The Parable of the Cupcake - a Quality Tale

We can consider quality management in a very simple project to see how it can be applied as ‘good enough’. A familiar project where quality is a driving priority is baking. Let’s consider a project where I make a batch of cupcakes for an event with my team. My quality standard is relative and subjective – I want the product to be as good as the last time I made them, or at least good enough to contribute to the event. The quality attributes are edibility, uniformity (all the same size, shape, and colour), producibility, social acceptability (not an offensive shape and clearly marked for contents (gluten, non-vegetarian, may contain nuts)), and popularity (hopefully few to no cupcakes left at the end of the event). 

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Quality control by inspection - the taste test.

My control approaches – steps taken within the project to control and monitor quality – involved both prevention and inspection:

• Prevention: Follow the recipe. Use good quality ingredients.
• Inspection: Before baking, taste-test the cake batter. After baking and before serving to others, taste-test one (just one) cupcake.

An important thing to remember about all quality control elements is that they give us an indication of whether quality meets the standard, but do not give much if any information about how or why quality might be better or worse than expected. As most of us have experienced, we can follow a recipe to the letter and still end up with something that looks nothing like the picture in the cookbook.

Quality assurance refers to two things:

1. Ensure that there are sufficient control elements in the project to assure that the quality standards will be met.
2. Using information from quality monitoring to adjust the project to meet the quality standards (within the scope-time-cost-quality balance, of course).

If, when we taste-test the batter (control) we find that it is too salty, we can then use that information to adjust the project (assurance) by remaking the recipe (with the associated costs in time and money), making a different recipe (cookies instead of cupcakes), buying cupcakes from a bakery on the way to work, or opting not to bake anything but provide sliced fruit and vegetables instead. If there are many cupcakes left at the end of the event, I might consider this a reflection of the quality of the cupcakes themselves, the appeal of cupcakes as a treat, or an over-abundance of cupcakes (maybe too many other people also brought cupcakes); I would then use this information as part of lessons learned for future baking for events. 

I consider this project a success. My taste test was positive (yum) and all cupcakes were enjoyed at the event so none came home with me. So far, my experience with this recipe (see below if you're interested) has always been positive, and the bite-size versions were a hit. 

The lesson of the parable: quality management is a part of any project, big or small. Like the ingredients in a recipe, you need the right balance and combination of assurance and control to get it right. 

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What are your experiences with managing project quality? What about balancing quality and scope? Please comment below or email me at [email protected] with your questions and feedback. 

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A Favourite Recipe: The Best Cupcakes!!!
Batter:

• Combine 1½ cups flour, 1 cup white sugar, ¼ cup cocoa, and 1 tsp. baking soda.
  
• In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup water, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp vinegar, and 1 tsp vanilla.
  
• Add wet to dry and mix well.

Filling:

• Cream together 8 oz (1 brick) cream cheese (bring to room temperature first. DON’T use spreadable cream cheese), 1 egg, ⅓ cup white sugar.
  
• Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Assemble: Fill each muffin well ⅓ with batter. Drop a spoonful of filling onto each.
Bake: at 350℉ for ~25 minutes, less time for mini-cupcakes. Check for doneness with a toothpick (quality control).
Enjoy!