4+ Sample Quality Development Plan

What is a Quality Development Plan?

A quality development plan is a clear, comprehensive and well-integrated written document which is typically used for the proper execution, development, and improvement  of a specific product, project, methodology, and/or many other outputs of the business or organization. It is an effective strategic development tool which significantly helps educators, product developers, designers, project managers, and other professionals to specify quality standards, practices, resources, specifications, and the sequence of activities related to a specific contract, product, or project, and carefully plan and ensure that the status, and performance or overall quality of a specific data, product, methodology and/or other projects must demonstrate high accuracy, compliance with applicable standards and high customer satisfaction. As a useful blueprint for the development and improvement of projects, it promotes in-depth and systematic planning in order to achieve success in wide-ranging quality development works.

According to a statistical report, many business firms and organizations currently have investments on an average of $78 million on quality programs and people which included 22% spending between $50 million and $500 million and 3% spending as much as $500+ million. Also, about 97% of firms and organizations see a need to increase either substantial or moderate levels of quality investments in the next 3 to 5 years because they are treating quality management as a strategic business initiative which can help their organization grow and thrive for a long time. Thus, all kinds of project managers, operational managers, product developers, program managers, system developers, project supervisors, and other managers should effectively create a compelling and well-detailed quality development plan.

Different Types of Quality Development Plans

Helgi Thor Ingason, a professor at Reykjavik University, a consultant, IPMA Certified Senior Project Manager and Certified Stanford Project Manager wrote in his book Quality Management that the effective implementation and operation of a Quality Management System (QMS) is also immensely based on the ability to select, plan, and execute all kinds of projects and making sure that their results bring value to the organization. Moreover, you need to understand the different types of quality development plans that you and other project managers, product developers, software engineers, and other professionals will use for ensuring the high quality of their products, programs, services, and/or other activities. Here we will explain to you about the different types of quality development plans:

1. Urban Construction Quality Development Plan

Construction projects have certain impacts on our surrounding environment which includes dust, emergency response, noise and public safety. These impacts are very crucial when construction projects are located in urban areas with limited space and high population constraints. There are numerous challenges when managing, developing and executing continuous construction and rehabilitations in urban settings due to the limited tools, travel delays, climate prediction for hazard mitigation, and many others. When preparing the urban construction quality development plan, project managers working on urban construction projects examine the number of complaints regarding urban construction in nearby areas, and analyze the needs of the urban area while proactively measuring the potential impact of public building projects on the urban area, making better planning decisions. 

2. Career Development Plan

What do you see yourself in five years? Or maybe after 15 years? Are you considering moving up internally? Maybe you want to find a new job? Do you want to stay in your field or branch out into new territory? Creating a career development plan is essential so that you are able to manage your next steps in your career, set both short- and long-term goals, receive the training you need to master new skills and abilities and work with a professional career coach to help you accomplish it, especially with the aim of moving up the ladder. For your career development plan, you need to self-reflect as you find clarity about what you truly want. Then, learn about the various types of jobs within your company by job shadowing to observe what people are doing on any given day. Write down your definite goals and create a timeline for yourself to accomplish them. Try to get the training you need by exploring training online or working with a career coach. Consider a lateral move by having a good look at your current position and what opportunities it provides for further advancement. Keep your network strong by attending events and reaching out to people with similar jobs at other companies. Lastly, develop a long-term vision in your career development.

3. Software Quality Management Plan

Quality management planning in software development must take place because software developers and program testers make goals and objectives for the software, and structure a strategic plan that will help project managers to successfully attain those objectives. Doing this will allow the development  of a strong blueprint for the rest of the process to follow. Additionally, software product performance will be analyzed along the way to make sure that all standards are being followed as testers will audit and gather data throughout the overall process. After that, testers discover bugs, evaluate functionality, or they may need to go back to development to refine and make some final adjustments. Creating a software quality management plan is vital to guarantee software developers and project managers that they are following all industry standards and that the end-users will receive a high-quality software product.

4. Product Design Quality Control Development Plan

In the design quality control development plan, the focus is checking the key aspects of the product design quality against a set of standards or specifications. Product developers along with their project managers need to perform the three-step iterative loop of design process: ideate, prototyping and evaluation. In this process, the product design idea or concept is first generated, then it is prototyped, after the product design team would evaluate the design via prototypes. The product design feedback produced from the evaluation through the prototypes will be fed back to corresponding product designers for design improvement. By using the product design quality control development plan, the product designers can improve their existing design concept.

Basic Components of a Quality Development Plan 

In this section, you will learn how to construct a well-written and organized quality development plan. But you need to learn about the different kinds of components of a quality development  plan. Include the following elements for you to create a professional piece of writing:

Abstract: Create the abstract which includes purpose, mission, vision, and status of the project, program, product, service, or person that will be assessed, evaluated, and improved. Table of Contents: Design a clear and standardized outline of your quality development plan by arranging the core sections and main headings, subsections and subheadings and pages of the contents of the quality development plan. Goals and Objectives Statement: Explain the purpose of the quality development plan by providing the aim and direction of the program, project, product, service or person that will be assessed, developed and improved. Specify what will be discussed throughout the quality development such as the project deliverables and project processes, deliverable quality standards, and customer satisfaction criteria and why it is necessary for your project, product, program, service or person. Quality Development Methodology:
Include the quality development methodologies utilized in the development plan. Justify the applied quality methodological approach. Explain the tools and resources that will be needed in the quality management and development plan including the quality control activities, process quality standards, client/stakeholder expectations and quality assurance activities. Project Quality Control Development Plan: For the project quality control plan, organize the breakdown structure of contents in the project quality control development plan. Classify the quality development activities in phases and content blocks which monitor and verify the project deliverables meet defined quality standards. Specify the dates in which the contents of the quality development will be performed. ]Conclusion/Summary: Write a summary of the integral points of your quality development plan. Then, connect the value or outcomes of the key points of your quality development and management plan.

How to Write a Quality Development Plan

Total Quality Management explained that project managers, product developers, system developers, and other professionals must be concerned with all major stages of the product or service cycle which include the definition of needs, the product design and conformance, and the product support throughout its lifetime. If you are having a difficult time in writing a quality development plan, we are glad to assist you in creating this plan for your projects. Below are some easy-to-follow tips that indicate how to write a clear and structured quality development plan:

Step 1: Describe the Purpose of the Quality Development Plan

According to ISO 8402-1994, “quality is the totality of features and characteristics of an entity, or a product or service that bears its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. The implied needs are usually very vague, indicated, or not indicated at all. Nonetheless they are expected by the customer sometimes more than the standards.” Project managers and developers need to describe the main purpose of the quality development plan.

Step 2: Specify the Goals and Objectives, Deliverable Quality Standards, and Customer Satisfaction Criteria

What are your goals and objectives, deliverable quality standards, and your customer satisfaction criteria for your quality development plan? Indicate in this part that essential project deliverables and processes which are subject to quality evaluation, the measures used to determine a successful result for a deliverable, and the customer satisfaction criteria when each deliverable is done and acceptable based on the needs and preferences of the customers.  

Step 3: Describe the Roles and Responsibilities of the Team

The next step is to include the description of the roles and responsibilities of the quality development team. Tell how your project quality control development team will balance the needs and expectations of customers and stakeholders with cost, schedule, and professional standards, and how you will evaluate the costs and benefits of selected quality objectives and the processes to be utilized.

Step 4: Construct a Summary of the Activities, Standards, and Expectations

Construct the summary of the quality control activities, process quality standards, and client/stakeholder expectations. Document and highlight the key points of your quality development plan. Demonstrate the purpose, statistical techniques, analysis and evaluation process, data collection, discussion and other notable quality assurance results.

Step 5: Set Clear Timeline 

Create a clear timeline to help guide the execution of the quality development plan. Explain which evaluation work has to be conducted and when it will be done and how you and your team further improve the product, project, program or service. Be accurate while outlining  your quality development methods and techniques.

Step 6: Proofread and Prepare the Overall Plan

Review your overall quality development  plan and make sure that you fully include all the key points in your plan. Highlight the connection between certain quality development goals, objectives, resources, strategies and methods used for the accomplishment of the objectives, and the evaluation of the project managers or program developers involved in the quality development plan. If you realize that you forget some sections that need more essential details, we highly suggest that you edit and revise the document as soon as possible.

FAQs

What are the fundamental principles of quality management?

The fundamental principles of quality management are customer focus, people engagement, improvement, leadership, evidence-based decision making, process approach, and relationship management. Working earnestly on a strong customer focus is a great way of showcasing your commitment to quality, especially by gathering customer feedback to be able to detect non-conformities and improve your processes. Discussing and sharing knowledge and insights concerning certain issues can help project managers to understand their respective roles and to feel their significance in their contributions to success. Search for ways to drive continual improvement. Establish and solidify a strong management team through effective leadership. Formulate decisions based on accurate and reliable data. Set a process culture to ensure your plan and resource, and manage your development and operational processes and their interactions efficiently. Create long-lasting relationships with your suppliers and others.

What are the different types of quality development and improvement projects and programs?

The different types of quality developments are career development programs, personal development programs, clinical laboratory quality development projects, school improvement quality programs, student competency quality development programs, employee performance quality development programs, construction quality development projects, software system performance quality development programs, safety quality development programs, and many others.

What are some examples of quality development  plans?

Some examples of quality development plans are software quality development plan, project management quality development plan, clinical laboratories quality development plan, data quality development plan, data product quality development plan, quality development manufacturing plan, healthcare quality development plan, sustainable quality development plan, school quality development plan, food quality development plan, student quality development plan, continuous quality development plan, quality development performance plan, and design quality control development plan.

Why is a quality development plan essential?

A quality development plan is essential because it focuses on assuring and protecting the execution, development and improvement of the project, the product, the service, the customer, and the contract manufacturer or supplier by mapping out all the anticipated outcomes in writing beforehand and specifying the quality materials while managing the project, program, or service to be considered such as checklist, guidelines, standards, procedures, templates, user guides, and processes.

Take note of these words stated by Kim Collins: “Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection.” To assist you in writing your quality development plan, you can learn and apply the tips aforementioned in this article. As the roadmap of the quality manager, it contains optimal development strategies for executing, developing and improving the product, service, or other projects fully well. Plus, we have included several quality development plan samples, project management quality development plan templates, urban construction quality development plan samples, software design quality development plan templates, data product quality development plan templates,  and other quality development plan templates that you can download and use for your assessment work.