NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF THE BUILT AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

BE1018 Distance Learning

PROJECT MANAGEMENT [Process & People]

Level 7

TUTOR - D E JOHANSEN

PROCESS SECTION
Topic No. 8
Quality
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Learning outcomes

Within the context of the module this topic seeks to support the following learning
outcome:
Specifically on completion of this topic the student should be able to:
Formulate proposals for the application of TQ to projects.

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Quality
There will be very little text for this session. Most of the learning should take place by your interaction
with the video lecture Quality.
You will address the following issues in the video:
Quality Definitions [APM etc]
Planning the strategy
Acceptance criteria
Quality planning
Quality assurance
Quality control
Quality success
Total quality
What is quality?
Who is the customer?
Features of quality
Continuous improvement
Quality processes
Doing things properly
Customersupplier chains
Top instigated bottom driven
Roles
Activities
Culture
Communication
Teamwork
Procedure
Oakman's rules

Applying TQ
One of the key issues mentioned in the video is that the application of TQ is Top led but Bottom
driven. That means that for the process to be successful, it must have top management buy in but it is a
long and continuous journey and will fail if it does not end up being owned and driven at all levels of the
company and essentially become bottom up. In fact it has many similarities to Lean. However, the
challenge for us is how to take a business level process/philosophy and deliver it at project level. In fact
all businesses have the same problem, whether they are project based or not. They have to apply the
process/philosophy across the business. We will do some thinking about this in the Self Assessment
section.

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The Balanced Scorecard
A development of TQ is the Balanced Scorecard and you should now research this and look at the
following webpages:
http://www.balancedscorecard.org/basics/bsc1.html

Key components of TQ in projects

Exercise

Based on what you have read so far what do you think are the key components of a TQ system?

Write down your answer.

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Answer

I think that TQ needs to be Top led but bottom driven and that it is a long term commitment and
journey which involves empowering people at the level that quality is delivered to take responsibility for
quality. This is done by training and education in a transparent environment. It also involves establishing
what quality is for those who are customers but accepting that customers are more than the paying client
and that anyone who is provided a service is a customer. Oakmans rules apply (1997) to prcis them
collect information about what you do, analyse it and make a decision about what to do with the analysis
[even if it is nothing]. I would also add that you should only do what adds value.

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Independent Learning
There are numerous resources available both in book and research paper form on TQ.
Perhaps the best of them for us would be those that deal with the practical application
of TQ. I can offer suggestions [but they will be based on my industry so for your own
maybe it is best to research the topic].
In fact, I would start with getting a general understanding by reading Oakman and
Morriss book which I used for the video:

Oakland, J,. & Morris, P. (1997) TQM: A pictorial guide for managers. ButterworthHeinemann

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SELF ASSESSMENT

So what have you learned from this topic

The learning objectives were:

Specifically on completion of this topic the student should be able to:
Formulate proposals for the application of TQ to projects.

The test of this will be the final Self Assessment exercise.

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Topic 8
Self Assessment

The concepts of TQ should be clear but can you see how they might be applied in a project based
industry?

Try and produce some bullet points [fill at least one page] with ideas of how you would apply it in a
project.

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Tutors model answer

I would base my answer on a study tour I did in the 1990s to the American subsidiary of a worldwide
th

construction company which was in the 5 year of its TQ journey.

What they did for projects was:

Start every project with a 1 day facilitated workshop involving all the key
stakeholders. They called it a Project Quality Planning Session and it is the
beginning of a Plan, Do Check, Act cycle.

Begin by explaining TQ and the way they applied it

Establish a high level Mission Statement for the project by discussion and
agreement among the stakeholders

Facilitate an Expectations Analysis in which every key stakeholder said publicly

what they wanted from another and vice versa [what their Success factors
were]. The team of all stakeholders then discussed and agreed which of these
expectations was achievable [within the context of the Mission]. This could be
produced in a matrix of agreed expectations.

The final item of business was to establish [with all stakeholders represented] a
Project Lead Team which was responsible for managing project processes proactively.

The Lead Teams job was then, during the project, to select and train Quality
Improvement Teams [QITs] who were responsible for specific processes
associated with each expectation they designed the process and its
measurement, measured and reported on it, self supervised improvements,
checked final customer satisfaction and celebrated success.

These QITs had specific life spans over the life of the process and were
dismantled on completion of each process. Most stakeholders were members of
many different QITs.

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My study tour of their projects suggested that they had a lot of success. However, they acknowledged
that they had a long way to go and were still seeking further improvements. For example they had not
solved the problem of getting all sub-contractors and suppliers involved in the TQ process [Although we
did see one site Mission Statement on a large notice board which appeared to be covered in graffiti
which was in fact sub-contractors signing up to the Mission after they had had a training session some
Americans are very positive people.].
I was also impressed with their organisation chart which I found on one managers desk it was
somewhat different to the normal ones we see with the MD at the top and a cascade of subordinates
below down to the lowliest manager at the bottom. At the top it had Clients without them we wouldnt
be here and the QITs directly below them leading down at the bottom to the CEO. I liked that as a visual
signal of intent.