In some project management circles, Quality is the fourth leg of the ‘iron triangle’ defined by Scope, Time, and Cost. The Iron Triangle principle states that to change any one of the three legs will affect the other two, without exception. The belief of some is that Quality is also affected when scope, time, or cost are altered.
To protect your project, Quality should be built-in at the outset.
It is important to define in contracts, and other project initiation documents, what quality means for the project and most importantly, how it will be accepted.
As every project manager will tell you, no project is ‘perfect’, there are always items that do not quite measure up. Understanding what defects will still deliver an acceptable project are imperative prior to the project getting underway.
One must avoid the quality debate at all costs when the project is underway or when the customer is being asked to sign-off the final deliverables for a project.
Build quality expectations into contracts, project plans, test plans, performance criteria, etc. prior to project commencement and save yourself a lot of potential headaches down the road.
Quality is important to everyone; make sure everyone understands the expectation ahead of time.
Quality can be delivered; make sure it’s built-in.
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