Quality assurance is the collective term for the formal activities and managerial processes that attempt to ensure that products and services meet the required quality level. Quality assurance also includes efforts external to these processes that provide informa- tion for improving the internal processes. It is the quality assurance function that attempts to ensure that the project scope, cost, and time functions are fully integrated.

The Project Management Institute Guide to the Body of Knowledge refers to quality assurance as the management section of quality management. This is the area where the project manager can have the greatest impact on the quality of his project. The project manager needs to establish the administrative processes and procedures necessary to ensure and, often, prove that the scope statement conforms to the actual requirements of the customer. The project manager must work with his team to determine which processes they will use to ensure that all stakeholders have confidence that the quality activities will be properly performed. All relevant legal and regulatory requirements must also be met.

Quality assurance can be completed at any stage of the project process. It can begin with establishing a quality framework for the hiring process so that only the best, most compatible talent is brought on. After that, teams can perform self-checks to ensure that your work is conducted according to predefined standards.

A good quality assurance system will:

• Identify objectives and standards.
• Be multifunctional and prevention oriented.
• Plan for collection and use of data in a cycle of continuous improvement.
• Plan for the establishment and maintenance of performance measures.
• Include quality audits.