Quality vs. Grade for PMP
Metadata
- CiteKey: cspo_2021
- Type: blogPost
- Title: Quality vs. Grade for PMP,
- Author: CSPO, Erin Aldridge, PMP, PMI-ACP, &
- Journal: Project Management Academy Resources
- Year: 2021
Abstract
The terms “quality” and “grade” are often used interchangeably. PMPs must understand the differences in quality vs grade for PMP.
Files and Links
- File: Snapshot
- File: Snapshot
- Local Library: Zotero
Tags and Collections
- Collections: Project Management
Comments
It is crucial to understand the difference between quality vs. grade for the PMP exam. You should understand their definitions, the high and low variants, and how they interact with each other. Let’s start by taking a look at them separately:
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Quality: measures how closely a deliverable meets expectations and functions as intended. It’s necessary to consider if there are any defects or performance errors.
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High quality: the deliverable matches its expected specifications. There are no defects, and it functions correctly.
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Low quality: the deliverable does not fulfill requirements. It has defects or does not work well or at all.
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Grade: categorizes desired features or characteristics of a deliverable. It can be understood as a measure of what a customer values in a product.
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High grade: many valuable or desired features.
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Low grade: limited or undesirable features.
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There are four possible combinations when looking at a product or deliverable-based on quality and grade. At Project Management Academy, we like to use the example of a burger to explain the differences between these combinations for the PMP exam.
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High quality, high grade: this is the type of burger you might find at a five-star restaurant. It’s cooked correctly and safe to eat (high quality), and it uses a high grade of meat and other ingredients that make it desirable – and often pretty expensive (high grade).
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High quality, low grade: you can get this type of burger at a fast-food restaurant. It’s still cooked correctly and safe to eat (high quality), but it might use low-grade meat or have unhealthy ingredients that make it less desirable (low grade).
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Low quality, high grade: imagine you ordered a burger at a nice restaurant that you know uses good ingredients (high grade). However, the burger arrives burnt and inedible! Although the grade is high, the quality is low.
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Low quality, low grade: have you ever gotten a fast-food burger and bitten into a cold patty or burnt rock? That’s a low-quality AND low-grade burger.