QUALITY CONTROL


A part of projects that is often forgotten until the end is certification work. Many projects are required to produce certification at their closure. This ensures that they have achieved a certain standard and are fit for the purpose for which they are intended. Some examples of this might include the certification that proves that a mobile phone is safe for use. Often obtaining such certification takes a number of weeks or in some cases a number of months. It is therefore important to identify the need for this certification early in the project. This ensures that it can be completed in time and as a result the project closure isn't delayed.

At the end of the project there are two stages that are normally undertaken; these are called ˜verification' and ˜validation'. Often these are completed under one heading called ˜acceptance testing'. Verification testing is checking that the final deliverable meets with the specification. Verification is a very important stage in the project. It is the stage where customers agree that everything they asked for has been provided and has been provided to the right specification. For a building this might mean checking that all of the rooms have been completed to the agreed specification.

Verification is often confused with validation. Validation takes verification a stage further and checks whether the project did what was actually desired. The key difference between the two is an understanding that validation is about checking that the customer is happy with the final result. This is an important step because customers, although they may agree that the project has delivered what was asked for, may still be unhappy with the actual result. If this was the case you should take action to try to readjust the project result to meet the customer's expectations. For example, whilst all the rooms may be present and meet the desired specification they may not be suitable for the purpose that the customer has in mind.

The acceptance test is a combination of verification and validation. The acceptance test guides customers through all of the different areas of the project. Initially customers are led through the specification and shown how the specification has been met. Once customers agree that the specification has been met they are then taken through the validation testing. Often the result of validation testing is a list of areas where customers would like changes. The acceptance test concludes with customers signing the test to acknowledge that they have agreed the test is an accurate picture of the project status.

You should not feel that the project is closed simply because the customer signs the acceptance test. You need to demonstrate commitment to your customer. In many cases you will have agreed to undertake activities that have been derived from the results of validation testing. However, viewing the acceptance test as being the test that means the customer is satisfied is a reasonable position to adopt.




Advanced Project Management. A Complete Guide to the Key Processes, Models and Techniques
Advanced Project Management: A Complete Guide to the Key Processes, Models and Techniques
ISBN: 0749449837
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2007
Pages: 69
Authors: Alan D. Orr

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