Project Quality Management

Correct Answer: Discourage gold plating and focus on meeting the project requirements

Gold plating in project management is the act of giving the customer more than what they originally asked for. While this might seem like a good way to exceed expectations, it can often lead to scope creep and cost and time overruns. The better approach is to meet the requirements as defined in the project scope. This is why the answer 'Discourage gold plating and focus on meeting the project requirements' is the best answer. Let's look at the other options: 'Accept the team's suggestion and start gold plating' is not advisable because it can lead to a deviation from the project's intended scope, which might lead to increased costs and delays. 'Inform stakeholders about the team's suggestion' is not a solution to the problem, but only shifts the decision to the stakeholders. Finally, 'Perform additional quality audits' is unnecessary if you simply stick to the project scope.

Correct Answer: Quality Audit

The correct answer is **Quality Audit**. A quality audit is a structured, independent review conducted to determine whether project activities comply with organizational policies, processes, and procedures, and whether these policies and procedures are being implemented effectively. It also helps in identifying best practices being followed and areas of improvement. **Control Quality** focuses on monitoring and recording the results of executing quality activities to assess performance and recommend necessary changes. It is primarily concerned with the deliverables meeting the quality requirements, not specifically with compliance to organizational policies or industry best practices. **Process Analysis** involves identifying needed improvements in processes by examining problems, constraints, and non–value-added activities. While it aids in process improvement, it doesn't specifically ensure compliance with policies or adherence to best practices. **Benchmarking** is the process of comparing actual or planned project practices to those of comparable projects to identify best practices, generate ideas for improvement, and provide a basis for measuring performance. Although it helps in understanding industry standards, it does not ensure that project processes comply with organizational policies.

Correct Answer: Quality Planning

The activity described, reviewing the process for determining quality standards and requirements and how they will be applied, is part of the Quality Planning process in Project Quality Management. Quality Planning is the process of identifying quality requirements and standards for the project and product, and documenting how the project will demonstrate compliance with quality requirements. Quality Assurance is the process of auditing the quality requirements and the results from quality control measurements to ensure that appropriate quality standards and operational definitions are used. Quality Inspection and Quality Optimization are not valid Project Quality Management processes according to the PMBOK Guide.