Quality Assurance/Quality Control Plan Evaluation

February 16, 2005

A time of change

A/E Oversight Guidelines. This defining of roles and responsibilities paints a clearer picture of the responsibilities and relationships within CFL and consultants. With these guidelines in place it is now time to review the other components of the processes that contribute to the delivery of projects.

Why Do You Plan for Quality?

If you dont know where youre going, any road will take you there

Louis Carroll

Responsibility for Quality

Recognition
Both

of A/E industry capabilities Acceptance that quality is the A/Es responsibility

parties
CFLHDs

roles is QA

Follow Through on Quality

The best written quality plan is no better than the worst, if it is not followed through. Take the time to provide the appropriate level of quality control. Reduced levels of QC may be justified, but they must be communicated and agreed to.

Reasons for Evaluation

CFLHD

accepted the existing QA/QC plans on the merits of each firm. Now that the existing QA/QC plans have been in practice for a while, CFLHD will be evaluating them to develop a basis for providing QA/QC program improvement recommendations; modification of scopes of work to address deficiencies; and to identify weakness areas for monitoring.

How Evaluation was Developed

Key

elements of a comprehensive highway QA/QC plan were identified

The

evaluation criteria was selected by researching quality practices of State DOTs and consultants.

Goals of Evaluation
Provide

CFLHD with a clear understanding of the QA/QC processes and procedures that are in place to control the quality of the work. Identify improvement opportunities. And;

Goals of Evaluation
Verify that the mechanisms that control quality are in place so the product meets the expectations of the team. Client Agencies; CFLHD; and A/E

Evaluation Criteria
The current organizational QA/QC plans will be evaluated, using 25 evaluation criteria, for the inclusion of the elements necessary to promote the thorough review and checking of all documents. Implementation of QA/QC is not intended to lead to unnecessarily complex and expensive systems but only to formalize and record the good management practices that have usually been practiced in the past.

SUMMARY OF EVALUATION CRITERIA RESULTS THE CONSULTANTS QA/QC PLAN: Provides for quality checking and reviewing processes through all phases of product development. Provides for involvement of the project manager in the control of quality. Provides for adequate continuous QC during design and production. Provides for the development of a Project Quality Plan. Provides for the various review types used to control the work. Provides for internal Quality Assurance monitoring. Provides addressing, incorporation and verification of review comments and the use of a comment and response tracking form. Provides for proper subconsultant quality control (including verification of document quality).

WEAKNESS AREAS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

SUMMARY OF EVALUATION CRITERIA RESULTS 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Provides for the retention and filing of QA/QC check copies and records. Requires the use of a tracking and responsibility stamp or sign-off. Requires the use of an adequate checking and back-checking system, including how to utilize the checking system. Provides for the QC checking of manual calculations. Provides for the QC checking of computer-generated calculations. Provides for the QC checking of drawings. Provides for the QC checking of specifications. Provides for the QC checking of quantities and cost estimate. Provides for the QC checking of environmental commitments and permitting requirements (including incorporation of commitments and requirements).

WEAKNESS AREAS

SUMMARY OF EVALUATION CRITERIA RESULTS 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Provides for the QC checking of studies and reports. Provides for the QC checking of construction stakeout reports. Provides for a document and report format review. Bridge quality assurance/quality control minimum requirements Provides for the use and submittal of development and review checklists and QC control documents Provides a certification that QC checking has been performed in accordance with QA/QC plan. Provides for sealing and signing of documents (i.e. plans, specifications, reports, studies, etc.). Provides for a final closeout and evaluation.

WEAKNESS AREAS

Involvement of Project Management in QA/QC

Project managers have to be active participants in the quality of deliverables. Verification that scope and design are in agreement.

Development of a Project Quality Plan

Scope

of each review. Allocation of resources and areas of responsibility. Analysis of risks and design decisions.
First

step in assuring that best practices and sound engineering judgment is used.

Quality

assurance of subconsultants. Reference quality procedures to be used. Modification of PQP.

Subconsultant Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Subconsultants

have acceptable QA/QC plans. QA activity to ensure that work is balanced between project constraints, good engineering judgment, and it reflects the appropriate level of risk. Subconsultant are tasked to provide activities for back checking the technical recommendations against the project deliverables to assure that the technical recommendations reflect the evolution of the project.

Quality Assurance Certificate of Compliance

A

certificate of compliance is to be submitted for ALL deliverables.

Use of Checklists and QA/QC Control Documents

Use

documents at the appropriate stages of development. Submit the completed checklists with each of the deliverables.

Sealing and Signing of Documents

Engineering

drawing Cross-Sections Specifications Engineering reports and formal technical memorandums Construction staking reports All other technical recommendations or deliverables

Final Closeout and Evaluation

Document

problems encountered Areas for improvement Mistakes and lessons learned Outstanding features Corrective action plan

Next Step in the Process

An

audit report for each of the current QA/QC plans will be developed. The reports will be distributed. Meeting to discuss the results will be scheduled, as necessary, to address findings.

Questions