PMI CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) Examination Content OutlineQuality Management and Continuous Process ImprovementMedium
A project manager is evaluating the effectiveness of a newly implemented quality control process. They are conducting audits to determine if the project activities comply with organizational and project policies, processes, and procedures. This activity is a primary output of which quality management process?
- AQuality Control
- BProcess Optimization
- CQuality Assurance
- DQuality Planning
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Quality Assurance
Auditing project activities to determine compliance with policies, processes, and procedures is a key activity within Quality Assurance (or Manage Quality). It focuses on the 'how' – ensuring the processes themselves are correct and being followed, rather than inspecting the end product.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Quality Control monitors specific project results to verify compliance of deliverables, not the processes themselves.
- B. Process Optimization is about improving processes, often as a result of findings from quality assurance or control activities.
- D. Quality Planning defines the standards and how to meet them, not audits compliance.
Quality Assurance (Manage Quality)
The process of auditing the quality requirements and the results from quality control measurements to ensure appropriate quality standards and operational definitions are used.
- Focuses on the process, not the product.
- Aims to prevent defects by improving processes.
- Involves auditing, process analysis, and quality improvement.
Memory trick: Assurance ensures the 'process' is sound, so the 'product' will be found.