Guide to Quality Planning as per PMBOK Guide Seventh Edition
Quality Planning is a vital component of project management that focuses on determining quality policies, objectives, and responsibilities so that the project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken. It's crucial because of the critical role quality plays in project success. High-quality outputs increase customer satisfaction, reduce rework, increase efficiency, and contribute to overall project success.
How It Works: Quality Planning involves the use of multiple techniques including Cost-Benefit Analysis, Cost of Quality, Design of Experiments, etc. The output of this process will be the Quality Management Plan that includes quality objectives, quality standards, quality roles, etc.
Exam Tips: When answering questions related to Quality Planning in the PMP exam, understand that planning quality is about creating a plan to ensure that the project meets the required standards. It isn't about improving quality. Any question that implies an increase in quality over the project requirements should be flagged as a red herring. Understand the difference between Quality Assurance, Quality Planning, and Quality Control. Misunderstanding these boundaries is one of the main ways people lose marks on questions about quality. Also, remember that prevention is always more important than inspection.