All complex systems projects should utilize an independent quality assurance review process, a process that analyzes and reports out the progress of the project and identifies key issues and risks that could impact project success.  The deployment of the assurance process increases the likelihood of success significantly as it provides project leadership with another set of eyes to gauge progress toward the project goals and objectives.  The question is not if you should utilize quality assurance, but when during the project is the right time to initiate the assurance process. 

 

Essentially, there are three “right” times during a project in which to initiate the quality assurance review process. 

 

For Washington State University, who is implementing Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) and Financials, the right time was before the project was initiated.  They decided that the quality assurance process would be part of their project approach from the beginning.  They have initiated the QA process and JJH Consulting has teamed up with ISG to provide the services.

 

Clemson University currently supports the Medicaid systems for the State of South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).  Clemson and the State have teamed up to transition the systems to DHHS over the next several years.  For Clemson, the right time to initiate the quality assurance process was during the early stages of project planning.  JJH Consulting has teamed up with Navigator Management Partners to provide the services.

 

The University of Rochester (UR) is implementing Workday Student with a target go-live of mid 2019.  UR decided the right time to initiate the assurance process was after planning, while design and configuration efforts were occurring, just prior to moving into the more technical aspects of the project. UR is utilizing JJH Consulting to provide the services.

 

You can initiate the process at any time; however, the more proactive project leadership is in building it into their project approach, the more likely they will achieve the benefits of the process.

 

The Angle? The sooner, the better.  The third-party independent quality assurance review process is important and valuable.  If you are involved in a systems project and project leadership does not have quality assurance as part of the project approach, ask why.  If the answer is, we do not need it, or we cannot afford it, the real question is, can we afford not to utilize an independent quality assurance process?