The Quantitative Project Management process area involves the following: Establishing and maintaining the project's quality and process-performance objectives Identifying suitable subprocesses that compose the project's defined process based on historical stability and capability data found in process performance baselines or models Selecting the subprocesses of the project's defined process to be statistically managed Monitoring the project to determine whether the project's objectives for quality and process performance are being satisfied, and identifying appropriate corrective action Selecting the measures and analytic techniques to be used in statistically managing the selected subprocesses Establishing and maintaining an understanding of the variation of the selected subprocesses using the selected measures and analytic techniques Monitoring the performance of the selected subprocesses to determine whether they are capable of satisfying their quality and process-performance objectives, and identifying corrective action Recording statistical and quality management data in the organization's measurement repository The quality and process-performance objectives, measures, and baselines identified here are developed as described in the Organizational Process Performance process area. Subsequently, the results of performing the processes associated with the Quantitative Project Management process area (e.g., measurement definitions and measurement data) become part of the organizational process assets referred to in the Organizational Process Performance process area. To effectively address the specific practices in this process area, the organization should have already established a set of standard processes and related organizational process assets, such as the organization's measurement repository and the organization's process asset library for use by each project in establishing its defined process. The project's defined process is a set of subprocesses that form an integrated and coherent life cycle for the project. It is established, in part, through selecting and tailoring processes from the organization's set of standard processes. (See the definition of "defined process" in the glossary.) For Supplier Sourcing The quality and timeliness of the products delivered by a supplier can have a significant impact on the performance of the project's processes. To meet the objectives of the project requires careful handling of the supplier agreements to ensure that the measurements and progress of the supplier's efforts are made available to the project. The practices of the Supplier Agreement Management and Integrated Supplier Management process areas should be coordinated with this process area. Establishment of effective relationships with suppliers is necessary for the successful implementation of this process area's specific practices. | Process performance is a measure of the actual process results achieved. Process performance is characterized by both process measures (e.g., effort, cycle time, and defect removal efficiency) and product measures (e.g., reliability, defect density, and response time). Subprocesses are defined components of a larger defined process. For example, a typical organization's development process may be defined in terms of subprocesses such as requirements development, design, build, test, and peer review. The subprocesses themselves may be further decomposed as necessary into other subprocesses and process elements. One essential element of quantitative management is having confidence in estimates (i.e., being able to predict the extent to which the project can fulfill its quality and process-performance objectives). The subprocesses that will be statistically managed are chosen based on identified needs for predictable performance. (See the definitions of "statistically managed process," "quality and process-performance objective," and "quantitatively managed process" in the glossary.) Another essential element of quantitative management is understanding the nature and extent of the variation experienced in process performance, and recognizing when the project's actual performance may not be adequate to achieve the project's quality and process-performance objectives. Table . Practice-to-Goal Relationship Table Continuous Representation | Staged Representation | SG 1 Quantitatively Manage the Project | SG 1 Quantitatively Manage the Project | SP 1.1-1 Establish the Project's Objectives | SP 1.1-1 Establish the Project's Objectives | SP 1.2-1 Compose the Defined Process | SP 1.2-1 Compose the Defined Process | SP 1.3-1 Select the Subprocesses that Will Be Statistically Managed | SP 1.3-1 Select the Subprocesses that Will Be Statistically Managed | SP 1.4-1 Manage Project Performance | SP 1.4-1 Manage Project Performance | SG 2 Statistically Manage Subprocess Performance | SG 2 Statistically Manage Subprocess Performance | SP 2.1-1 Select Measures and Analytic Techniques | SP 2.1-1 Select Measures and Analytic Techniques | SP 2.2-1 Apply Statistical Methods to Understand Variation | SP 2.2-1 Apply Statistical Methods to Understand Variation | SP 2.3-1 Monitor Performance of the Selected Subprocesses | SP 2.3-1 Monitor Performance of the Selected Subprocesses | SP 2.4-1 Record Statistical Management Data | SP 2.4-1 Record Statistical Management Data | GG 1 Achieve Specific Goals | | GP 1.1 Perform Base Practices | | GG 2 Institutionalize a Defined Process | GG 3 Institutionalize a Managed Process | GP 2.1 Establish an Organizational Policy | GP 2.1 Establish an Organizational Policy | GP 2.2 Plan the Process | GP 2.2 Plan the Process | GP 2.3 Provide Resources | GP 2.3 Provide Resources | GP 2.4 Assign Responsibility | GP 2.4 Assign Responsibility | GP 2.5 Train People | GP 2.5 Train People | GP 2.6 Manage Configurations | GP 2.6 Manage Configurations | GP 2.7 Identify and Involve Relevant Stakeholders | GP 2.7 Identify and Involve Relevant Stakeholders | GP 2.8 Monitor and Control the Process | GP 2.8 Monitor and Control the Process | GP 2.9 Objectively Evaluate Adherence | GP 2.9 Objectively Evaluate Adherence | GP 2.10 Review Status with Higher Level Management | GP 2.10 Review Status with Higher Level Management | GG 3 Institutionalize a Defined Process | | GP 3.1 Establish a Defined Process | GP 3.1 Establish a Defined Process | GP 3.2 Collect Improvement Information | GP 3.2 Collect Improvement Information | GG 4 Institutionalize a Quantitatively Managed Process | | GP 4.1 Establish Quantitative Objectives for the Process | | GP 4.2 Stabilize Subprocess Performance | | GG 5 Institutionalize an Optimizing Process | | GP 5.1 Ensure Continuous Process Improvement | | GP 5.2 Correct Root Causes of Problems | | Statistical management involves statistical thinking and the correct use of a variety of statistical techniques, such as run charts, control charts, confidence intervals, prediction intervals, and tests of hypotheses. Quantitative management uses data from statistical management to help the project predict whether it will be able to achieve its quality and process-performance objectives and identify what corrective action should be taken. This process area applies to managing a project, but the concepts found here also apply to managing other groups and functions. Applying these concepts to managing other groups and functions may not necessarily contribute to achieving the organization's business objectives, but may help these groups and functions control their own processes. Examples of other groups and functions include the following: Quality assurance Process definition and improvement Effort reporting Customer complaint handling Problem tracking and reporting | |