Operational Definitions and Project Quality

Individuals working on a project should have an eye for detail, as it is an important aspect of quality. What kind of quality details do you keep in mind throughout a project?

Operational definitions focus on many kinds of details. Perhaps these include details you have also considered. Operational definitions describe what something is and how it is measured by the quality control process.

Operational definitions, sometimes referred to as metrics, are used to measure quality. They are quality assurance inputs that project management teams used to indicate the specifics about the quality of their projects.

For example, to define the testing process of a new pharmaceutical drug, the operational definition must describe the drug's composition, the type of study conducted, the variables tested, and the subjects used.

Defining how something is measured can be challenging, as there are many details to consider. To simplify this process, an operational definition answers the following three questions.

1. What is measured?
For example, A.L. Textiles manufactures a wide variety of textile products for industry and commerce. To be sure each material conforms to its intended purpose, the operational definition details the makeup of the textile and indicates how it is measured for quality.

2. How is it measured?
A.L. Textiles measures the durability of the medical uniform style AJ347. The product is 65 percent polyester and 35 percent cotton. It's available in adult sizes, small to extra large, and comes in colors white, gray/blue, and green.

3. When is it measured?
The durability of uniform style AJ347 is measured after initial manufacturing by washing the garment 300 times. The condition of the garment is recorded on a check sheet. In addition, the durability of the uniform is measured after any necessary product rework.

Remember, operational definitions are used to measure quality. They indicate the specifics about the quality of a project's product or service. In particular, they describe what something is, describe how it is measured, and describe when it is measured.

The Rollout Phase of the IT Project

The final phase of the IT project life cycle, the rollout phase, ensures that the delivery of the new system to the clients will proceed smoothly and on schedule. The steps you should follow to successfully complete the rollout phase are described below.

1. Identify the inputs.
In the first step of the rollout phase, you should identify the following inputs.

• Conversion plan. The conversion plan documents indicate any equipment needed to perform the conversion, when the conversion will take place, a time limit for performing the conversion, and any special requirements needed.

• Operations instructions. The operations instructions explain in detail how to install and use the system.

• Rollout plan. The rollout plan is a detailed schedule of the sites to be converted, the order of conversion, and the timing of the conversion.

• End user documentation. The end user documentation is anything the user will need to use the system correctly. It may be in the form of user manuals, operating instructions, tutorials, or access to a help facility.

2. Conduct the key activities.
The next step in the rollout phase is to conduct the key activities. The key activities associated with this phase are described below.

• Perform a readiness check. A readiness check is a series of checks the project manager (PM) and project management team make to mitigate risks associated with conversion and to confirm that user personnel have been trained properly. There are two types of readiness checks. The operational readiness check will ensure that the physical environment is correct and will verify that the architecture will support the new system. The user assurance check tests end users on the functionality of the new system in a controlled environment to verify that they have been trained properly.

• Conduct the system conversion. The next key activity, conduct the system conversion, involves converting the application from the old system to the new one.

• Perform production monitoring. The perform production monitoring key activity involves following the plans and delivering the materials that were developed in previous phases of the project life cycle to the end users.

• Document potential enhancements. The last key activity, document potential enhancements, is conducted after the end user tests the system. During the system conversion, end users identify corrections and improvements for the system, which the PM documents.

3. Create the outputs.
The PM must next create the outputs. The first output of this phase is change requests, which document any enhancement to the system and any problems encountered. The second output, post conversion review document, outlines how the conversion of the system went.

4. Meet the milestone.
Once the post conversion review document is completed, the PM completes the last step of the rollout phase—meet the milestone—by obtaining the post conversion review document sign-off from the conversion team and end users. This shows that the system was successfully converted.

Rollout is the final phase a project manager conducts in the IT project life cycle. Upon completion of the rollout phase, the PM has a successful project, and the client has a satisfactory product.