CHAPTER 11

MANAGING THE QUALITY OF CONSULTING

ENGAGEMENT

Introduction:
Project evaluation and controls provide the means of
successfully administering the work plan.
The Specific Objectives of Project Evaluation and Control
are:

1. To provide assurance that the project is on schedule and

within budget.
2. To communicate the exact project status of all concerned
personnel.
3. To ensure that a quality product will be implemented.
The project controls generally include the following:

1. Administrative controls

2. Time reporting procedure

3. Independent quality assurance review

 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL:
- Project controls are formed at the organizational stage of
the project to provide overall guidelines and control to the
implementation process.
 Administrative Framework
- is organized which should include individuals who have direct
interest in the quality of the final products.

The administrative framework would normally consist of;

o one or more client management committees, with
representatives from the users areas
o the top management, and
o the information processing services department.
Firm might be establish both;
• Project steering committee
- maintain direct control over the project.
• Management advisory committee
- coordinate the activities of the information processing
services department.
Specific functions of the committee under Project steering
committee are:
1. Exercise control over all costs and benefits pertaining to the
development and operation of the system spanned
by the project.
2. Monitors project activities to ensure that all changes to the
system design are made only with proper approval and
that all policy changes are observed.
3. Holds regularly scheduled status meetings to carry out the
monitoring responsibilities. Special meetings are also held
when specific problems of significance arise.
 Time Reporting and Analysis Procedures
- necessary to keep the project within its time schedule and
peso budget.

This procedures aim to accomplish the following objectives:

1. To provide project management with information necessary
for planning, administering and controlling the project.
2. To prepare and control the project work program updates.
3. To assist the project leader in preparing management status
reports.
4. To account for all time used on the project by the team
members.
Analysis of the variance between actual and budgeted time could
point out to one or a combination of the following possible causes:
1. Improper application of guidelines in making the estimate
2. Improper communication of task scopes and objectives
3. Inappropriate assignment of task to personnel
4. Unexpected changes to task scopes and objective
5. Unexpected difficulties related to availability or functioning of project
resources
 INDEPENDENT QUALITY ASSURANCE REVIEWS
- control over projects are the quality assurance program.

More important objectives of quality assurance are to ensure that:

1. The system satisfies all user requirements and is operable on a day-
to-day basis
without
assistance.
2. The system is being developed within the time frame and cost
estimates originally agreed upon.
3. The systems employs satisfactory methods and techniques that are
within the sphere of competence of a majority of client personnel.
4. The presentation and format of all procedures, documents and coding
are neat , well organized and in conformance with established client
standards.
A quality assurance program includes the following
components:

1. Independent reviews, and

2. Quality assurance checklists.
Independent reviews
- these reviews should be performed by someone who
(a) is not associated with the project, and
(b) has a skill level at least as high as that of the project
leader.
Quality Assurance Checklists
- contain a series of questions concerning the quality of work
performed and should be:
(a) prepared by the project supervisor responsible for the work,
and
(b) reviewed by both the project leader and the independent
reviewer.
Two types of control:
1. Preventive control
- establish benchmarks of expected performance.
2. Feedback control
- are generated by measuring actual performance and
comparing it with the expected performance.
“THANK YOU AND GOOD
MORNING”