The changes that are taking place on a large scale in the business environment have forced organizations to radically modify organizational structures and production processes, moving away from the traditional view based on functional areas toward networks of customer-centric work processes. In this scenario, competitiveness can represent the quality of products and processes.

However, focusing attention only on the development process can lead to products that, despite being correct and carried out within the previously contracted deadlines and costs, do not meet the customer's desires. It is precisely at this point that quality management plays a fundamental role: as the inspection that completes all the effort spent in the care of the production process.

The PMBok deals with some tools, mechanisms and attributes that can help in quality management. They can be used for defect cause analysis, statistical analysis, control diagrams, inspections and trend analysis [PMI17]. Excellence models can help. Peters and Austin (1985) summarized their philosophy on excellence as concern for customers, willingness to innovate, well-motivated staff, and management and leadership dominated by a passion for excellence [GRA14]. Another model called EFQM can be used as a self-assessment tool ( www.efqm.org ).

Quality management also aims to minimize interruptions, impediments, blockages, waiting, queues, dependencies on other teams, tasks stopped in queues, blockages, work overload and rework. Additionally, from an agile mindset, a testing phase can be considered non-agile. More specifically, in SCRUM the focus is to minimize the amount of time required for acceptance testing and consequently quality improvement. This can also be done by adding a tester to the team or decreasing the work on each SPRINT [KNI15, SUT14]

Traditionally, compliance with plans is a budget-driven mindset – an approach where it doesn't matter if the plan is out of date and the competitive situation has changed since the plan was developed. In this way, the indicators are reduced to the budget. For an agile organization to grow, it is necessary to think of an adaptive performance management system where a set of measurements are oriented to output results, productivity, costs and so on, measuring the relative performance of teams and not performance against a [HIG10] plane.

On the other hand, a Quality Management Plan must succinctly present the goals and metrics of quality, manuals and guides, and preventive checklists, to avoid losses due to carelessness in the execution of projects. Despite being neglected in some projects, quality management must be treated as a very important area that will determine the final result of the project because, on a daily basis, within the projects, many items do not collaborate with the effectiveness and efficiency of quality management. such as: ready-made solutions that did not have the participation of specialists, demands that arrive with the established end date, even without knowing the complexity of the project, pre-established teams without the specialists or the best professionals for the execution, etc.

Regardless of the project management approach, quality can be continuously improved. In other words, quality improvement involves the execution of actions aimed at increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the project. The PMBok also mentions Deming, Juran and Crosby's cycle and step-based theories for quality improvement [PMI17]. Other models, standards and guides include Six-sigma, QFD, ISO, and CMM, among others.

On the agility side, Kanban metrics often provide good indications of efficiency. These metrics can be obtained through the analysis of User Stories, which are mapped by degree of importance in a given activity board (Kanban Board, Scrum Board, Task Board, Team Board, whatever you prefer to call it). Some KANBAN metrics include: Lead Time, Cycle Times, Touch Time, Waiting Time, Work in Progress, WIP, and Flow [AND16]

 

 

References

[AND16] ANDERSON, D. J., CARMICHAEL, A. Essential Kanban Condensed,  Blue Hole Press, 2016.

[GRA14] James McGrath , 89 Teorias de Gestão Que Todo Gestor Deve Saber . ISBN-13 : 978-8502229303, Editora : Saraiva; 1ª edição (17 julho 2014).

[HIG10] HIGHSMITH, J. Agile Project Management – Creative Innovative Products. The Agile Software Development Series. Second Edition. Addison Wesley, 2010.

[KNI15] KNIBERG, H. SCRUM AND XP FROM THE TRENCHES. Available in: https://www.infoq.com/minibooks/scrum-xp-from-the-trenches-2/

[PMI17] The PMBOK-PMI - Project Management Institute - Assembly Guide of Knowledge in Project Management. 6 . ed. New Square: Project Management Institute, 201 7. ISBN 9781628251845.

[SBOK] A Guide to the SCRUM BODY OF KNOWLEDGE (SBOK™GUIDE) 3rd Edition, SBOK, SCRUMstudy™, VMEdu, Inc. Available in: https://www.scrumstudy.com/

[SUT14] SUTHERLAND, JEFF. Scrum - The Art of Doing Double the Job in Half the Time. LEYA HOUSE OF WORD, 201 4.

 

About the Author

 

Leonard Grandinetti Chaves, MSc, PMP is a graduate and postgraduate in IT in Fumec and MSC, master’s at Computer Science from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais -UFMG. MBA professor and a lecturer.  He can be contacted at leonardo.grandinetti@gmail.com