Quality Projects

Modern quality management requires project management tools that incorporate not only classical planning techniques like network plans but also effective means for (corrective) action management and tracking. Although Microsoft Project has gained leadership in this area it is not sufficient as standalone software when it comes to perform quality projects because it does not rely on a database. iQ-Projekte makes use of the most important features of MS Project and additionally provides a centric place for a planned and application-wide handling of quality actions from their creation via their tracking to their closing.

Workflow

The module iQ-Projekte aims at two targets: first planning and managing quality projects, and second providing an integrated mechanism for an application-wide controlling and monitoring of actions of any kind.

In iQ-Basis quality projects are defined as arbitrarily deep levelled structures consisting of various different objects, such as open or closed projects, open or closed actions, documents, audits, FMEAs, quality messages, check lists, etc. This for example fulfils all requirements needed for quality projects in the area of APQP.

Project planning itself supports the use of Microsoft Project to plan elements like sub projects (tasks), resources, or efforts. By leveraging the talents of both tools iQ-Projekte provides a precise impression of costs and dates at any time.

iQ-Projekte is also a centralized container for actions from all other iQ-Basis modules. While the entry point for creating an action is often placed in other modules such as iQ-Audit, the monitoring and the central processing take place here.

Important Features at a Glance

Projects

Organization

• Creation of projects as planning instrument inside of iQ-Basis, including maintenance of a project status
• Storage of any important project data such as dates, resources, and descriptions
• Assignment/creation of sub projects that are project on their own
• Assignment of check lists
• Assignment of any number of actions that can depend on each other and thus build entire action networks
• A project status that is independent of the status of any included actions
• Assignment/storage of documents
• Access to all data in iQ-GL

Planning

• Creation of project structures in an easy-to-use graphical interface
• Quick editing of project data using very concise forms
• Mapping of a project structure to a task list that can be converted to a network plan and as such be displayed and edited using MS Project
• Reimport of any task lists that have been edited using MS Project

Actions

General and basic data

• Overviews over all actions (for example sorted by responsibilities)
• Backtracking of actions to their origins (the so-called organization elements)
• Automatic maintenance of an action history that records any changes to an action
• Long texts for describing an action, priorities
• Storage of responsibilities (originator, responsible person, and performer) and dates (targeted start and end)
• Automatic notification of any person or group of persons that is responsible for performing the action
• Assignment of actions to action groups and codes
• Assignment/storage of documents
• Various custom fields for general use

Results

• For each action it is possible to store different result data such as the actual date of the introduction, change suggestions, the needed amount of time, the efficiency, and so on.
• Result codings

Linking

• Creation of action chains and networks
• Flow control depending on the predecessor of an action

Monitoring / tracking

• Creation of any number of escalation levels for each action. Each escalation level is defined by the point of time when the action must have reached a specified status. If the status is not reached in time the action escalates in a manner that is also defined by the user.
• In case of escalations an automatic mechanism provides a proper reaction and the corresponding documentation of this process.
• Redefinition of escalation levels when dates are changed after an escalation
• Dynamic consideration of changes to responsibilities

Action templates

• Creation of any numbers of templates for different types of actions
• Storage of recurring basic data
• Predefinition of escalation levels directly inside of a template

Interfaces to Other iQ-Basis Modules

• iQ-GL for a centralized maintenance of all master data that is relevant in other modules, too
• iQ-Mail when it is necessary to send mails automatically (for example as a result of an overdue action)
• iQ-Doku for document management
• Generally, iQ-Projekte works with any other module that is appropriate for creating actions. Except for actions that are directly assigned to projects the creation of an action takes place inside of the other module, for example when rejecting tested measuring and test equipment or during an audit, but its storage and management is part of iQ-Projekte. Without this module it is almost impossible to find an effective way for handling actions within iQ-Basis.