Quality Assurance - Tasks of the QA Manager
What is the QA manager responsible for? The most
important areas of responsibility of the QA manager are:
- Drawing up and updating the QA plan
- Advising / assisting with the definition of the quality
requirements made on the product
- Supporting and advising the members of the project team in executing
QA measures (e.g. reviews)
- Checking the compliance and correct
execution of measures set out in the QA plan (development method,
project-specific measures)
- Analysis of systematic errors in the
project
- Initiation and monitoring of corrective and preventive
measures
- Drawing up quality reports
- Maintaining contacts with QA departments
outside the project team (responsible QM, centralized quality
management)
- Assisting on project standards and
checking their compliance.
What specific tasks does the QA manager have? The
QA manager does not need to plan and execute all the QA measures himself.
He is merely responsible for the drawing up of
the QA plan and quality reports. The specific implementation in the
project must be set down on a project-specific basis (detailed
responsibilities must be documented in the project plan).
Depending on the amount of QA measures performed by the QA manager
different acts can be played. The activity of the QA manager can therefore
vary between two extremes in a project:
|
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Minimum variant: The
QA manager is at the edge of or outside the actual project events
and merely provides specifications and carries out controlling
functions |
Very low effort; global project know-how may be
more effective |
Relatively superficial; danger of being seen as
a supervisor; may not understand the real problems involved in the
project; is often seen only as a debit for the project
account. |
Maximum variant: The
QA manager is fully integrated into the project process and deals
with QA and development activities |
The QA manager knows what things are "really"
about and can therefore plan and execute QA measures far more
efficiently; the QA manager will be accepted more readily by the
project team due to his involvement |
Possible conflict of goals, role conflict; the
project manager has to function as both colleague and superior in
development activities |
The area of responsibility of the QA manager from the perspective of
the development method should tend more towards the maximum variant since
this yields advantages over the long term (including economic
advantages).
What is the meaning of contracting? Contracting
means concrete agreements to split the responsibility and execution of
quality assurance and project management tasks between the QA manager and
the project manager of a project (sometimes also additionally between the
project manager and his superiors in the business unit). The result of
these agreements which are us ally performed in a "contracting discussion"
using checklists has to be stated in the project plan ("who is responsible
for what").
Contracting should increase the consciousness for the compliance of
commitments of all participants (like making a contract) and thereby helps
to assign balanced responsibility and duties to the role of the QA manger
and the project manager. As an example the QA manger of the project is
often defined as substitute of the project manager. In the view of the
development method contracting is optional but may be mandatory in certain
divisions.
How is the responsibility of the QA manager regulated in projects with PSE
international? The tasks of the QA manager in projects
with PSE international have to be regulated - as in any other
project - project-specifically and must be documented in the project plan
(define if there is an additional 'regional' QA manager and what are his
tasks). This does not only apply to QA themes but also to all other tasks
within a project. That means in practice: acceptance of QA responsibility
by PSE international as far as it is reasonable. If a complete subproject
is handled in a region it may be useful to establish a regional subproject
manager and a regional QA manager.
An additional parallel QA should not be built up without good
reason. Useful hints for the cooperation with PSE regions
outside Austria can be found in the best practice report Cross-Regional Cooperation in PSE
Projects. |