The only project quality management playbook you need in 2025

Without consistent quality, even well-planned projects fall short. Project quality management offers a clear approach for defining expectations, integrating them into workflows, and monitoring progress throughout execution.

At its core, project quality management ensures deliverables meet stakeholder needs using a structured approach across four key areas: planning, assurance, control, and continuous improvement.

In 2025, quality is the differentiator. Enterprise teams operate across geographies, systems, and timelines. Customers expect speed and reliability. Leadership expects visibility and measurable outcomes. The ability to consistently deliver on those expectations — and adjust when priorities shift — hinges on having scalable quality practices in place.

In this article, we’ll break down the 4 key stages of project quality management, show you how to create a scalable plan, and explore how modern platforms like monday work management enable consistent, measurable execution.

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What are the 4 stages of project quality management (with examples)?

Project quality management includes 4 connected stages: planning, assurance, control, and continuous improvement. Each stage plays a role in building, maintaining, and evolving quality across the full scope of a project.

1. Quality planning

Planning sets the foundation. This stage defines what quality looks like, how it will be measured, and who’s responsible for making it happen. Done before execution begins, planning aligns all contributors around clear expectations.

Common planning outputs:

• A documented quality management plan
• Success metrics tied to business goals
• Assigned roles for reviews, approvals, and oversight

Clear expectations at this stage reduce ambiguity later. Contributors can design deliverables and workflows that support shared quality standards from day one.

2. Quality assurance

Assurance keeps delivery on track. It focuses on maintaining and optimizing the processes that drive quality, making sure they’re consistent, followed, and reinforced during execution.

Assurance activities include:

• Internal audits to validate processes
• Onboarding or training for quality expectations
• Use of standardized, documented workflows

This stage supports proactive delivery. When teams follow reliable systems, they spend less time on rework and last-minute fixes.

3. Quality control

Control evaluates the finished work. Here’s your checkpoint to validate deliverables before they go live.

Quality control activities may include:

• Peer or stakeholder reviews
• Functional and usability testing
• Sampling or defect tracking

This is your chance to course-correct and strengthen future workflows. Results from quality control often feed into updates for future planning and assurance.

4. Continuous improvement

Continuous improvement helps teams evolve. It ensures that lessons from previous stages inform future work — refining processes, updating templates, and identifying opportunities to raise the bar.

Improvement practices include:

• Post-project reviews and retrospectives
• Trend analysis of quality metrics
• Iterative updates to workflows or training materials

Wrap up the cycle with lessons learned that shape what comes next. It shifts the focus from reactive correction to long-term growth and operational excellence.

Real-world examples of project quality management in practice

To see how these stages play out in practice, let’s walk through two examples from the real world.

Example: Managing quality in a campaign launch

Let’s say a product marketing team is preparing for a campaign launch. During planning, they define quality benchmarks: creative must be approved by branding, all copy must pass clarity reviews, and assets must be finalized two weeks before launch.

In the assurance phase, they use a prebuilt workflow and shared checklists to track weekly progress and verify completion standards. As assets move through final review, quality control activities flag two minor issues — both resolved before publishing.

After the launch, the team holds a retrospective. They identify communication gaps with the design team and update their checklists to prevent similar issues in future campaigns.

Example: Managing quality in a software rollout

A dev team is launching a new internal tool across departments.

During planning, they define technical requirements, user acceptance criteria, and required integrations. In the assurance stage, they conduct code reviews, QA testing, and system walkthroughs with stakeholders.

Quality control includes UAT (user acceptance testing), accessibility checks, and compliance validation for data handling. A few issues are logged and resolved before deployment.

After launch, the team holds a sprint retrospective. They identify test coverage gaps and create a new pre-release checklist to catch them next time.

These sequences show how the 4 stages work together: aligning expectations, improving execution, and reinforcing a culture of quality over time.

Common project quality pitfalls and how to avoid them

Preventing quality issues starts with awareness. These are 5 of the most common pitfalls that derail quality efforts, along with simple ways to avoid them:

1. Missed handoffs: Teams assume someone else owns the next step. To fix it: assign clear owners and add transition steps to project checklists.
2. Scope creep: Quality slips when new work is added late. Reconfirm quality requirements when the scope changes, and flag the impact in your quality plan.
3. Inconsistent reviews: Reviews are skipped or rushed under time pressure. Build structured review stages into your workflow and assign accountable owners to each one.
4. Tool fragmentation: When QA steps live across too many tools, visibility suffers. Centralize your quality workflows in one system to reduce friction and missed steps.
5. Lack of feedback loops: Teams skip retros or fail to share lessons learned. Make post-project reviews a habit and update process documentation so improvements carry forward.

Each of these issues can be addressed with small, intentional changes to how teams plan, review, and communicate. The earlier you catch them, the more effectively you can prevent quality issues downstream.

Project quality management at a glance

QA vs. QC: What’s the difference?

Quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) are often used interchangeably, but they serve different purposes in project quality management.

• Quality assurance (QA) happens during execution and focuses on process reliability. Project managers typically own QA, QA leads, or team leads. Activities include internal audits, workflow reviews, and team training to ensure quality processes are followed throughout the project.
• Quality control (QC) happens after execution and focuses on inspecting the final outputs. QC is often led by stakeholders, subject matter experts, or designated reviewers. Activities include usability testing, stakeholder reviews, and logging or addressing defects before deliverables go live.

Both are essential. QA builds systems that prevent issues from happening. QC validates the results before they’re delivered. When they work together, they create a strong feedback loop that improves project outcomes over time.

Why quality is critical to execution at scale

Quality isn’t just about catching errors — it’s about executing effectively across teams, timelines, and tools. It reduces rework, minimizes risk, and ensures consistency even as organizations grow and projects become more complex.

With strong quality practices in place, teams deliver faster, retain stakeholder trust, and create space for long-term innovation. Increasingly, teams are also turning to AI to support quality efforts at scale — using predictive insights, automated reviews, and intelligent workflows to reduce manual effort and catch issues earlier.

Why prevention is cheaper than correction

Preventing problems is more efficient than fixing them. That’s the core principle behind the cost of quality. It’s less expensive to define and meet quality requirements early than to manage failure late in the process.

Fixing a defect after a project goes live often costs multiples more than addressing it during planning or testing. But the ROI extends beyond savings; it accelerates delivery, safeguards your reputation, and improves the customer experience.

You can estimate return by comparing preventive actions with failure-related costs. For example:

• A quick checklist review may prevent hours of rework
• Meeting SLA targets avoids fines and strengthens customer trust
• Quality audits catch gaps before they impact users

When quality is built into the project management plan, teams avoid surprises and deliver better results, without compromising speed or standards.

How to prioritize quality under pressure

In fast-moving projects, there isn’t always time to complete every quality task. But quality doesn’t need to be all or nothing.

When timelines are tight:

• Focus on the highest-risk deliverables. Prioritize QA steps for customer-facing assets, compliance-sensitive items, or complex workflows.
• Use lightweight checks. Peer reviews, final checklist passes, and prebuilt templates are fast ways to reduce risk.
• Make trade-offs visible. If a quality step is skipped, document the risk and agree on how to address potential issues later.

Speed and quality can coexist when teams align on what matters most and focus efforts where it counts.

So, how do you make quality a priority from the start? It begins with a solid plan.

How to create a project quality management plan

A project quality management plan defines how quality will be achieved and sustained throughout the project lifecycle. It translates expectations into repeatable workflows and makes success easier to monitor, measure, and expand.

Here’s a 4-step approach that works across departments and portfolios.

1. Define success with measurable quality metrics

Start by outlining your quality requirements. What does success look like, and how will you measure it? Choose a focused set of quality metrics that capture both output and process.

Common examples include:

• Error or defect rate
• First-time approval rate
• Customer satisfaction score
• Cycle time

Add control charts to visualize trends and detect deviations early. These metrics help team members track progress and spot issues before they escalate.

2. Assign roles and ownership

Clear ownership reduces confusion and drives follow-through. Define who’s responsible for applying the quality policy, reviewing deliverables, and leading improvement efforts.

Typical roles include:

• Project managers oversee execution and escalation
• QA leads conducting quality audits and reviews
• SMEs providing subject-specific context
• Stakeholders approve the final outputs

As teams grow, assign quality champions or form cross-functional working groups to maintain consistency and expand best practices across departments.

Stakeholder alignment is just as critical. Involve key stakeholders early in quality planning and review cycles to ensure expectations are clear, approvals move quickly, and decisions reflect shared priorities. This reduces last-minute changes and improves buy-in across the project lifecycle.

Bonus: How to get stakeholder buy-in for quality

Securing buy-in early helps quality management scale with fewer roadblocks. However, not every stakeholder naturally prioritizes quality, especially when speed or budget constraints are tight.

To build support:

• Tie quality to business goals. Frame it in terms of what leadership already values: faster delivery, higher customer satisfaction, and fewer escalations.
• Quantify the cost of poor quality. Use data from past projects to highlight time spent on rework, defect resolution, or missed SLAs.
• Share quick wins. Demonstrate how simple checklists or reviews helped reduce delays or improve team velocity.

When stakeholders understand the ROI — fewer surprises, better outcomes, and more predictable timelines — they’re more likely to support quality as a strategic priority.

3. Create a quality management system (QMS)

A QMS connects documentation, workflows, and governance into one cohesive structure. It enables both standardization and flexibility.

Your QMS should include:

• Version-controlled templates
• Escalation paths for quality issues
• Standard procedures for QA and review cycles

Frameworks like PDCA (Plan–Do–Check–Act) or TQM (Total Quality Management) can help formalize your system. Incorporating these into your broader project management plan ensures they’re used consistently across teams.

In regulated industries, aligning your QMS with recognized standards like ISO 9001 (for general quality management systems), FDA guidelines (for healthcare and pharma), or SOC 2 controls (for SaaS and tech) helps teams ensure compliance while strengthening internal accountability.

For example, ISO 9001 emphasizes a process-oriented approach and continuous improvement, which maps directly to the PDCA cycle and monday work management’s customizable workflows. By incorporating these frameworks into your quality plan, you not only meet industry requirements — you also reinforce scalable, auditable processes that drive long-term value.

Adoption is key. Normalize quality reviews by embedding them into rituals like sprint planning, check-ins, or handoffs. Choose quality management tools that support your workflows without adding friction.

4. Build in continuous review and improvement

Quality isn’t a one-time task. It improves when teams reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and what to change next.

Schedule quality audits, retrospectives, and reviews to evaluate performance and adjust based on real-world feedback.

Encourage team members to contribute ideas and flag gaps. Over time, these inputs help refine the system and keep it aligned with evolving business goals.

A strong quality plan sets the foundation. But it’s regular reflection and iteration that keep it working. Teams that quickly and continuously improve are better equipped to deliver quality products, reduce risk, and scale efficiently.

Processes are essential, but lasting improvement depends on people. Empower team members to take ownership of quality, recognize contributions to high standards, and embed feedback into team culture. Over time, this builds a shared mindset where quality is the norm, not the exception.

How to embed project quality at scale

Building a quality management plan is step one. But real impact comes from making it scalable and repeatable across projects, teams, and tools. To maintain quality across a growing organization, you need more than a one-time plan; you need quality activities that scale.

These should work across departments, tools, and project stages, reinforcing standards at every point in the project life cycle. Here’s how to make it repeatable:

Use quality metrics to monitor and improve

Start with visibility. Metrics help teams track progress, identify risk factors, and measure the effectiveness of quality control measures.

Examples:

• Measuring defect detection rate: Frequency of issues found during QA
• Tracking SLA breach count: Number of missed service or delivery commitments
• Monitoring first-time approval rate: Percentage of deliverables accepted without revision

Use these metrics alongside quality tools like control charts to detect patterns and adjust quickly. These indicators serve as early warnings and provide ongoing feedback to improve performance over time.

Implement structured checklists and templates

Repeatable processes limit variability. A well-defined process checklist can guide team members through critical quality activities, reducing human error and missed steps, especially when projects span departments or time zones.

To scale effectively:

• Customize by deliverable type, business unit, or function
• Integrate checklists directly into workflows or project management tools
• Refine templates based on lessons learned from retrospectives or audits

While metrics measure results, process checklists help prevent issues before they happen, keeping your team on track without slowing them down.

Adopt corrective and preventive action (CAPA) systems

CAPA systems go beyond one-off fixes. They help teams investigate root causes, apply solutions across similar work, and document each step.

A typical CAPA process includes:

• Identifying the root cause of recurring issues
• Sharing preventive steps across teams or workflows
• Logging actions in a centralized system for future reference

For example, if billing errors keep showing up due to inconsistent data entry, the CAPA process might include standardizing templates, adding validation rules, and training the team on the new process. That one fix now improves accuracy across departments.

By building CAPA into day-to-day work, teams create a feedback loop that improves quality over time. It’s a more innovative way to reduce rework, control costs, and scale learning across the organization.

Use dashboards and visual tools

Dashboards offer real-time insight into project deliverables, team performance, and quality benchmarks. They centralize information and help leadership make faster, more informed decisions.

Examples of dashboard use:

• Flagging projects that fall below quality standards
• Tracking KPIs and quality metrics across departments
• Sharing automated reports with stakeholders

Dashboards also make it easier to prioritize efforts and hold teams accountable, so there’s no need to chase down updates or build reports from scratch.

Leverage AI and automation to boost quality practices

AI and automation bring speed and scale to quality management. Instead of reviewing everything manually, project groups can use intelligent triggers, predictive analytics, and workflow enhancements to improve outcomes.

Examples:

• Predicting project delays or quality failures based on past data
• Detecting changes in customer sentiment to identify experience gaps
• Summarizing test plans, bug reports, or meeting notes into actionable next steps
• Automatically assigning reviews or QA steps when a status changes

These tools turn reactive work into proactive quality management. With the right automation and insights, quality becomes part of the process, not something bolted on at the end.

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Make quality measurable and repeatable with monday work management

Managing quality at scale gets harder as teams grow and work speeds up. Checklists and one-off reviews aren’t enough. You need a structure that grows without adding friction.

With monday work management, quality lives in the same system your team already uses to plan, track, and deliver work. From setting quality requirements to managing project deliverables, it brings together the people, processes, and visibility needed to deliver quality products on time and at scale.

Here’s how monday work management helps you build and maintain quality:

• Connect every task to strategic outcomes: Link projects to OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and KPIs (key performance indicators) so every deliverable ties back to measurable business impact. Eliminate silos and keep quality aligned with what matters most.
• Clarify ownership at every stage: Assign team members to own quality activities like reviews, test plans, and approvals. Use role-based permissions and automations to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.
• Track quality performance in real time: Dashboards and control charts give you instant visibility into quality metrics, from first-time approval rates to cycle time and SLA breaches, without chasing down updates.
• Standardize what works, and scale it: Use templates, process checklists, and built-in quality tools to embed best practices into every project. Version control and lessons learned can be integrated across teams without duplication.
• Adapt without losing control: Custom workflows, permissioning, and audit trails let everyone move fast while meeting compliance and governance standards outlined in your quality policy and project management plan.

Boost quality with built-in AI and automation

AI features built into monday work management make quality management more proactive and less manual.

• AI Blocks pull insights directly into your workflows. Automatically extract key takeaways from QA logs, summarize meeting notes into next steps, and categorize stakeholder feedback by sentiment or urgency.
• Product Power-ups help leaders address risk factors at scale. Monitor resource capacity, flag project risk trends, and recommend quality control measures across your entire portfolio, without building from scratch.
• Digital Workers operate in the background to keep quality efforts moving. From flagging recurring QA issues to tracking underperforming campaigns, they provide real-time support and suggestions based on live delivery data.

With monday work management, quality is embedded into your core workflows, so it evolves with your team, not after the fact. You can move faster, with fewer blockers, and deliver quality results that your teams and stakeholders can rely on.

Operationalize quality from day one

Quality work isn’t a bonus — it’s what drives better results across every project, team, and deliverable. But reaching that level of consistency takes more than planning.

monday work management brings your quality efforts into one platform. From defining success metrics and checklists to tracking performance with dashboards and AI-powered insights, it helps teams work faster, reduce risk, and deliver consistently high-quality outcomes at scale.

Ready to make quality your standard? Start building with monday work management.

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