on a construction site is the
‘verification documents’ scheduled on the Inspection and Test
Plan .
 CONTROL OF NON-CONFORMING
PRODUCT
• Despite the emphasis of quality system on matters of
prevention, it is inevitable that sooner or later the
production or construction process will yield some
defective work. When this happens it is necessary that
there should be a procedure to prevent any further harm
being done and to put right that which is wrong. There
are three stages to be dealt with in this procedure:
 Identification
 Segregation
 Disposition.
 CORRECTIVE ACTION/QUALITY
IMPROVEMENT

• ‘Corrective action’ is a term for measures taken by

management to ensure that conditions which may
impede or prevent the achievement of
specification requirements are identified and
corrected. The need for corrective action may be
indicated by evidence that non-conformances
have already occurred, for example through
inspectors’ reports or customer complaints.
 CORRECTIVE ACTION….

• Quality improvement includes taking action to

increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the
project to be provide added benefits to the
stakeholders of that project .

• In many cases the implementation of quality

improvements will require preparation of change
requests or taking corrective actions and will be
handled according to procedure for overall change
control
QUALITY CONTROL

In detail
 3. QUALITY CONTROL
• Quality control (QC) refers to the
procedures for evaluating completed
activities and elements of the design for
conformance with the requirements
 QUALITY CONTROL PROCEDURES

• Inputs to Quality Control

• Tools and Techniques for Quality
Control
• Outputs from Quality Control
 INPUT TOOLS & OUTPUT
• Work results. TECHNIQUES
· Works permit · Quality
Checklists. improvement.
· Inputs to other · Regular Inspection. · Acceptance decisions.
processes. · Statistical sampling. · Rework.
· Operational · Evaluation of · Completed checklists.
definitions. contractor's work · Process adjustments.
methodology &
Approval for work
permit
 Inputs to Quality Control
A supervisor should use the following quality control inputs to
supervise the quality of work.
i)Work results.
• Work results include both process results and product results. Information
about the planned or expected results (from the project plan) should be
available along with information about the actual results.
ii)Works permit Checklists.
• A checklist is a structured tool, usually industry- or activity-specific, used
to verify that a set of required steps has been performed. Checklists may
be simple or complex. They are phrased as imperatives (_Do this! _) or
interrogatories (_Have you done this? _). The company has a documented
procedure, referd as WORK PERMIT, with standardized checklists
available to ensure consistency in frequently performed activities.
 Tools and Techniques for Quality
Control…cont’d
• Evaluation of contractor's work methodology and
Approval for work permit
• The contractor's work methodology will be evaluated by the
resident engineer/Project Manager prior to commencing any
activity of work. Following fulfillment of the work methodology
the resident engineer/Project Manager will check physical set up
of the work to verify whether it is as per the stated methodology.
The overall process will be managed as per the WORK PERMIT
DOCUMENTED PROCEDURE
 Inputs to Quality
Control..cont’d
Inputs to other processes.
• The quality planning process may identify a need for further
activity in another area.
Operational definitions.
• An operational definition describes, in very specific terms, what
something is, and how it is measured by the quality control
process. The detail is specified in the external document called
‘TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION’
 Outputs from Quality Control
Quality improvement.
• Quality improvement includes taking action to
increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the
project to provide added benefits to the project
stakeholders.
Acceptance decisions.
• The items inspected will be either accepted or
rejected. Rejected items may require rework.
 Outputs from Quality Control
Rework.
• Rework is action taken to bring a defective or non-conforming
item into compliance with requirements or specifications.
Rework, especially unanticipated Rework, is a frequent cause of
project overruns in most application areas.
Completed checklists.
• When checklists are used, the completed checklists should
become part of the project’s records
Process adjustments.
• Process adjustments involve immediate corrective or
preventive action as a result of quality control
measurements.