Julia K. Caprio M.B.A-QA Geosyntec Consultants

2009 EPA Quality Management Conference

San Antonio Texas May 2009

Defining Quality so that personnel take ownership

Discussing the importance of leadership in quality management

Discussing why quality requires management

ISO-9000 Degree to which a set of inherent characteristic fulfills requirements"

“Fitness for use". Fitness is defined by the customer

“Value to some person". Demming - Costs go down and productivity goes

up, as improvement of quality is accomplished by better management of design, engineering, testing and by improvement of processes. Better quality at lower price has a chance to capture a market. Cutting costs without improvement of quality is futile."

ASQ -the characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. a product or service free of deficiencies."

Degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements.

In other words… As seen by the beholder As defined by the customer Delivered as promised Meeting expectation Meeting the price;

Customer Satisfaction

Quality begins at home! Make sure that the in-house project team understands the basic concept of quality!

Personnel understand the benefits and empowerment of working within a quality oriented system

Defined processes Efficiencies Measurement tools Defensibility

Quality Points of View Internal quality – conformance to the project design External quality – Receiving the expected service that

meets the project requirements

Quality Culture

No time No budget No one available No training Not important Not required

Attitude Who is responsible for quality?

Quality is not just the province of the QA personnel Everyone is responsible for quality

Quality is a necessary evil… There is nothing evil about quality – it benefits everyone.

Quality comes at the end of a project right? Typically people start thinking about quality when there is a

problem.

Quality ownership is displayed when time, resources, and funds are committed to quality planning and management on the front end of the project!

Strategic Plan By stressing quality within a strategic plan it starts

to create the foundation for a quality culture Risk Management Plan

Also stresses the importance of having a quality system in place to reduce risk to the organization

Quality Management Plan An umbrella document that sets the framework for

the project and program quality initiatives used within the organization

These documents should be actively distributed and are not meant to sit on a shelf collecting dust!!!

Quality Assuranc

e Training

Although the tone of any organization is usually set by senior leadership ...leadership occurs on every level of an organization.

Quality managers need to be leaders as well. Passionate Inspirational Ethical

Communicate Communicate Communicate!! Be available Have resources available People skills

Empathy and understanding Teach and build – do not criticize and tear down

Constant learning Be open minded

Visualization

Leadership Training Project Management Training

Incorporates some facets of leadership training

Recognition and development of mid level and junior staff that are stepping up as leaders

Management consists of planning organizing, directing, assurance, and control.

The quality manager’s role has evolved from “policing” personnel activities to training and guiding personnel with regard to quality integration into their work practices.

Quality must be managed and the main goal of a management system is to achieve customer satisfaction. Continuous quality improvement is the strategic goal that a quality system should strive for and that the quality management should promote.

QA procedures manual and tools should be prepared

QA training should be provided. QA system should be simple but

effective. Managers must recognize and convey to

the stakeholders that the level of QA should depend on project complexity.

Resources - QA should be included in budgets

Quality control

Quality Assurance programs require commitment and communication from everyone involved including the client. More advanced planning: Larger up front investment Long term perspective; and Quality Planning:

In order to effectively implement quality – people must understand what quality is and how it benefits everyone.

It is leaderships responsibility to lay the foundation and support a quality culture within an organization or program.

A quality management program is essential for the implementation of successful quality assurance practices and the application of quality controls.