SeaPort-e: Quality Assurance Program

Quality assurance is integrated into every Applied Environmental project through the study, design, and production process rather than being handled as a separate activity.  We manage our business by a program of continuous quality improvement, wherein we work to determine, document, and then meet or exceed the quality expectations of our clients.  The intent of our Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) Program is to avoid poor decisions and errors that can negatively impact project performance. 

An essential element to Applied Environmental’s QA/QC Program is effective project management.  Emphasis is placed on the Program Manager’s oversight and client management role to facilitate project control and information flow.  An Applied Environmental Principal will serve as the QA/QC Manager overseeing the process.  Critical to this effort are strong lines of consistent communication with the client, project team members, and any required subcontractors, which is one reason the QA/QC Manager role is critical.  We believe quality should be a top priority.  Other key elements of our process flow scheme are the quality assurance steps, the opportunity for input by the contracting officer/representative, and opportunities for the technical/project manager (the ultimate customer) to provide feedback.  Our QA/QC Manager will ensure that appropriate senior technical personnel will review all reports. 

Significant characteristics of Applied Environmental’s QA/QC Program are:

  • Quality standards and processes are clearly defined;
  • Our staff is quality trained;
  • Thorough, consistent communication is maintained;
  • Only experienced, qualified personnel are assigned to project tasks;
  • Scheduled and unscheduled audit inspections are performed;
  • Metrics are employed to assure responsiveness and maintenance of schedule; and
  • Formal client feedback is requested in the form of Quality Audits.

Applied Environmental has developed and maintains a stringent Quality Review Process for all deliverables.  While Applied Environmental recognizes that the quality review protocols are just one component of our process, they are considered a critical component to our success in delivering defect-free products – on time.  The quality review process ensures adherence to client specifications and compliance with applicable standards and regulations imposed at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as those developed by Applied Environmental.  Completion of our in-house quality review process is required for the following items:

  • Final letters,
  • Reports,
  • Plans and specifications,
  • Designs,
  • Electronic deliverables,
  • Any document(s) requiring a professional seal, and
  • Calculations, analyses, or estimates.

For specific work on projects/tasks adhere to our internal standard guidelines for project management and technical report production to include the following key elements:

  1. A "peer review protocol" is utilized.  This procedure is intended to supplement (but not replace) normal line management procedures where the senior staff reviews reports prepared by mid and junior level staff members.  Selection of the senior staff reviewer depends upon the project assignment or technical discipline.
  2. The clerical staff utilizes established report and correspondence formats; all documents are spell checked prior to final printing, and an archive system is established to properly file and permanently preserve reports and deliverables in electronic format.
  3. All projects commence with a project "kick off" meeting as detailed by our Work Plan.  During this meeting, subtask assignments, a format for the final report, schedules and deadlines, and other details are decided, and the overall project team is assigned tasks and schedules.  This procedure is intended to assure that the proper degree of communication and cooperation can be achieved to guarantee a quality final work product.
  4. We maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure our fieldwork and reports are consistent between team members and for the task at hand.  The SOPs also assist in our safety program as our field personnel perform the work in a consistent manner.
  5. At the end of each deliverable and/or task, the task manager solicits “lessons learned” and provides input to our Program Manager.  In this way, we ensure that our QA program is dynamic and we are always improving our standards of quality.