Quality

• Introduction
  • Purpose
  • Quality defined
• The PRINCE2 approach
• Quality planning
  • Overview
  • The customers quality expectations
  • Acceptance criteria
  • The Project Product Description
  • The Quality Management Strategy
  • Product Descriptions
  • The Quality Register
• Quality control
  • Overview
  • Quality methods
  • Quality records
  • Approval records
  • Acceptance records
• Responsibilities

Key sections

• Introduction
• Business case
• Organization
• Quality
• Plans
• Risk
• Change
• Progress
• Introduction to processes
• Starting up a projectDirecting a project
• Initiating a project
• Controlling a stage
• Managing Product Delivery
• Managing a Stage Boundary
• Closing a Project
• Tailoring PRINCE2 to the project environment
• Directing Projects with PRINCE2

Purpose

The purpose of the Quality theme is to define and implement the means by which the project will create and verify products that are fit for purpose.
The Quality theme defines the PRINCE2® approach to ensuring that the project’s products:

• Meet business expectations
• Enable the desired benefits to be achieved subsequently.

The ‘product focus’ principle is central to PRINCE2’s approach to quality.
It provides an explicit common understanding of what the project will create (the scope) and the criteria against which the project’s products will be assessed (the quality).
Without this understanding, the project would be exposed to major risks (such as acceptance disputes, rework, uncontrolled change, user dissatisfaction) that could weaken or invalidate the Business Case.

Only after establishing the quality criteria for the products and the quality management activities that have to be included in the project’s plans can the full project costs and timescales be estimated.
Underestimating or omitting quality management activities is likely to lead to slippages, overspends and/or poor quality results.
The Quality theme addresses the quality methods and responsibilities not only for the specification, development and approval of the project’s products, but also for the management of the project.

The Quality theme also covers the implementation of continuous improvement during the project - for example, looking for ways to introduce more efficiency or effectiveness into the management of the project and the project’s products.
Capturing and acting on lessons contributes to the PRINCE2 quality approach, as it is a means of achieving continuous improvement.

PRINCE2® is a Registered Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce in the United Kingdom and other countries.