Some insights into 7 quality management tools as stated in PMBOK quality management knowledge area. Learn to practice the 7 Quality management & control tools with real examples.

1. Affinity
Diagram
Process
Decision
Program Charts
(PDPC)
Interrelationship
Digraph
Tree Diagrams
Prioritization
Matrices
Activity Network
Diagram
Matrix Diagram
7 Quality Management & Control Tools
A diagram to
generate ideas that
can be linked to form
organized patterns
of thought about a
problem.
Situation / problem:
Want to organize
ideas captured from
brainstorming?
Want to group
related information?
Application / usage :
Can help to develop
more details about a
problem.
Can help to add
detail to project
requirements, scope
and WBS
A structure that
describes the steps
involved in a certain
task / activity /
process for analysis.
Situation / problem:
Want to identify risk?
Want to develop
preventive measures
for risk? or develop
contingency
Application / usage :
Break down the task
using tree diagram
and for each bottom
level, identify risk and
plan preventive
measures.
It is a diagram used
for creative problem
solving in
moderately complex
scenarios.
Situation / problem:
Want to solve complex
problem where multiple
factors are influencing
each other
Application / usage :
Used to solve complex
problems related to
quality, business, system
or process. It uses inputs
from other quality tools
e.g. affinity diagram, tree
diagram or fishbone
diagram
It is used to
understand parent-
child relationship in
any system or
processes.
Situation / problem:
Want to decompose
hierarchies like
WBS,OBS,RBS, etc.
Application / usage :
It used to develop Work
breakdown structure
(WBS), Risk breakdown
structure(RBS),
Expected monetary
value (EMV) & even
Processes decision
program chart(PDPC)
It is used to identify
most useful option
from a list of
options.
Situation / problem:
Want to decide about
best option?
Want to rank options
Application / usage :
Rank the suppliers or
prioritize projects by
using weighted
criteria.
It is used to describe
relationships between
activities and their
sequencing.
Situation / problem:
Want to build schedule
network diagram?
Want to review quality
of schedule?
Application / usage :
Review network
diagram for
completeness, multiple
critical network paths,
near critical path,
project & activity buffer
for critical chain
method.
It shows strength of
relationships
between factors,
causes, and
objectives that exist
between the rows
and columns that
form the matrix
Situation / problem:
Want to perform data
analysis? Want to know
relationship between
multiple factors?
Application / usage :
Perform row and
column analysis for
different scenarios
PMBOK 5th Edition

2. Affinity Diagram
Example Source: Concept Draw
Application / usage:
Can help to develop more
details about a problem.
Can help to add detail to
project requirements, scope
and WBS
Situation / problem:
Want to organize ideas captured
from brainstorming?
Want to group related
information?
Affinity Diagram
A diagram to generate ideas that
can be linked to form organized
patterns of thought about a
problem.

3. Process Decision Program chart (PDPC)
Example Source: Concept Draw
Application / usage:
Break down the task using
tree diagram and for each
bottom level, identify risk and
plan preventive measures.
Situation / problem:
Want to identify risk?
Want to develop preventive
measures for risk? or
Want to develop contingency
PDPC:
A structure that describes
the steps involved in a
certain task / activity /
process for analysis.

4. Interrelationship Digraph
Example Source: Concept Draw
Application / usage:
Used to solve complex
problems related to quality,
business, system or process. It
uses input data from other
quality tools e.g. affinity
diagram, tree diagram or
fishbone diagram
Situation / problem:
Want to solve complex problem
where multiple factors are
influencing each other!
Interrelationship Digraph
It is a diagram used for creative
problem solving in moderately
complex scenarios.
Employee Needs

5. Tree Diagrams
Example Source:
shindewolf.me, Qa-inc.com
Application / usage:
It used to develop Work
breakdown structure (WBS),
Risk breakdown
structure(RBS), Expected
monetary value analysis
(EMV) & even Processes
decision program chart(PDPC)
Situation / problem:
Want to decompose hierarchies
like WBS,OBS,RBS, etc.
Tree Diagrams
It is used to understand parent-
child relationship in any system
or processes.

6. Prioritization Matrices
Example Source:
Bawiki.com, isaca.org
Application / usage:
Rank the suppliers or
prioritize projects by using
weighted criteria.
Situation / problem:
Want to decide about best
option? want to rank options i.e.
recommendations, idea,
requirement, issues, etc. based
on weighted criteria
Prioritization Matrices
It is used to identify most useful
option from a list of options.

7. Activity Network Diagram
Example Source:
apmasnetwork.org
PMBOK 5th edition
Application / usage:
Review network diagram for
completeness, multiple critical
network paths, near critical
path, project & activity buffer
for critical chain method.
Situation / problem:
Want to build schedule network
diagram? Want to review quality
of schedule?
Activity Network Diagram
It is used to describe
relationships between activities
and their sequencing.

8. Matrix Diagram
Example Source:
conceptdraw.com
trinnos.com
Application / usage:
Perform row and column
analysis for different scenarios
Situation / problem:
Want to perform data analysis?
Want to know relationship
between multiple factors?
Matrix Diagram
It shows strength of relationships
between factors, causes, and
objectives that exist between the
rows and columns that form the
matrix

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