Information Systems Project Mgmt - Chapter 8 Quiz

Performing quality assurance is a subprocess of the _____ process of project quality management. A. initiating B. closing C. monitoring and controlling D. executing

D. executing Performing quality assurance is a subprocess of the executing process of project quality management.

Reliability is the ability of a product or service to perform as expected under deviant conditions.

False Reliability is the ability of a product or service to perform as expected under normal conditions.

_____ means the project's processes and products meet written specifications. A. Conformance to requirements B. Fitness for use C. Project feasibility D. Benchmarking

A. Conformance to requirements Conformance to requirements means that the project's processes and products meet written specifications. For example, if the project scope statement requires delivery of 100 computers with specific processors and memory, you could easily check whether suitable computers had been delivered.

_____ is the ability of a product or service to perform as expected under normal conditions. A. Reliability B. Performance C. Maintainability D. Functionality

A. Reliability Reliability is the ability of a product or service to perform as expected under abnormal conditions. In discussing reliability for IT projects, many people use the term IT service management.

_____ involves choosing part of a population of interest for inspection. A. Statistical sampling B. Conformance C. System testing D. Fitness for use

A. Statistical sampling Statistical sampling is a key concept in project quality management. Statistical sampling involves choosing part of a population of interest for inspection.

Validated changes and validated deliverables are the outputs of the _____ subprocess of project quality management. A. initiating B. closing C. monitoring and controlling D. executing

C. monitoring and controlling Validated changes and validated deliverables are the outputs of the monitoring and controlling subprocess of the quality control process of project quality management.

_____ diagrams trace complaints about quality problems back to the responsible production operations.

Cause-and-effect OR Fishbone OR Ishikawa

_____ 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. A. Prototyping B. Systems thinking C. Mind mapping D. Benchmarking

D. Benchmarking 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.

What are the five phases in the DMAIC process? Briefly describe each one.

Define: Define the problem/opportunity, process, and customer requirements. Important tools used in this phase include a project charter, a description of customer requirements, process maps, and Voice of the Customer (VOC) data. Examples of VOC data include complaints, surveys, comments, and market research that represent the views and needs of the organization's customers. Measure: Define measures, then collect, compile, and display data. Measures are defined in terms of defects per opportunity. Analyze: Scrutinize process details to find improvement opportunities. A project team working on a Six Sigma project, normally referred to as a Six Sigma team, investigates and verifies data to prove the suspected root causes of quality problems and substantiates the problem statement. An important tool in this phase is the fishbone or Ishikawa diagram. Improve: Generate solutions and ideas for improving the problem. A final solution is verified with the project sponsor, and the Six Sigma team develops a plan to pilot test the solution. The Six Sigma team reviews the results of the pilot test to refine the solution, if needed, and then implements the solution where appropriate. Control: Track and verify the stability of the improvements and the predictability of the solution. Control charts are one tool used in the control phase.

A run chart is a bar graph that depicts data points and their order of occurrence.

False A run chart displays the history and pattern of variation of a process over time. It is a line chart that shows data points plotted in the order of occurrence.

The term sigma means median.

False An important concept in Six Sigma is improving quality by reducing variation. The term sigma means standard deviation.

Validated changes and validated deliverables are the outputs of the quality assurance process.

False Controlling quality involves monitoring specific project results to ensure that they comply with the relevant quality standards while identifying ways to improve overall quality. Validated changes and validated deliverables are the outputs of the quality control process.

_____ correct or prevent further quality problems based on quality control measurements.

Process adjustments

_____ are groups of non-supervisors and work leaders in a single company department who volunteer to conduct group studies on how to improve the effectiveness of work in their department.

Quality circles

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

Reliability

Genichi Taguchi's _____ methods focus on eliminating defects by substituting scientific inquiry for trial-and-error methods.

Robust Design

The _____ model focuses on defining user requirements and planning software projects.

SQFD (Software Quality Function Deployment)

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

Six 9s of quality (Six nines of quality)

_____ measures how much variation exists in a distribution of data.

Standard deviation

_____ involves choosing part of a population of interest for inspection.

Statistical sampling

_____ are the screens and reports the system generates.

System outputs

Products that are accepted by project stakeholders are considered to be validated deliverables.

True Acceptance decisions determine if the products or services produced as part of the project will be accepted or rejected. If they are accepted, they are considered to be validated deliverables.

In TQC, product quality is more important than production rates, and workers are allowed to stop production whenever a quality problem occurs.

True In Total Quality Control, product quality is more important than production rates, and workers are allowed to stop production whenever a quality problem occurs.

Complete the formula: sample size = 0.25 * ( _____ /acceptable error)^2

certainty factor

In the DMAIC process, the letter "C" stands for _____.

control

The _____ means taking responsibility for failures or not meeting quality expectations.

cost of nonconformance

The term _____ means a product can be used as it was intended.

fitness for use

The purpose of _____ is to ensure that the project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken.

project quality management OR quality management

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines _____ as "the totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs."

quality

Performing _____ involves periodically evaluating overall project performance to ensure that the project will satisfy the relevant quality standards.

quality assurance

A(n)_____ is a structured review of specific quality management activities that help identify lessons learned that could improve performance on current or future projects.

quality audit

Performing _____ involves monitoring specific project results to ensure that they comply with the relevant quality standards while identifying ways to improve overall quality.

quality control

In a _____, the closer data points are to a diagonal line, the more closely the two variables are related.

scatter diagram

Watts S. Humphrey defines a(n) _____ as anything that must be changed before delivery of the program.

software defect

The _____ represents the number of units handled correctly through the process steps.

yield

What are the three main outcomes of quality control? Briefly describe each.

"Acceptance decisions" determine if the products or services produced as part of the project will be accepted or rejected. If they are accepted, they are considered to be validated deliverables. If project stakeholders reject some of the products or services produced as part of the project, there must be rework. "Rework" is action taken to bring rejected items into compliance with product requirements or specifications or other stakeholder expectations. Rework often results in requested changes and validated defect repair, resulting from recommended defect repair or corrective or preventive actions. Rework can be very expensive, so the project manager must strive to do a good job of quality planning and quality assurance to avoid this need. "Process adjustments" correct or prevent further quality problems based on quality control measurements. Process adjustments are often found by using quality control measurements, and they often result in updates to the quality baseline, organization process assets, and the project management plan.

Six Sigma's target for perfection is the achievement of no more than _____ defects, errors, or mistakes per million opportunities. A. 1.34 B. 3.4 C. 34 D. 13.4

B. 3.4 Six Sigma's target for perfection is the achievement of no more than 3.4 defects, errors, or mistakes per million opportunities.

_____ is the cost of evaluating processes and their outputs to ensure that a project is error-free or within an acceptable error range. A. Prevention cost B. Appraisal cost C. Internal failure cost D. External failure cost

B. Appraisal cost Appraisal cost is the cost of evaluating processes and their outputs to ensure that a project is error-free or within an acceptable error range. Activities such as inspection and testing of products, maintenance of inspection and test equipment, and processing and reporting inspection data all contribute to appraisal costs of quality.

_____ means that a product can be used as it was intended. A. Conformance to requirements B. Fitness for use C. Critical chain scheduling D. Free slack

B. Fitness for use Fitness for use means that a product can be used as it was intended.

_____ addresses how well a product or service performs the customer's intended use. A. Reliability B. Performance C. Maintainability D. Functionality

B. Performance Performance addresses how well a product or service performs the customer's intended use.

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

Design of experiments

DeMarco and Lister's study on organizations and productivity found direct correlations between productivity and programming language, years of experience, and salary.

False DeMarco and Lister also found no correlation between productivity and programming language, years of experience, or salary. Furthermore, the study showed that providing a dedicated workspace and a quiet work environment were key factors in improving productivity.

Gantt charts cannot be used to aid project quality management.

False Gantt charts can be created using project management software to help plan and track work related to project quality management.

Only in-house auditors can perform quality audits.

False In-house auditors or third parties with expertise in specific areas can perform quality audits; these quality audits can be scheduled or random.

List and briefly describe the three project quality management processes.

Planning quality includes identifying which quality standards are relevant to the project and how to satisfy those standards. Incorporating quality standards into project design is a key part of quality planning. For an information technology project, quality standards might include allowing for system growth, planning a reasonable response time for a system, or ensuring that the system produces consistent and accurate information. Quality standards can also apply to information technology services. For example, you can set standards for how long it should take to get a reply from a help desk or how long it should take to ship a replacement part for a hardware item under warranty. The main outputs of quality planning are a quality management plan, quality metrics, quality checklists, a process improvement plan, and project document updates. A metric is a standard of measurement. Examples of common metrics include failure rates of products produced, availability of goods and services, and customer satisfaction ratings. Performing quality assurance involves periodically evaluating overall project performance to ensure that the project will satisfy the relevant quality standards. The quality assurance process involves taking responsibility for quality throughout the project's life cycle. Top management must take the lead in emphasizing the roles all employees play in quality assurance, especially senior managers' roles. The main outputs of this process are organizational process asset updates, change requests, project management plan updates, and project document updates. Controlling quality involves monitoring specific project results to ensure that they comply with the relevant quality standards while identifying ways to improve overall quality. This process is often associated with the technical tools and techniques of quality management, such as Pareto charts, quality control charts, and statistical sampling. The main outputs of quality control include quality control measurements, validated changes, validated deliverables,work performance information , change requests, project management plan updates, project document updates, and organizational process asset updates.

An important tool used in the _____ phase of the DMAIC process is the fishbone or Ishikawa diagram. A. define B. measure C. analyze D. improve

C. analyze An important tool used in the analyze phase of the DMAIC process is the fishbone or Ishikawa diagram.

Projects that use Six Sigma principles for quality control normally follow a five-phase improvement process called _____. A. DMAIC B. weighted scoring model C. configuration management D. use case modeling

A. DMAIC Projects that use Six Sigma principles for quality control normally follow a five-phase improvement process called DMAIC.

_____ is a technique that helps identify which variables have the most influence on the overall outcome of a process. A. Design of experiments B. Backward pass C. Activity-on-arrow D. Crashing

A. Design of experiments Design of experiments is a technique that helps identify which variables have the most influence on the overall outcome of a process. Understanding which variables affect outcome is a very important part of quality planning.

_____, a quality system standard is a three-part, continuous cycle of planning, controlling, and documenting quality in an organization. A. Seven run rule B. ISO 9000 C. Six Sigma D. ASQ

B. ISO 9000 ISO 9000, a quality system standard developed by the ISO, is a three-part, continuous cycle of planning, controlling, and documenting quality in an organization.

Project managers are ultimately responsible for quality management on their projects.

True It is important for all project stakeholders to work together to balance the quality, scope, time, and cost dimensions of the project. Project managers, however, are ultimately responsible for quality management on their projects.

The quality assurance process involves taking responsibility for quality throughout the project's life cycle.

True Performing quality assurance involves periodically evaluating overall project performance to ensure that the project will satisfy the relevant quality standards. The quality assurance process involves taking responsibility for quality throughout the project's life cycle.

The Six Sigma approach works best for a project where a quality problem is identified between the current and desired performance.

True The Six Sigma approach works best for a project where a quality problem is identified between the current and desired performance.

_____ are the system's special characteristics that appeal to users. A. Features B. Outputs C. Yields D. Metrics

A. Features Features are the system's special characteristics that appeal to users. It is important to clarify what functions and features the system must perform, and what functions and features are optional.

_____ correct(s) or prevent(s) further quality problems based on quality control measurements. A. Process adjustments B. Rework C. Acceptance decisions D. Decomposition

A. Process adjustments Process adjustments correct or prevent further quality problems based on quality control measurements. Process adjustments often result in updates to the quality baseline, Organization process assets, and the project management plan.

A(n) _____ is any instance where the product or service fails to meet customer requirements. A. defect B. yield C. deliverable D. variance

A. defect A defect is any instance in which the product or service fails to meet customer requirements. Because most products or services have multiple customer requirements, there can be several opportunities to have a defect.

Important tools used in the _____ phase of the DMAIC process include a project charter, a description of customer requirements, process maps, and Voice of the Customer (VOC) data. A. define B. measure C. analyze D. improve

A. define Important tools used in define phase include a project charter, a description of customer requirements, process maps, and Voice of the Customer (VOC) data.

Describe the relationship between Six Sigma and Statistics. What statistical concepts are involved in the Six Sigma philosophy?

An important concept in Six Sigma is improving quality by reducing variation. The term sigma means standard deviation. "Standard deviation" measures how much variation exists in a distribution of data. A small standard deviation means that data clusters closely around the middle of a distribution and there is little variability among the data. A large standard deviation means that data is spread out around the middle of the distribution and there is relatively greater variability. A "normal distribution" is a bell-shaped curve that is symmetrical regarding the mean or average value of the population (the data being analyzed). In any normal distribution, 68.3 percent of the population is within one standard deviation (1sigma) of the mean, 95.5 percent of the population is within two standard deviations (2sigma), and 99.7 percent of the population is within three standard deviations (3sigma) of the mean. Standard deviation is a key factor in determining the acceptable number of defective units found in a population. A plus or minus six sigma in pure statistical terms means only two defective units per billion. However, the target for Six Sigma programs is 3.4 defects per million opportunities. Based on Motorola's original work on Six Sigma in the 1980s, the convention used for Six Sigma is a scoring system that accounts for more variation in a process than you would typically find in a few weeks or months of data gathering. In other words, time is an important factor in determining process variations.

_____ help users to identify the vital few contributors that account for most quality problems in a system. A. Gantt charts B. Pareto charts C. Control charts D. Tracking Gantt charts

B. Pareto charts A Pareto chart is a histogram that can help you identify and prioritize problem areas. The variables described by the histogram are ordered by frequency of occurrence. Pareto charts help you identify the vital few contributors that account for most quality problems in a system.

_____ refers to action taken to bring rejected items into compliance with product requirements or specifications or other stakeholder expectations. A. A process adjustment B. Rework C. An acceptance decision D. Validation

B. Rework Rework is action taken to bring rejected items into compliance with product requirements, specifications, or other stakeholder expectations. Rework often results in requested changes and validated defect repair, and it results from recommended defect repair or corrective or preventive actions.

A _____ is a standard of measurement in quality management. A. milestone B. metric C. merge D. matrix

B. metric A metric is a standard of measurement. Examples of common metrics include failure rates of products, availability of goods and services, and customer satisfaction ratings.

A ____ is a bell-shaped curve that is symmetrical regarding the average value of the population (the data being analyzed). A. skewed distribution B. normal distribution C. bimodal distribution D. degenerate distribution

B. normal distribution A normal distribution is a bell-shaped curve that is symmetrical regarding the mean or average value of the population (the data being analyzed).

Process improvement plan, quality metrics, and quality checklists are the outputs of the _____ process of project quality management. A. controlling quality B. planning quality management C. quality certification D. performing quality assurance

B. planning quality management The main outputs of planning quality management are a quality management plan, a process improvement plan, quality metrics, quality checklists, and project documents updates.

The _____ is a measure of quality control equal to 1 fault in 1 million opportunities problems. A. ISO 9000 B. six 9s of quality rule C. seven run rule D. Six Sigma rule

B. six 9s of quality rule Six 9s of quality is a measure of quality control equal to 1 fault in 1 million opportunities. In the telecommunications industry, it means 99.9999 percent service availability or 30 seconds of downtime a year.

A(n) _____ is done to test each individual component (often a program) to ensure that it is as defect-free as possible. A. integration test B. unit test C. user acceptance test D. system test

B. unit test A unit test is done to test each individual component (often a program) to ensure that it is as defect-free as possible. Unit tests are performed before moving on to the integration test.

_____ wrote "Quality Is Free" in 1979 and is best known for suggesting that organizations strive for zero defects. A. Juran B. Ishikawa C. Crosby C. Deming

C. Crosby Philip B. Crosby wrote Quality Is Free in 1979 and is best known for suggesting that organizations strive for zero defects.19 He stressed that the costs of poor quality should include all the costs of not doing the job right the first time, such as scrap, rework, lost labor hours and machine hours, customer ill will and lost sales, and warranty costs.

_____ addresses the ease of performing maintenance on a product. A. Reliability B. Performance C. Maintainability D. Functionality

C. Maintainability Maintainability addresses the ease of performing maintenance on a product.

____ is an independent test performed by end users prior to accepting the delivered system. A. Integration testing B. Unit testing C. User acceptance testing D. System testing

C. User acceptance testing User acceptance testing is an independent test performed by end users prior to accepting the delivered system. It focuses on the business fit of the system to the organization, rather than technical issues.

One of Juran's ten steps to quality improvement states that: A. an organization should minimize top management involvement in the achievement of individual employee goals. B. an organization should entrust improvement to individual employees rather than appointing teams or facilitators. C. an organization should build awareness of the need and opportunity for improvement. D. an organization should avoid "keeping score" in order to achieve an overall atmosphere of quality improvement.

C. an organization should build awareness of the need and opportunity for improvement. Joseph M. Juran wrote the first edition of the Quality Control Handbook in 1974, stressing the importance of top management commitment to continuous product quality improvement.One of Juran's ten steps states that an organization should build awareness of the need and opportunity for improvement.

_____ helps integrate traditionally separate organizational functions, set process improvement goals and priorities, provide guidance for quality processes, and provide a point of reference for appraising current processes. A. SQFD B. MTBI C. OPM3 D. CMMI

D. CMMI The Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is "a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes. It can be used to guide process improvement across a project, a division, or an entire organization."

Which of the following is one of Deming's 14 Points for Management? A. An organization should increase dependence on inspection to achieve quality. B. Award business based on price tag alone rather than on other considerations. C. Minimize total cost by working with multiple suppliers rather than a single supplier. D. Eliminate the annual rating or merit system.

D. Eliminate the annual rating or merit system. Dr. W. Edwards Deming is known primarily for his work on quality control in Japan. One of Deming's 14 Points for Management states that an organization should remove barriers that rob people of workmanship and eliminate the annual rating or merit system.

_____ is a cost that relates to all errors not detected and not corrected before delivery to the customer. A. Prevention cost B. Appraisal cost C. Internal failure cost D. External failure cost

D. External failure cost External failure cost is a cost that relates to all errors not detected and corrected before delivery to the customer. Items such as warranty cost, field service personnel training cost, product liability suits, complaint handling, and future business losses are examples of external failure costs.

_____ is the degree to which a system performs its intended function. A. Reliability B. Validity C. Maintainability D. Functionality

D. Functionality Functionality is the degree to which a system performs its intended function. Features are the system's special characteristics that appeal to users. It is important to clarify what functions and features the system must perform, and what functions and features are optional.

A _____ is a graphic display of data that illustrates the results of a process over time. A. statistical sampling chart B. Pareto chart C. Six Sigma chart D. control chart

D. control chart A control chart is a graphic display of data that illustrates the results of a process over time. Control charts allow you to determine whether a process is in control or out of control.

The _____ process is often associated with the technical tools and techniques of quality management, such as Pareto charts, quality control charts, and statistical sampling. A. quality planning B. quality certification C. quality assurance D. quality control

D. quality control Controlling quality involves monitoring specific project results to ensure that they comply with the relevant quality standards while identifying ways to improve overall quality. This process is often associated with the technical tools and techniques of quality management, such as Pareto charts, quality control charts, and statistical sampling.

The design of experiments technique cannot be applied to project management issues such as cost and schedule trade-offs.

False Design of experiments is a technique that helps identify which variables have the most influence on the overall outcome of a process. You can also apply design of experiments to project management issues such as cost and schedule trade-offs.

Integration testing involves testing of each individual component to ensure that it is as defect-free as possible.

False Integration testing occurs between unit and system testing to test functionally grouped components. It ensures that a subset or subsets of the entire system work together.

Customer requirements are an important aspect of the quality planning process.

False Quality planning also involves communicating the correct actions for ensuring quality in a format that is understandable and complete. In quality planning for projects, it is important to describe key factors that directly contribute to meeting the customer's requirements.

Testing as a stage is important only at the end of an information technology product development.

False Testing needs to be done during almost every phase of the systems development life cycle, not just before the organization ships or hands over a product to the customer.

What are the five major cost categories related to quality? Briefly describe each category.

Prevention cost: The cost of planning and executing a project so that it is error-free or within an acceptable error range. Preventive actions such as training, detailed studies related to quality, and quality surveys of suppliers and subcontractors fall under this category. Detecting defects in information systems during the early phases of the systems development life cycle is much less expensive than during the later phases. One hundred dollars spent refining user requirements could save millions by finding a defect before implementing a large system. The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue provides a good example of these costs. If organizations had decided during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s that all dates would need four characters to represent the year instead of two characters, they would have saved billions of dollars. Appraisal cost: The cost of evaluating processes and their outputs to ensure that a project is error-free or within an acceptable error range. Activities such as inspection and testing of products, maintenance of inspection and test equipment, and processing and reporting inspection data all contribute to appraisal costs of quality. Internal failure cost: A cost incurred to correct an identified defect before the customer receives the product. Items such as scrap and rework, charges related to late payment of bills, inventory costs that are a direct result of defects, costs of engineering changes related to correcting a design error, premature failure of products, and correcting documentation all contribute to internal failure cost. External failure cost: A cost that relates to all errors not detected and not corrected before delivery to the customer. Items such as warranty cost, field service personnel training cost, product liability suits, complaint handling, and future business losses are examples of external failure costs. Measurement and test equipment costs: The capital cost of equipment used to perform prevention and appraisal activities.

Using Six Sigma principles is an organization-wide commitment and all employees must embrace its principles.

True Using Six Sigma principles is an organization-wide commitment. CEOs, top managers, and all levels of employees in an organization that embraces Six Sigma principles have seen remarkable improvements due to its use.