Is often in the Eye of the Beholder
* Is (often) in the Eye of the Beholder Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 1
Outline 1. The Belief 2. The Divergent Thinking 3. The Argument … for a new Approach 4. Historical Anecdotes Support new thinking 5. What do our children say? 6. Tagging – Qualities unspoken when selected 7. Twelve Quality Markers that live outside Project 8. Practical Application: Review of Project Failure 9. The Take Away 10. Conclusion Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 2
The Belief: Many believe quality is intrinsic to the product, person, place, project or program… and that Quality moves around as an object moves from one place to another…. Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 3
PMBOK subscribes to this notion referring to quality in Quality Management as tangible units in requirements or standards for project or product that can … ‘PAC’ • Plan Quality, • Assure Quality • Control Quality Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 4
The Divergence: This discussion offers a new perspective – a cataclysmic shift for the project manager or product designer: that Quality – like Beauty - is (often) in the Eye of the Beholder. Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 5
Back to Basics …. Definition of quality - Webster Dictionary 1 a: peculiar and essential character : NATURE her ethereal quality— Gay Talese b: an inherent feature : PROPERTY had a quality of stridence, dissonance— Roald Dahl c: CAPACITY, ROLE in the quality of reader and companion— Joseph Conrad 2 a: degree of excellence : GRADE the quality of competing air service— Current Biography b: superiority in kind merchandise of quality 3 a: social status : RANK b: ARISTOCRACY 4 a: a distinguishing attribute : CHARACTERISTIC possesses many fine qualities barchaic : an acquired skill : ACCOMPLISHMENT 5: the character in a logical proposition of being affirmative or negative 6: vividness of hue 7 a: TIMBRE b: the identifying character of a vowel sound determined chiefly by the resonance of the vocal chambers in uttering it 8: the attribute of an elementary sensation that makes it fundamentally unlike any other sensation Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 6
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The Argument : Humans qualify everything: a process to assign favorable or unfavorable quality markers to a favorite restaurant, a good beer, a vacation spot, a barber, book or baseball team Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 8
Yes, History tells us more…Quality (or non-Quality) sometimes lurks outside: Story 1: Christopher Columbus Story 2: History of Digital Camera Story 3: The first ATM’s in USA Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 9
Job evaluation? By children: • Wall Street Guru – daughter’s evaluation of his job No way! • World bank nominee – teenage son’s evaluation… “Dad it’s a setup…” • Favorite college intern – Not interested: “They don’t talk…” Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 10
Quality in a person: ‘Tagging’ Let’s test our own Quality markers for a prospective project team member Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 11
Tagging (unspoken) not found in RFP’s/Requirements Document nor Testing scripts. Requires Project team to look outside of project for quality markers for Persons, Project, Program, or Product…to fillin Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 12
Component Of Quality Non-Project examples 1. Expectation (by Sports stars / Politician Robotics others) WIFM at end = ‘lame duck’ = Automation low exp. multiplier New Recruit = high exp. 2. Timing History of ATM 3. Money spent to Jaguar, Mercedes Benz build or acquire Cadillac = detailing dashboard, seats, leather Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 13 World Cup Stadium delay, Y 2 K Tappanzee Bridge Project
Component Of Quality Non-Project examples 4. a The display – A Communications tool b. Showcasing Men’s wear in Milan 5. How long to perfect Example: Steel, Diamonds, Hand—made sweaters Mustang w/ spoilers, new car shine in showroom, car show 6. Complexity of Bottled Water …deep the process springs coming from Maine (miles away) Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 14 Proto-Typing Ribbon cut, Launch party, Users video History of the project , , 2 nd Ave project NYC Transaction speed
Component Of Quality Non-Project examples 7. Political Candidate: Recommendation newspaper, Union & Endorsement endorsement, products endorsed by singers, actors, sports stars 8. Differentiation: results in memory/recall/ visibility Stakeholder Endorsement & Consumer Feedback 9. Longevity, historically long lasting How long will delivery satisfy Prepared by Myrna E. Miller Maytag repairman ad …% of XYZ cars sold in 1999 on road today 15 Memorable metrics: ROI
Component Non-Project examples Of Quality Project examples 10. Environment Friendliness recycled, no PVC etc, no child labor in its construction, surrounding minimum wage, reduced carbon Meeting Intl Standards, Ethical hack, Loss Prevention 11. Is there a market for, how many like or dislike, internet reviews, = willing to pay Pilot, Test Waters, Controlled Delivery, 12. Ultimate Stakeholder The Lost Consumer – Discovery – Ignored during project build Who, where Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 16
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Summary: Survival skills for today’s Project Manager Story Board: Construction Project Manager building homes in Florida: Flexibility and stakeholder preferences registered at every turn – Creates Transparency, visibility along the way – Changes are embraced not resisted as scope creep Can change original request at certain intervals, with confirmation to proceed Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 18
Summary (Continued) • Recognizes, alignment and involvement with ultimate stakeholder – the home owner • This ultimate stakeholder –along with local inspection, engineering, plumbing and architectural teams - will determine Project Quality Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 19
Conclusion True Project Leadership must be aware of Quality dynamics that operate outside of project framework • PM can harness surprises in Risk, Cost, Quality, Stakeholder plans Most importantly, can find treasures hidden in quality markers outside of project boundaries Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 20
The Takeaway: Continuing the Conversation … and further reading “…Modern quality management and project management are complementary. They both emphasize customer satisfaction and the underlying belief that quality leads to customer satisfaction. . ” By Tim Mc. Clintock April 10, 2017 https: //www. globalknowledge. com/blog/2017/04/10/ what-is-project-quality-management/ Prepared by Myrna E. Miller 21
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