The Project Quality Management Plan

A quality management plan, which is an output of the project quality planning process, is a document that describes how a quality policy will be implemented. Quality improvement, quality control, and quality assurance are addressed in quality management plans. These plans usually are created by project management teams and project managers and are integrated into the overall project plan.

A quality plan acts as a road map to meeting customers' needs by breaking down the project objectives into lower-level activities. This process should identify specific quality actions.

Quality management plans are drawn up for specific products, individual projects, or highly complicated tasks. A new plan should be developed or changed to reflect the different activities of each project.

In contract situations, a quality plan is sometimes used by the supplier to show the customer how the project will meet quality requirements. In many cases, it's helpful to have the customer's input into the quality management plan.

Quality management plans take on different forms. They can be formal, informal, detailed, or general, depending on the needs of each particular project.

Quality plans ensure the proper documentation for a project is complete. They prove that quality goals are being met. An effective quality plan can also:

• identify all internal or external customers
• respond to the ever-changing needs of customers
• bring in the suppliers early in the project
• cause the process to be designed in a way that produces features that meet customer requirements.

Quality management plans and other aspects of quality planning require attention to detail. When defining quality, the term can mean different things to different people. Attention to detail helps ensure everyone's requirements for quality are met.