CS 402 final

cause-and-effect diagrams

trace complaints about quality problems back to the responsible production operations

DMAIC stands for?

Define Measure Analyze Improve Control

histogram

a bar graph of a distribution of variables (each bar represents an attribute or characteristic of a problem or situation, height of bar represents its frequency)

resource histogram

a column chart that shows the number of resources assigned to a project over time

project archives

a complete set of organized project records that provide an accurate history of the project

Six Sigma

a comprehensive and flexible system for achieving, sustaining, and maximizing business success by minimizing defects and variability in processes

ethical dilemma

a decision people might find themselves in when they have to decide if they should act in a way that might help another person (or company) when doing so might go against their own self-interest

control chart

a graphic display of data that illustrates the results of a process over time, helps PREVENT defects

Pareto chart

a histogram that can help you identify and prioritize problem areas

six 9s of quality

a measure of quality control equal to 1 fault in 1 million opportunities

Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

a popular tool for determining personality preferences and helping teammates understand each other

fitness for use

a product can be used as it was intended

design of experiments

a quality planning technique that helps identify which variables have the most influence on the overall outcome of a process

lessons-learned report

a reflective statement that documents important things an individual learned from working on the project

resource leveling

a technique for resolving resource conflicts by delaying tasks to create a smoother distribution of resource usage and reduce overallocation

Main outputs of quality control?

acceptance decisions, rework, process adjustments

performance

addressees how well a product or service performs the customer's intended use

maintainability

addresses the ease of performing maintenance on a product

user acceptance testing

an independent test performed by end users prior to accepting the delivered system

social styles

analytical, driver, amiable, expressive

defect

any instance where the product or service fails to meet customer requirements

software defect

anything that must be changed before delivery of the program

Projects are more likely to fail when project managers rely too heavily on:

authority, money, penalty

importance of face-to-face communication

body language and tone says a lot about how a person really feels

developing the project team

building individual and group skills to enhance project performance

measurement and test equipment costs

capital cost of equipment used to perform prevention and appraisal activities

extrinsic motivation

causes people to do something foe a reward or to avoid a penalty

intrinsic motivation

causes people to participate in an activity for their own enjoyment

statistical sampling

choosing part of a population of interest for inspection

internal failure cost

cost incurred to correct an identified defect before the customer receives the product

cost of quality

cost of conformance + cost of nonconformance

appraisal cost

cost of evaluating processes and their outputs to ensure quality

prevention cost

cost of planning and executing a project so it is error-free or within an acceptable error range

external failure cost

cost that relates to all errors not detected and corrected before delivery to the customer

smoothing

de-emphasize areas of difference and emphasize areas of agreement

collaborating

decision makers incorporate different viewpoints and insights to develop consensus and commitment

progress reports

describe what the project team has accomplished during a certain period of time

status reports

describe where the project stands at a specific point in time

staffing management plan

describes when and how people will be added to and taken off the project team

confrontation

directly face a conflict using a problem-solving approach

run chart

displays the history and pattern of variation of a process over time

DISC profiles

dominance, influence, steadiness, compliance

distributing information in an effective and timely manner

don't bury crucial info, don't be afraid to report bad info

project quality management

ensures that the project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken

reputation

esteem or high repute that individuals or organizations gain when they behave ethically

Projects are more likely to succeed when project managers influence with:

expertise, work challenge

maturity models

frameworks for helping organizations improve their processes and systems

benchmarking

generates ideas for quality improvements by comparing specific project practices or product characteristics to those of other projects or products within or outside the performing organization

acquiring the project team

getting the needed personnel assigned to and working on the project

flowcharts

graphic displays of the logic and flow of processes that help analyze how problems occur and how processes can be improved

company ethics

guiding practices and beliefs through which a particular company and its managers view their responsibility toward their stakeholders

fishbone/Ishikawa diagrams

help find the root cause of a problem

team development

helps people work together more effectively to improve project performance

developing the human resource plan

identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships

7 run rule

if 7 data points in a row are all below the mean, above the mean, or are all increasing or decreasing, then the process needs to be examined for non-random problems

planning quality

implies the ability to anticipate situations and prepare actions to bring about the desired outcome

mirroring

matching certain behaviors of another person

standard deviation

measures how much variation exists in a distribution of data

performing quality control

monitoring specific project results to ensure that they comply with the relevant quality standards

integration testing

occurs between unit and system testing to test functionally grouped components

cyberslackers

people who should be working, but instead spend their time online doing non-work-related activities

performing quality assurance

periodically evaluating overall project performance to ensure the project will satisfy the relevant quality standards

individual ethics

personal standards and values that determine how people view their responsibilities to others and how they should act in situations when their own self-interests are at stake

forecasts

predict future project status and progress based on past information and trends

modern quality management

requires customer satisfaction, prefers prevention to inspection, recognizes management responsibility for quality

withdrawal

retreat from an actual or potential disagreement

sample size formula

sample size = 0.25 * (certainty factor/acceptable error)^2

system outputs

screens and reports the system generates

How to prevent defects?

select proper materials, train people in quality, plan a process that ensures the appropriate outcome

scatter diagram

shows if there is a relationship between 2 variables

occupational ethics

standards that govern how members of a profession should conduct themselves when performing work-related activities

societal ethics

standards that govern how members of a society should deal with one another in matters involving issues such as fairness, justice, poverty, and the rights of the individual

quality audit

structured review of specific quality management activities that help identify lessons learned that could improve performance on current or future projects

DMAIC

systematic, closed-loop process for continued improvement that's scientific and fact based

managing the project team

tracking team member performance, motivating team members, providing timely feedback, resolving issues and conflicts, and coordinating changes to help enhance project performance

Preferred order for performing testing on IT projects?

unit testing, integration testing system testing, user acceptance testing

compromise

use a give give-and-take approach

trust

willingness of one person or group to have faith or confidence in the goodwill of another person

number of communication channels

(n(n-1))/2

5 dysfunctions of a team

1) absence of trust 2) fear of conflict 3) lack of commitment 4) avoidance of accountability 5) inattention to results

communications management plan contents

1. Stakeholder communications requirements 2. Information to be communicated, including format, content, and level of detail 3. Who will receive the information and who will produce it 4. Suggested methods or technologies for conveying the information 5. Frequency of communication 6. Escalation procedures for resolving issues 7. Revision procedures for updating the communications management plan 8. A glossary of common terminology

Pareto analysis (80-20 rule)

80% of problems are often due to 20% of the causes

cost of nonconformance

taking responsibility for failures or not meeting quality expectations

unit testing

tests each individual component (often a program) to ensure it's as defect-free as possible

system testing

tests the entire system as one entity

reliability

the ability of a product or service to perform as expected under normal conditions

The Concept of Intellectual Property

the ability to separate physical containers from valuable intellectual content is at the root of the legal rules that describe and protect intellectual property

resource loading

the amount of individual resources an existing schedule requires during specific time periods

quality

the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements

functionality

the degree to which a system performs its intended function

culture/legal assumption

the idea of ownership is a cornerstone not only for the American society but all modern, democratic nations and culture

ethics

the inner-guiding moral principles, values, and beliefs that people use to analyze or interpret a situation and then decide what is the right or appropriate way to behave

patent right

the invention which transforms "discovery" to new and useful use

copy right

the legal protection of expressive communication

yield

the number of units handled correctly through the process steps

conformance to requirements

the project's processes and products meet written specifications

features

the system's special characteristics that appeal to users

forcing

the win-lose approach

overallocation

the work requires more resources than are available