Why Quality Is a Critical Component of Project Scope

At the onset of your project, you will need to define all of project’s goals and plans. Although this may seem like a simple planning phase, it represents the initial creation of the project scope. Essentially, the project scope defines what the project hopes to accomplish, how it will be accomplished, what may go wrong, what the existing budget is, and what standards will be required for the finished project.

As a direct result of these factors, quality becomes a critical component of project scope. Take a look at four of the top ways quality plays into project scope and how it will affect the course of your project.

Goals and Quality Concerns of Project Scope

A project cannot exist with a clearly defined set of goals. These goals dictate the overall scope of the project and what the project hopes to accomplish. However, the scope can be dramatically affected by poor-quality goals.

For a goal to be considered high-quality, the goals need to meet stringent criteria in every aspect of project scope. For example, the project scope may be expanded if the original goals are altered to increase the amount of time needed for the project, which would result in additional costs to meet the demands of the client or company.

Quality of Materials Used and Budgeting Quality

Quality is often seen as a subjective viewpoint of how well a given outcome will be. However, quality also plays into what types of materials are used for a project and how the budget transforms over the course of a project. Project managers must consider how the potential impact from low-quality materials will affect the outcome of the project. If a project manager opts for a less expensive item, the overall budget could be reduced.

However, the lower cost may be an indicator of lower quality, which would undermine the original goals of the project. Budget quality is the counterpart to quality materials. The budget must be within reason to continue using high-quality materials to ensure appropriate delivery of the project.

Quality of Risk Management and Deadline Adherence

After thinking about how budget and quality of materials affect quality within project scope, project managers must consider the impact of risk management and deadline adherence. Essentially, risk is the antagonist to project quality.

Risk can result in untimely delays, reductions in quality of work, and increased incidence of project failure. However, a proper risk management program will ensure the project management team monitors and addresses all potential threats to the project. Therefore, a strong risk management plan will help ensure quality while maintaining deadline adherence.

Quality Standards For Delivery of Project

The delivery of a project represents the culmination of all work, costs, and time put into the project. However, the project needs to meet the quality standards as outlined within the project’s goals. This circle of goals and final quality of the project allows a project manager to maintain quality standards by reviewing how individual tasks and activities must meet a set level of quality before moving on to the next task. Essentially, this can be seen as quality inspections throughout the project before completion and final inspection.

Quality plays a vital role in project scope and exists from project planning to project closing. Furthermore, quality will affect everyday activities in the project, and project managers must understand how to respond to each of these four areas to maintain quality in project scope.

Key Takeaway

• Goals set forth the quality standards for a project.
• The quality of the budget and materials used needs to be monitored for compliance to the original quality standards.
• An effective risk management program reduces quality concerns for risk impact in a project.
• The quality of delivery of a project may be made simpler by ensuring quality throughout the course of a project.