Quality questions hinge on four terms that are easy to blur: quality planning, quality assurance, quality control and continual improvement. The exam repeatedly asks which of them a described activity belongs to, so the distinction has to be second nature.
What quality covers in the PMQ
- Quality planning: defining what 'fit for purpose' means for this project
- Quality assurance (process, independent) versus quality control (product, inspection)
- Acceptance criteria and how deliverables are signed off
- Continual improvement and the plan-do-check-act cycle
- The cost of quality, and the difference between quality and grade
Where candidates lose marks
Swapping assurance and control. Assurance checks the process is sound; control checks the product is right.
Confusing quality with grade. A low-grade product can still be high quality if it meets its requirements.
Treating quality as inspection at the end. It is planned in from the start.
Free, timed, exam-style questions across the twelve PMQ topics — with an explanation for every answer and a per-topic breakdown at the end.
Start a free practice testQuality questions, answered
What is the difference between quality assurance and quality control?
Quality assurance is process-focused and independent — it checks that the way work is done is sound. Quality control is product-focused — it inspects deliverables against their acceptance criteria. Assurance checks the process; control checks the product.
What is the difference between quality and grade?
Quality is meeting the agreed requirements; grade is the level of features or specification. A low-grade product can still be high quality if it meets its requirements — the two are not the same thing.
The other eleven topics
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