Quality Assurance

One of my managers many years ago in my career bestowed a bit of wisdom upon me that  serves as a profound influence in my continued effort to master my craft: 

"If I can't inspect it, I can't expect it."  

Now consider an IT project, the kind that costs millions of dollars, involves a complex community of employees, contractors, and vendors all expected to work cohesively towards a common project mission objective.   The community is loaded with diverse talents, skills, agendas, vices, and perspectives.  And while executive leadership may already have trusted advisors, translators or mediators and a project management team, it cannot be overstated the importance having an independent inspector, unbiased by any facet of that community, focused squarely on client project success.  

Quality Assurance project services (such as Independent Validation and Verification "IV&V") aid executive management concentrate on risk identification (and mitigation), cost control, contract compliance, independently and separately from community members.  IV&V identifies gaps, questions anything which might put the project in jeopardy, and in many cases (depending upon how IV&V is being utilized) not only informs, but makes recommendations based on sound best practices associated with the project and associated project influences.  

I have spent countless hours on numerous projects identifying risks, developing risk mitigation strategies, advising course correction, and generally protecting my clients from negative results.  Furthermore I have led IV&V missions on critical public service projects undeniably certain to negatively impact citizen and resident livelihoods due to service degradation or interruption.  I understand the magnitude of what's at stake, and as an independent counsel, have two skins in the game - my client and those they serve, unbiased and unwavering.