You are a project manager who has just been assigned to a software development project

You are a project manager who has just been assigned to a software development project

You are a project manager who has just been assigned to a software development project. Lisa, the project sponsor, calls you into her cubicle one afternoon.
“Thanks for taking the time to speak with me,” she says with a smile. “Before we discuss anything else about planning, I wanted to talk with you about the problem which has plagued every software project I’ve been involved with here – quality.”
She shakes her head ruefully. “We ALWAYS face serious pushback from our user community after we release a new system. They complain bitterly that the software doesn’t work well and often refuse to use it. We actually had to force people to use the last new system we did by shutting down the old system they had been using.”
“We do conduct user acceptance testing before a release, and the testing team always gives me a report on the testing results before I approve the product. In spite of that, I always receive dozens of complaints from users after they start using the new system.”
“You were recommended for this project because you are a PMP. What do you think we might be doing wrong in managing quality? What else should we be doing to ensure the next system we build will work to everyone’s satisfaction?”
What advice would you give to Lisa?