In any project, one of the critical components of its success will be having a well-developed project quality plan.
The project quality plan is developed with the main aim of producing deliverables that adhere to quality process standards.
The project manager to guide the stakeholders, as well as his team in meeting quality requirements, standards and the quality assurance mechanisms of the project in question, will thus use the quality plan. There are many components the Project Quality Plan have and these components here are part of that.
Here are 7 major components of a project quality plan that you should remember and apply in your project.
1. Brief Description of the Project
The project brief is a detailed document explaining a summary of the idea, how you have seen it working, and what is needed to get it there.
The brief is at times references as a project summary, project breakdown, project proposal or a scope of the working document.
Project briefs are shared with the people that will be working with you on that project, to help them comprehend how you would want the construction work to proceed.
You now need to make sure that you capture this on paper. The brief may vary from a simple outline to a very detailed document. The option you choose will depend on the type of control you would want to have in the creation process.
If you intend on providing more control to the people working with you on the project, consider creating a brief that encourages using different routes, than simply narrowing down in a single direction.
2. Control of Project Quality Plan
Depending on how closely a construction organization follows the project management methodologies, you will find yourself as the project manager having to deal with a project execution plan.
The general idea of the plan is to make sure that there are clear checks and balances on the construction project which will ensure that a quality product is delivered by your team.
The good news is that as the project manager, you will not have to develop the Project Quality Plan, as it is developed by quality assurance manager, but the challenging news, as a quality engineer is that you will be in charge of the supervision and implementation during the execution of the project by the construction team, as well as ensuring that you deliver everything outlined in the document.
The staff such as construction manager, section manager, project engineer, planning engineer, procurement engineer etc. shall ensure compliance of the project quality plan.
3. Project Scope of Work
Any construction project that is undertaken requires a scope of work to be described. The scope of work is like a project rulebook.
Irrespective of the construction work to be performed, every business requires a scope statement.
It may not be easy outlining the scope of work as many projects come with their own variables, which influence the project. There are also many deliverables and project expectations that must be met.
The project manager is in charge of writing the scope of work. In the document, he or she will need to outline the construction features such as:
• Resources
• Deliverables
• Projections
• Available manpower
• Cost
• Schedule
All these tasks should be performed in a sequential manner to ensure that they are orderly and are listed in a clean manner.
4. Project Organization Chart
A project organization chart is used to describe the structure of the project team, with the direct and indirect reporting relationships being clearly mapped out.
The organization technique followed in this step provides a normal set of roles and responsibilities customizable for each construction project.
The chart will need to cover all personnel resources that will be required, both on a full time and part time basis.
At this point, the project manager is also expected to recruit the project team members, making sure to clearly point out the different types of external contractors that may be needed. The manager will also need to identify additional stakeholders that may need to be consulted or informed of the status of the project.
5. Project Quality Audit Plan
The rationale behind having a project quality audit plan is to determine whether the methodologies that were chosen have provided the project manager with all the processes and procedures needed to ensure the success of a project.
A quality plan is therefore used to determine the concerns held by the project stakeholders, team members and its sponsors as well.
Once it is completed, it should provide recommendations on how flaws, concerns, and other important issues will be overcome to ensure that the project remains on track.
For a project manager, uncovering issues, challenges, and project concerns are one of the most important tasks attached to their roles, and hence the need to use an audit report to achieve this fete.
6. Inspection and Testing Procedure
When it comes to quality control on a project, inspection and test plans and procedures are probably the most important documents that a project manager can have with him or her.
When you have a clear, concise and robust ITP, it makes things easier for you on site, as it defines the responsibilities and tasks that have to be performed on site.
The document will plan and manage the inspection activities that provide for assurance, control and records facts of the work that has been done so far.
It is important to make sure that the Inspection and Test Plan follows the sequence of works that have been described in your Works Method Statement.
It should also be clear on the contractual requirements for tests and frequencies.
7. Method Statements
In construction projects, method statements are widely used in controlling the specific health and safety risks which have been identified after a risk assessment, such as working at height, equipment installation, demolition, lifting operations as well as the use of the plant.
The method statement will help in managing work and ensuring that all necessary precautions have been sent out to all those who are involved.
The format to be used in reviewing and using the method statement should be clarified when the project is starting out. When preparing it, make sure that the statement is not longer than is needed.
