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PRINCE2 Quality Management Strategy 

 January 4, 2017

By  Dave Litten

Writing a PRINCE2 Quality Management Strategy document

The quality management strategy document is contained within the project initiation documentation, and it describes the level of quality that the project needs, what control mechanisms you use, and who is responsible for making sure that you actually deliver the correct level of quality.

The quality management strategy document is a ‘how to’ document and lays down the correct approach and tailoring to be used on this particular project.  It does not contain the fine detail of exact quality checks to be used on each product.

The quality management strategy is created during the first stage of the project called the initiation stage.  Aspects covered here is just the tactical quality planning. The ‘what who and when’ are covered in detail when you plan each stage.

Although the quality management strategy should be driven by the customer quality expectations, it is likely to be modified and constrained by both the chosen project approach and by your organisational quality standards.

The PRINCE2 Project Approach may lay down aspects such as standards to be followed and safety measures as an example, and these of course must be complied with even if they run counter to the customer’s quality expectations.

Depending on the nature of your organizations products and services including the nature of the industry that you represent, there may be organizational quality standards which are mandatory and again, must override your customer’s quality expectations.

Here then, is general guidance for completing the quality management strategy document for a particular project:

Quality Management Strategy – Introduction

This will cover the purpose and objectives, the scope, and who is responsible for carrying out this strategy – normally the project manager.

Here you will set out how the quality management procedure is tailored to your organisational or programme quality management standards.  Do not waste time in repeating them all here, but merely clarify any variations that are needed for this particular project.

You may find for example that this particular project contains products whose quality checking method or metrics demand a variation in the normal process of assessing that product for quality.

It is helpful to specify when detailed quality planning for specific products will be carried out.  This is normally included within the stage plan and hence such quality planning for the next stage is done at the end of the current stage when preparing for an end stage assessment (or if requested, an Exception Assessment).

Be aware, that certain products and the quality criteria required for them will not be specified until the relevant product description is created or completed, and is therefore included within the relevant work package.

When it comes to quality control, this must lay down the approach you will use to testing and may include industry standard tests.  It should lay out how quality activities will be recorded for example in the use of error sheets, and what data will be recorded so that a  check can be made across the whole project for how quality is being achieved.

The project board are responsible for project assurance, and this may include how quality assurance is running within the project and will be checked from outside the project so that it is independent.  In some cases the individuals filling the roles within the project board may carry out their own project and hence quality, assurance.

Quality Management Strategy – Tools and Techniques

This lays down how quality is to be achieved within the project and any particular interfaces with the organisation or programme level procedures.  This may include specialized equipment as well as particular techniques that need to be employed.

Again, you may find that this particular project will follow specific industry standard techniques.  In which case, just point the reader to where those standard techniques are documented.  You will normally find that if this projects products vary from your usual quality management standards, then you will also need to clarify differing tools and techniques to those normally used.

This lays down what records will be used to implement overall quality management in addition to those only needed for quality control which has already been mentioned above.  The information here should clarify exactly where of such records are to be stored, how all, and by whom.

PRINCE2 suggests that you describe the composition and formats for the quality register, although frankly, inspecting the register is all you really need to do!

Quality Management Strategy – Timing of quality management activities

If there are specific methods, processes, or activities then you may need to state when such quality audits will be carried out.  However, most quality activities are event-driven, and typically would need to occur once a product has been completed and is ready for its quality check.

You may need to specify the minimum number of audits required, and when such audits should occur.  Alternatively you may wish to specify a maximum time period between each audit.

The most obvious points where an audit would be useful is when preparing for an end stage assessment or an exception assessment.  As part of closing down the project then an audit should be carried out to check for example that all of the products have the status of ‘approved’.

Quality Management Strategy – Roles and responsibilities

This lays down who is responsible for quality management activities, and may include people from within the project, outside of the project but within the organization, or even individuals outside of the organization such as consultants or safety inspectors as an example.

Be careful not to dive into too much detail here, as each individual product description will lay down exactly who is responsible for the various quality activities in creating each product.  This section of the quality management strategy should focus at a high-level and point out specific resource needs that might be helpful as part of project planning.

The naming of particular consultants or safety inspectors for example, is particular important to be documented here since their cost and availability may need to be included within the project plan (or if appropriate, the relevant stage or even team plan).

It is worth pointing out that when creating the next stage plan, you should include the approach and details of how quality will be carried out during that particular stage.  You should include exactly what testing is being carried out, who does it, how all, and when.

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Dave Litten


Dave spent 25+ years as a senior project manager for UK and USA multinationals and has deep experience in project management. He now develops a wide range of Project Management Masterclasses, under the Projex Academy brand name. In addition, David runs project management training seminars across the world, and is a prolific writer on the many topics of project management.

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