By Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Control charts are used in project quality to illustrate how a process behaves over time.  The data points on a control chart can be analyzed to determine if a process is within acceptable limits.  PMBOK states that when a process in within acceptable limits, it is in control and...
Read More »

By Ray Myers, Jr., PMP The Six Sigma methodology is a way to improve work processes by eliminating defects.  It is a defined set of practices that can improve efficiency and reduce defects. Six Sigma projects normally follow a five-phase improvement process called DMAIC.  The principles can be applied to a wide variety of...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Pareto Analysis is a statistical technique that is used to focus attention to the vital few factors that are responsible for producing most of the problems in a project.  You’ve heard it said that 20% of the causes are responsible for 80% of the effort to resolve the problems. ...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP The Deming Cycle is a 4 step process that is typically used in business or project process improvement.  The 4 steps of the Deming Cycle are: Plan, Do, Check, Act or sometimes referred to as PDCA.  PDCA was the brainchild of Dr. Edwards Deming who is considered by many...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP The Fishbone Diagram identifies many possibilities for an effect or a problem.  It is an established problem solving tool that is well suited for group analysis because it visually assists with understanding of a problem’s roots cause.  Dr. Ishikawa developed the fishbone diagram as an analysis tool that provides...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP PDCA is short for Plan, Do, Check, Act.  PDCA was the brainchild of Dr. Edwards Deming who is considered by many to be the father of modern quality control.  It is typically used as a repeating process to improve project quality. The PDCA cycle is a 4 stage process...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Quality Assurance (QA) Quality assurance establishes the quality requirements and quality control measures that will be used to audit and monitor the project activities and deliverables.  It creates the formal methodology designed to assess the quality of products or services produced by the project.  QA involves making sure standards...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Dr. Edward Deming’s philosophy is based on improvements that are planned, completed, measured, and acted on. Managers must stop sacrificing quality for short-term gains Managers must manage for the long term Workers can only correct 15 percent of the quality problems The other 85 percent are management’s responsibility, because...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP Joseph Juran promoted a 3-principle quality process: Quality Planning Identify customers Determine customers’ 5 basic needs Develop product features Establish quality goals Develop a process Prove process capability Quality Control Choose what to control Choose units of measurement Establish measurement Establish standards of performance Measure actual performance Interpret the...
Read More »

By: Ray Myers, Jr., PMP An award established by the U.S. congress to promote quality awareness.  The award considers: Validity and analysis of quality of information used in business decisions Analysis includes factors that impact success or failure of strategy Social Regulatory Economic Development of scenarios built around possible outcomes of strategy Lessons learned...
Read More »