August 2013 ■ Project Management Journal ■ DOI: 10.1002/pmj e1

Project Management Journal, Vol. 44, No. 4, e1© 2013 by the Project Management InstitutePublished online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).DOI: 10.1002/pmj.21351

T here are many facets in developing and delivering a product to market, but arguably one of the most critical is quality. In typical project

management scenarios, the focus is on scope, cost, and time. There is a lot of pressure for teams to “just get it done” and, as a result, this approach has relegated quality to that of a second-tier priority. The “iron triangle” view of project management, coupled with the fundamental view that quality is determined by the customer, puts project and product managers in an apparent “no win” situation when it comes to controlling quality. However, the opposite is true because we have a signifi cant amount of control in how our teams can achieve the appropriate level of quality needed for our products to be “fi t for use” for our end customers. One of the tools in our project management arsenal to help achieve this objective is that of Total Quality Management (TQM).

The authors set out to bridge the perceived gap between the TQM processes of the manufacturing world with the discipline of project management. Their fundamental premise is that although projects are unique, for many organizations, projects exhibit some degree of “repeatability” due to similarities in processes, tools, approach, and execution. Given this view, the authors contend that organizations can learn from the past, which, of course, is not a new concept for project managers because we have lessons learned and retrospective reviews to discuss process improvements. But the authors are strengthening this task with that of the discipline of TQM.

Structurally, the authors have laid out their book in a very specific manner, with each chapter having a few key areas of discussion, including “Questions to Ponder.” This section may be one of the most important sections of each chapter, as it sparks the reader to answer the questions with respect to

Total Quality Management for Project Managementby Kim H. Pries and Jon M. Quigley

CRC Press, 2013, ISBN: 9781439885055, hardcover, 295 pp., $66.45 Member, $69.95 Nonmember.

his or her own situation versus a general statement of answers set by the authors. Also, as part of each chapter, there is a “Why” question that addresses rationale and a TQM scenario as applied to the chapter topic. Each chapter ends with one or more exercises, and in some chapters, supporting tools, such as checklists, example plans, and so on, are provided.

From the content point of view, the basic premise is that in any endeavor, there must be defined and measurable objectives to ensure success. Measur -able objectives, augmented with the processes and tools needed to provide the continuous measurements of key indicators, enable us to know where we are and if our project needs a “course correction” to help reach the stated objectives.

To focus the reader’s attention on these key aspects, Pries and Quigley have organized the chapters in their book to cover three major areas of quality management: metrics, process, and tools. Chapters 2, 5, and 9 focus on requirements and metrics, statistics and control, and tracking metrics. Chapters 3 and 4 concentrate on tools, and Chapters 6, 7, and 8 provide the reader with the authors’ insight on process analysis and control, inspection, and process improvement.

The authors wrap up their book with a discussion of maturity models in Chapter 10. Of particular interest are the various “grids” or tables for a dozen different maturity models that outline the progression, or development of maturity, through each model. This gives the reader a very quick overview of the various models so that the reader can select the model best suited for the conditions of the project, team, or organizational unit working to implement TQM.

In short, the book is a good read for those interested in applying a more rigorous approach to their quality management program.

Reviewed by Greg Indelicato, PMP, Managing Director, Indelicato Project Solutions, Plano, TX, USA.

Cover to CoverKenneth H. Rose, PMP, Book Review Editor