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Quality Practice

Apply quality management approaches throughout the project.

Demonstrates understanding of quality management: product descriptions, quality management approach, quality register, and product register. Covers user quality expectations, acceptance criteria, quality specifications, and requirements. Focuses on quality planning, quality control, and quality assurance, analyzing whether quality approaches align with principles and project context.
5 minutes 5 Questions

In PRINCE2 7, the Quality practice is designed to ensure that the project's products are 'fit for purpose' and meet the business requirements necessary to realize the expected benefits. It provides a systematic approach to defining exactly what needs to be delivered and how to verify that it has be…

Concepts covered: Acceptance Criteria, Quality Management Approach, Product Description, Quality Register, Product Register, Quality Planning, Quality Control, Quality Assurance

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PRINCE2 Practitioner - Quality Practice Example Questions

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Question 1

You are managing a project to manufacture custom hydraulic pumps for industrial mining equipment. During quality control inspection, pressure test results across 18 sequential units show the following operational pressure readings: 2,850 PSI, 2,860 PSI, 2,870 PSI, 2,880 PSI, 2,890 PSI, 2,900 PSI, 2,910 PSI, 2,920 PSI, 2,930 PSI, 2,940 PSI, 2,950 PSI, 2,960 PSI, 2,970 PSI, 2,980 PSI, 2,990 PSI, 3,000 PSI, 3,010 PSI, and 3,020 PSI. The product specification defines acceptable operating pressure as 3,000 PSI ±250 PSI, meaning the tolerance range spans from 2,750 PSI to 3,250 PSI. The hydraulics engineer confirms that all 18 units pass the acceptance criteria and recommends proceeding with shipment to meet the mining company's equipment retrofit deadline in eight days. The quality control technician agrees, noting that the progression demonstrates the manufacturing process is functioning predictably. The welding supervisor mentions that a new apprentice has been gradually adjusting torque settings on the assembly fixtures throughout this production run to optimize efficiency. As the project manager reviewing this quality control data, what action should you prioritize?

Correct Answer: Halt production and investigate the systematic drift in pressure readings, as the continuous upward trend indicates special cause variation that may lead to future specification violations and suggests process instability requiring root cause analysis and corrective action before continuing manufacturing operations.

The correct action is to halt production and investigate the systematic drift in pressure readings.

From a PRINCE2 7 quality management perspective, this situation presents clear warning signs that require immediate attention:

Special Cause Variation: The data shows a perfect linear upward trend across 18 consecutive units, increasing by exactly 10 PSI per unit. This is not random variation - it indicates a systematic change in the process. While all units currently fall within specification limits (2,750-3,250 PSI), the trend is approaching the upper control limit and will likely exceed it if production continues.

Root Cause Information: The welding supervisor's comment about the apprentice "gradually adjusting torque settings throughout this production run" identifies the source of the special cause variation. This represents unauthorized process changes during production, which violates quality control principles.

Process Stability: PRINCE2 7 emphasizes that quality control must ensure processes are stable and predictable. A process exhibiting a consistent directional trend is unstable by definition. The quality control technician's assessment that the progression is "predictable" misinterprets the situation - predictable variation should be random within control limits, not trending systematically.

Risk Management: Continuing production risks creating non-conforming products. The next few units would likely read 3,030 PSI, 3,040 PSI, etc., quickly exceeding the 3,250 PSI upper specification limit. This would necessitate rework or rejection, causing greater delays than stopping now to investigate.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

Continuing production with enhanced monitoring fails to address the identified root cause and allows the problem to worsen, potentially creating more non-conforming units.

Proceeding with shipment ignores the process instability and could result in field failures if the trend continues, creating safety risks in mining equipment and damaging customer relationships.

Accelerating production compounds the problem by creating more potentially defective units before understanding and correcting the root cause.

PRINCE2 7's 'focus on products' principle requires that quality criteria be met consistently through stable processes, not just that individual items happen to fall within specification at a single point in time.

Question 2

A software development project for a banking system is entering the Initiating a Project process. The Quality Manager has identified that the customer requires compliance with ISO 27001 security standards and internal banking regulations. The project will use both in-house developers and an offshore vendor team. During the development of the Quality Management Approach, the Project Manager proposes to document that code reviews will be conducted by team leads from both locations, with security testing performed by the vendor's testing team at the end of each sprint. The Senior User expresses concern about relying solely on vendor resources for security verification given the regulatory environment. What approach would be MOST appropriate for defining quality responsibilities in the Quality Management Approach?

Correct Answer: Establish that independent security audits will be performed by qualified internal resources, with vendor testing activities contributing to broader quality control procedures alongside peer reviews

The most appropriate approach is to establish independent security audits performed by qualified internal resources, with vendor testing activities contributing to broader quality control procedures alongside peer reviews.

This answer is correct because:

  1. Independence in Quality Control: PRINCE2 7 emphasizes that quality control and quality assurance should maintain appropriate independence, especially for critical compliance requirements. Given the ISO 27001 security standards and banking regulations, independent verification by internal qualified resources provides the necessary assurance level.

  2. Appropriate Risk Response: The Senior User's concern about regulatory environment is valid. Having internal qualified resources perform independent security audits addresses this concern while still utilizing vendor capabilities appropriately.

  3. Quality Management Approach Principles: The Quality Management Approach should define clear roles and responsibilities for quality activities. This option establishes a proper separation between quality control (vendor testing, peer reviews) and quality assurance (independent internal audits).

  4. Compliance Assurance: For regulated environments requiring ISO 27001 compliance, independent verification by internal resources who understand the banking context and regulatory requirements is essential.

  5. Integrated Quality Approach: This solution doesn't discard vendor contributions but positions them appropriately within a comprehensive quality framework that includes multiple quality control mechanisms.

Why the other answers are less appropriate:

The option involving Project Manager coordination with compliance department creates unnecessary escalation paths and doesn't establish clear quality responsibilities at the operational level. It also places coordination burden on the Project Manager rather than establishing proper quality roles.

The option with Project Assurance reviewing on a rotating basis introduces inconsistency and doesn't provide the continuous independent oversight needed for security compliance. Project Assurance should provide independent oversight but not on a rotating basis that could create gaps.

The option of vendor team following banking procedures with team lead verification still relies primarily on vendor resources for security verification, which doesn't adequately address the Senior User's concern about independence in a regulated environment. Team leads reviewing vendor results doesn't provide true independence.

Question 3

What is the primary purpose of establishing acceptance criteria for a product?

Correct Answer: To define measurable conditions that must be fulfilled before the customer considers the product acceptable for operational use

The primary purpose of establishing acceptance criteria for a product is to define measurable conditions that must be fulfilled before the customer considers the product acceptable for operational use.

In PRINCE2 7, acceptance criteria are a critical component of product descriptions and quality management. They represent the customer's requirements and expectations that must be met for the product to be accepted and used operationally. These criteria:

  • Are defined from the customer's perspective
  • Establish the baseline for product acceptance
  • Are measurable and verifiable
  • Focus on fitness for purpose from the user's viewpoint
  • Determine when the customer will formally accept the product

Why the other answers are incorrect:

The option focusing on the project team considering development complete confuses acceptance criteria with completion criteria or quality criteria. While the project team uses acceptance criteria during development, the primary purpose is customer acceptance, not team completion.

The option about the supplier and handover to the project manager describes quality criteria or delivery criteria rather than acceptance criteria. This represents an internal project handover, not the customer acceptance that acceptance criteria are designed to address.

The option regarding quality assurance and testing activities describes quality control processes and documentation requirements. While testing may verify acceptance criteria, the criteria themselves exist to define customer acceptance, not to complete QA activities. Quality assurance processes support meeting acceptance criteria but are not the primary purpose of establishing them.

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