---
title: "Quality planning"
subject: "ICT Project Management"
chapter: 10
key: "semester_7/ict_project_management:quality-planning"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/ict_project_management/quality-planning
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Quality planning

ICT Project Management · Chapter 10: Project quality management

- Asked in: year not given; year not given
- Video: [Project Quality Management Overview | PMBOK Video Course](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7YJ-_OJIZQ) — David McLachlan
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/ict_project_management/quality-planning
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/ict_project_management/chapter-10

## Question

What do you mean by quality planning? Define quality planning.

## Short answer

The process of identifying quality requirements and standards for the project and deliverables, and documenting compliance. Outputs include the quality management plan, process improvement plan, quality metrics, and checklists. Quality must be planned in, not inspected in, reducing rework.

## Answer

**Quality planning** (Plan Quality Management) is the process of identifying quality requirements and standards for the project and its deliverables, and documenting how the project will demonstrate compliance. It is done in the planning process group, in parallel with other planning, and answers: what quality is needed and how will we achieve it?

#### Inputs
Project management plan (scope baseline, schedule, cost), stakeholder register, risk register, requirements documentation, enterprise environmental factors (regulations, standards) and organisational process assets (quality policy, templates, lessons learned).

#### Tools and techniques
- **Cost-benefit analysis** of quality activities.
- **Cost of quality**: prevention, appraisal, internal and external failure costs.
- **Seven basic quality tools**: flowcharts, cause-and-effect, control charts, histograms, Pareto, scatter diagrams, check sheets.
- **Benchmarking** against best practices.
- **Design of experiments**.
- **Statistical sampling**.
- Meetings, brainstorming, and other quality planning tools.

#### Outputs
1. **Quality management plan**: standards, responsibilities, QA and QC activities.
2. **Process improvement plan**.
3. **Quality metrics**: operational definitions of what will be measured (e.g. defect density, response time).
4. **Quality checklists**.
5. Project document updates.

```text
Requirements + Standards
   -> Quality planning -> QM plan, Metrics, Checklists
   -> used in QA and QC
```

#### Importance
- Quality is planned in, not inspected in.
- Reduces rework and cost of failure.
- Clarifies expectations and responsibilities.
- Aligns with customer needs.

**Example:** For an e-commerce site, quality planning sets page load time under 3 seconds, 99.5% uptime, fewer than 2 critical bugs per 1000 lines, and assigns testing responsibilities.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. What does quality planning (Plan Quality Management) do?
   A. Inspects finished deliverables
   B. Audits processes during execution
   C. Identifies quality requirements and standards and documents how compliance will be shown
   D. Closes the project and records lessons
   Answer: C. It defines what quality is needed and how it will be achieved, in the planning group. (Key point: Definition)

2. Which is an output of quality planning?
   A. Quality management plan, metrics and checklists
   B. Validated deliverables
   C. Quality audit report
   D. Defect repair log
   Answer: A. Validated deliverables are a QC output; audits are QA. Planning outputs the plan, process improvement plan, metrics and checklists. (Key point: Outputs)

3. Which tool in quality planning weighs prevention, appraisal and failure costs?
   A. Control chart
   B. Scatter diagram only
   C. Rule of seven
   D. Cost of quality
   Answer: D. Cost of quality (with cost-benefit analysis) is a planning technique covering prevention, appraisal and failure costs. (Key point: Cost of quality)

## Related in ICT Project Management

- [Project quality](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fict_project_management%3Aproject-quality) — ICT Project Management, chapter 10
- [Total quality management](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fict_project_management%3Atqm) — ICT Project Management, chapter 10
- [Cost of quality](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fict_project_management%3Acost-of-quality) — ICT Project Management, chapter 10
- [Quality management plan](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fict_project_management%3Aquality-management-plan) — ICT Project Management, chapter 10
- [Quality assurance](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fict_project_management%3Aquality-assurance) — ICT Project Management, chapter 10
- [Quality audit and approach](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fict_project_management%3Aquality-audit) — ICT Project Management, chapter 10

## Related in other subjects

- [Quality control of concrete at site](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fconcrete_technology_and_masonry_structure%3Aquality-control-at-site) — Concrete Technology and Masonry Structure, chapter 5, asked 11×
- [Orientation and planning of a building](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fbuilding_technology%3Aorientation-planning) — Building Technology, chapter 1, asked 12×
- [Field testing of cement quality](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fconcrete_technology_and_masonry_structure%3Acement-field-tests) — Concrete Technology and Masonry Structure, chapter 1, asked 2×
- [Bar chart vs CPM/PERT as planning tool](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fconstruction_management%3Aplanning-tool-choice) — Construction Management, chapter 2, asked 3×