The Quality Principle is one of the twelve principles of project management, and it states that any project should meet the needs of all stakeholders. This means that the project must have quality in terms of product, cost, time, and other factors.
Project quality is a concern that can no longer be avoided. Stakeholders’ expectations, as well as project and product requirements, are at an all-time high. In fact, the majority of projects (as much as 75% by some estimates) have been deemed by their respective stakeholders to have failed based on quality alone.
In project management knowledge, quality is directly related to the delivery performance domain. However, this principle is also strongly linked with the stakeholder performance domain, lifecycle performance domain, project work performance domain, and planning performance domain.
The quality principle is a project management principle that ensures that the project meets the needs of all stakeholders. If a deliverable is of sufficient quality, it will be fit for its intended use. It has all the features necessary to meet requirements and performs all functions expected of it. For example, if we speak about software, this means working as intended. Software is seen as a set of requirements that produce certain functions. Those functions should work correctly, as intended. For a website, it means working on the browser or device that it was designed to work with.
The main focus of the quality principle is meeting the acceptance criteria, and usage of metrics. How do you know when something meets expectations quality? That's where acceptance criteria and requirements come into play. When something meets the acceptance criteria and requirements, then the quality is achieved. The same applies to low-quality things that don't meet expectations.
The quality principle involves understanding the needs of the project and fulfilling them consistently. In this sense, for example, the principle of effectiveness involves making the most efficient use of resources. The quality principle is inherently related to the concept of value in that an essential element of quality is meeting customer needs or expectations. Success depends on the effective application of all other principles.
Check also: Systems Thinking Principle