The Quantitative Project Management process area involves the following:
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Establishing and maintaining the project’s quality and process performance objectives
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Identifying suitable subprocesses that compose the project’s defined process based on historical stability and
capability data
found in process-performance baselines or models
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Selecting the subprocesses of the project’s defined process to be statistically managed
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Monitoring the project to determine whether the project’s objectives for quality and process performance are being
satisfied, and identifying appropriate corrective action
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Selecting the measures and analytic techniques to be used in statistically managing the selected subprocesses
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Establishing and maintaining an understanding of the variation of the selected subprocesses using the selected
measures and analytic techniques
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Monitoring the performance of the selected subprocesses to determine whether they are capable of satisfying their
quality and process-performance objectives, and identifying corrective action
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Recording statistical and quality management data in the organization’s measurement repository
The quality and process-performance objectives, measures, and baselines identified here are developed as described in
the
Organizational Process Performance process area. Subsequently, the results of performing the processes associated with
the Quantitative Project Management process area (e.g., measurement definitions and measurement data) become part of
the organizational process assets referred to in the Organizational Process Performance process area.
To effectively address the specific practices in this process area, the organization should have already established a
set of standard processes and related organizational process assets, such as the organization’s measurement repository
and the organization’s process asset library for use by each project in establishing its defined process. The project’s
defined process is a set of subprocesses that form an integrated and coherent lifecycle for the project. It is
established, in part,
through selecting and tailoring processes from the organization’s set of standard processes. (See the definition of “defined process” in the glossary.)
The project should also ensure that the measurements and progress of the supplier’s efforts are made available.
Establishment of effective relationships with suppliers is necessary for the successful implementation of this process
area’s specific practices.
Process performance is a measure of the actual process results achieved. Process performance is characterized by both
process measures (e.g., effort, cycle time, and defect removal efficiency) and product measures (e.g., reliability,
defect density, and response time).
Subprocesses are defined components of a larger defined process. For example, a typical organization’s development
process may be defined in terms of subprocesses such as requirements development, design, build, test, and peer review.
The subprocesses themselves may be further decomposed as necessary into other subprocesses and process elements.
One essential element of quantitative management is having confidence in estimates (i.e., being able to predict the
extent to which the project can fulfill its quality and process-performance objectives). The subprocesses that will be
statistically managed are chosen based on identified needs for predictable performance. (See the definitions of
“statistically managed process,” “quality and process-performance objective,” and “quantitatively managed process” in
the glossary.)
Another essential element of quantitative management is understanding the nature and extent of the variation
experienced in process performance, and recognizing when the project’s actual performance may not be adequate to
achieve the project’s quality and processperformance objectives.
Statistical management involves statistical thinking and the correct use of a variety of statistical techniques, such
as run charts, control charts, confidence intervals, prediction intervals, and tests of hypotheses. Quantitative
management uses data from statistical management to help the project predict whether it will be able to achieve its
quality and process-performance objectives and identify what corrective action should be taken.
This process area applies to managing a project, but the concepts found here also apply to managing other groups and
functions. Applying these concepts to managing other groups and functions may not necessarily contribute to achieving
the organization’s business objectives, but may help these groups and functions control their own processes.
Examples of other groups and functions include the following:
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Quality assurance
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Process definition and improvement
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Effort reporting
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Customer complaint handling
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Problem tracking and reporting
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