Various definitions of the concept of quality have been put forward.
One generic definition (Pass, 2006b) is as follows:
The overall characteristics of a product or service that fulfill the requirements of customers in terms of quality.
This definition aligns with the viewpoint of Joseph Juran, who, in the 1950s, defined quality as ‘fitness for use’ (as quoted in ASQ, 2019).
This definition is largely consistent with the definition of quality provided by APM (2019, p. 214):
The suitability for the intended purpose and the degree to which the output of a process or the process itself conforms to the requirements.
Now take a moment to consider the following statements about quality. Which ones do you agree with?
- Quality should prioritize the customer’s needs.
- Quality is an internal focus.
- Quality should be considered from the project’s inception.
- The execution phase of a project is crucial for achieving quality goals.
- Quality issues should be openly discussed to identify corrective actions.
- Quality problems should be concealed from customers and possibly managers.
- Individuals are enthusiastic about producing high-quality outcomes.
- Team members do not produce quality outputs without close supervision.
Share your thoughts on these statements in the discussion section below.
Quality should be considered from the beginning of the project. Quality issues should be discussed openly to find solutions, and people need to be keen on producing quality outputs.
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Quality must be considered from the very beginning of a project because it prevents costly rework, clarifies requirements, manages risks, builds stakeholder confidence, and ensures sustainable long-term results. Ignoring quality early often leads to wasted resources, delays, and dissatisfied end-users. Quality is not something that can be “inspected into” a product at the end—it must be built in from the very start. If quality is ignored in the early stages, the project is likely to face higher costs, delays, and dissatisfied stakeholders later on.
Quality is not just internal, it is defined by customers expectations and external standards. Quality must meet the customers needs and satisfaction. Quality should be embedded into the project from the beginning, not a last minute check.
Quality should be defined from the customer’s perspective—meeting their needs and ensuring outputs are fit for purpose. It must be built in from the project’s inception and carried through execution, with issues openly discussed to enable every possible corrective actions. Hiding problems only damages trust, while motivated individuals naturally strive for high-quality outcomes. Quality is not just an internal focus but a balance between process discipline and customer satisfaction.
In my view, quality should be embedded from the very inception of a project. It must remain the guiding principle for every project manager. Prioritizing quality enhances efficiency, strengthens reliability, and positions the project manager at the top of their craft. Once a project manager consistently delivers high-quality outcomes, stakeholders gain confidence and peace of mind, making them more willing to provide the necessary support and resources to ensure successful delivery of the intended outputs and deliverables.
Quality in project management is about consistently delivering outputs that fulfill the project scope, satisfy stakeholder expectations, comply with standards, and remain fit for use,all within agreed constraints of time, cost, and resources.
In my view quality should be considered from the project’s inception, all stakeholders including sponsors should be on deck to agree on what quality means to them.
This way everyone will be on deck throughout the life of the project, it makes decision making easier especially when faced with conflicting issues
In my own opinion the quality of project should be considered from the foundation of the project. The quality of the project from the very beginning should be sole aims and objectives of the project. It will make the project manager more trusted and reliable to carry on with the rest of the project. Stakeholders will be less stressed and provide adequate support the project manager and project team needs to deliver the project objectives.
My take on this is quality should be considered from the project inception.
This should be the watchword of every project manager. This makes the project manager more efficient, reliable and to be on the top of his or her game. Ones a project manager is known to deliver quality project, stakeholders will be at rest and will be able to deliver whatever it takes to support the project manager to deliver his project.