SG 1 Determine Causes Of Defects Root causes of defects and other problems are systematically determined. A root cause is a source of a defect such that if it is removed, the defect is decreased or removed. Sp 1.1-1 Select Defect Data For Analysis Select the defects and other problems for analysis. Typical Work Products Defect and problem data selected for further analysis Subpractices Gather relevant defect data. Examples of relevant defect data may include the following: Project-management problem reports requiring corrective action Defects reported by the customer Defects reported by end user Defects found in peer reviews Defects found in testing Process capability problems |
Refer to the Verification process area for more information about work product verification. Refer to the Quantitative Project Management process area for more information about statistical management. Determine which defects and other problems will be analyzed further. When determining which defects to analyze further, consider the impact of the defects, the frequency of occurrence, the similarity between defects, the cost of analysis, the time and resources needed, the safety considerations, etc. | Examples of methods for selecting defects and other problems include the following: |
SP 1.2-1 Analyze Causes Perform causal analysis of selected defects and other problems and propose actions to address them. The purpose of this analysis is to develop solutions to the identified problems by analyzing the relevant data and producing action proposals for implementation. Typical Work Products Action proposal Subpractices Conduct causal analysis with the people who are responsible for performing the task. Causal analysis is performed with those people who have an understanding of the selected defect or problem under study, typically in meetings. The people who have the best understanding of the selected defect are typically those responsible for performing the task. Examples of when to perform causal analysis include the following: When a stable process does not meet its specified quality and process-performance objectives During the task, if and when problems warrant additional meetings When a work product exhibits an unexpected deviation from its requirements |
Refer to the Quantitative Project Management process area for more information about achieving the project's quality and process-performance objectives. Analyze selected defects and other problems to determine their root causes. Depending on the type and number of defects, it may make sense to first group the defects before identifying their root causes. Examples of methods to determine root causes include the following: |
Group the selected defects and other problems based on their root causes. Examples of cause groups, or categories, include the following: Inadequate training Breakdown of communications Not accounting for all details of the task Making mistakes in manual procedures (e.g., typing) Process deficiency |
Propose and document actions that need to be taken to prevent the future occurrence of similar defects or other problems. Examples of proposed actions include changes to the following: The process in question Training Tools Methods Communications Work products |
Examples of specific actions include the following: Providing training in common problems and techniques for preventing them Changing a process so that error-prone steps do not occur Automating all or part of a process Reordering process activities Adding process steps to prevent defects, such as task kickoff meetings to review common defects and actions to prevent them |
An action proposal usually documents the following: Originator of the action proposal Description of the problem Description of the defect cause Defect cause category Phase when the problem was introduced Phase when the defect was identified Description of the action proposal Action proposal category SG 2 Address Causes of Defects Root causes of defects and other problems are systematically addressed to prevent their future occurrence. Projects operating according to a well-defined process will systematically analyze the operation where problems still occur and implement process changes to eliminate root causes of selected problems. SP 2.1-1 Implement the Action Proposals Implement the selected action proposals that were developed in causal analysis. Action proposals describe the tasks necessary to remove the root causes of the analyzed defects or problems and avoid their reoccurrence. Only changes that prove to be of value should be considered for broad implementation. Typical Work Products Action proposals selected for implementation Improvement proposals Subpractices Analyze the action proposals and determine their priorities. Criteria for prioritizing action proposals include the following: Implications of not addressing the defects Cost to implement process improvements to prevent the defects Expected impact on quality Select the action proposals that will be implemented. Create action items for implementing the action proposals. Examples of information provided in an action item include the following: Person responsible for implementing it Description of the areas affected by it People who are to be kept informed of its status Next date that status will be reviewed Rationale for key decisions Description of implementation actions Time and cost for identifying the defect and correcting it Estimated cost of not fixing the problem |
To implement the action proposals, the following tasks must be done: Experiments may be conducted for particularly complex changes. Examples of experiments include the following: |
Action items may be assigned to members of the causal analysis team, members of the project team, or other members of the organization. Identify and remove similar defects that may exist in other processes and work products. Identify and document improvement proposals for the organization's set of standard processes. Refer to the Organizational Innovation and Deployment process area for more information about the selection and deployment of improvement proposals for the organization's set of standard processes. SP 2.2-1 Evaluate the Effect of Changes Evaluate the effect of changes on process performance. Refer to the Quantitative Project Management process area for more information about analyzing process performance and creating process capability measures for selected processes. Once the changed process is deployed across the project, the effect of the changes must be checked to gather evidence that the process change has corrected the problem and improved performance. Typical Work Products Measures of performance and performance change Subpractices Measure the change in the performance of the project's defined process as appropriate. This subpractice determines whether the selected change has positively influenced the process performance and by how much. An example of a change in the performance of the project's defined design process would be the change in the defect density of the design documentation, as statistically measured through peer reviews before and after the improvement has been made. On a statistical process control chart, this would be represented by a change in the mean. |
Measure the capability of the project's defined process as appropriate. This subpractice determines whether the selected change has positively influenced the ability of the process to meet its quality and process-performance objectives, as determined by relevant stakeholders. | An example of a change in the capability of the project's defined design process would be a change in the ability of the process to stay within its process-specification boundaries. This can be statistically measured by calculating the range of the defect density of design documentation, as collected in peer reviews before and after the improvement has been made. On a statistical process control chart, this would be represented by lowered control limits. |
SP 2.3-1 Record Data Record causal analysis and resolution data for use across the project and organization. Data are recorded so that other projects and organizations can make appropriate process changes and achieve similar results. Record the following: Data on defects and other problems that were analyzed Rationale for decisions Action proposals from causal analysis meetings Action items resulting from action proposals Cost of the analysis and resolution activities Measures of changes to the performance of the defined process resulting from resolutions Typical Work Products Causal analysis and resolution records |
