Category: Quality Management

It is normal to worry about our bridges and other infrastructure whenever we hear about a bridge or building collapse, such as the recent incident regarding the Forbes Bridge in Pittsburgh. And I think that often part of the shock or surprise is because we see these structures as indestructible, or at least we assume they are. However, as is often reported, our national infrastructure needs to be upgraded, retrofitted, replaced, or, at the very least, inspected regularly. And this need for inspection is not limited to superstructures; our own homes require it as well, which we do when we replace a roof, renovate a kitchen or bathroom, or even paint the outside to protect the skin of the building. Again, however, we never think of the structure itself. Instead,…

As economies worldwide grow, and manufacturing continues to increase output exponentially in almost every sector, quality control tends, at times, to atrophy and become, to some extent, superfluous. Quality is often relegated to secondary or tertiary levels of importance. This is in large part because reaching production goals, meeting schedules, and staying within prescribed budgets are more critical than turning out the right product. In other words, most project manager's focus is almost entirely set on the triple constraints: scope, cost, and time. However, we all know that these constraints are only a part of a successful project. This is why we have to have a Quality Management Plan (QMP) in place for all projects, which, at a minimum, must contain Quality Metrics. As I teach in my courses, we…