Quality Assurance Program

Quality is an essential part of all TWD work assignments. Our Project Management Manual provides the process framework to manage all TWD projects and includes our quality control process. The quality control process in the TWD Project Management Manual will be applied to all O&M tasks and deliverables produced for DHS customers under EAGLE. Our process is designed to provide high quality control and low risk to the Government by integrating quality objectives throughout our plan of accomplishment for each deliverable. We define the QA/QC process as two different levels—QA is the corporate-level assurance to DHS that we are in fact, performing an active Quality Control program. Quality Control is the local, project-level reviews and inspections conducted at the site that are reported to the EAGLE PM.

Quality Assurance Process

Quality Assurance Process
The process of building quality into our work begins with our Quality Control (QC) Manager, working directly for the TWD EAGLE Program Manager. While the QC Manager is an integral component of our QA/QC program, TWD views quality control as a process, not just as the responsibility of an individual. Quality control is deeply integrated in our workflow, from task planning through execution. By including quality control at the time of task initiation, we define, develop, and incorporate processes and procedures designed to produce high quality deliverables and project results.

Our DHS Quality Control Program is built around standard processes and document templates that we give to our task order managers and project engineers to ensure our methodologies, processes, and deliverables are repeatable and reliable. Our Project Workflow package has been tailored to meet DHS documentation and security requirements based on our experience garnered over 5 years of support to the DHS OCIO and other agencies within the Department. The package includes flowcharts and written operating procedures to guide project activities from inception to customer acceptance. It also includes a security questionnaire designed to facilitate system certification and accreditation through DHS security. Finally the package has templates for completing DHS specified documentation and system deliverables.

The QC Manager for the DHS EAGLE project will be responsible for the day-to-day QC efforts on every TO and will report the results of his QC inspections directly to the PM on a weekly basis. During his inspection tours, if he identifies an incorrect or incomplete action, he will immediately order its correction or reperformance. For each deliverable assignment, the QC Manager will assist those responsible for each assignment by defining clear specifications and requirements to ensure the fitness of that deliverable for its intended use. He will work quality into all the deliverables through the careful assignment of the right mix of personnel to each assignment, supplying them with the resources, tools, checklists, templates, and formats required to do the job right the first time. Deliverables will be peer reviewed for substance by technically qualified professionals and edited for style and format, as required by trained technical editors. Nevertheless, a final quality check at the end of the process is crucial. The QC Manager will provide that final quality check thus ensuring our deliverables meet required quality standards.

TWD’s DHS quality control program is flexible yet focused; it has proven to be highly effective without requiring excess resources and costs. Our Quality Assurance Manager provides corporate-level oversight for the quality control program. He reports outside the PM’s organization lines, directly to TWD Executive Management. He provides an objective, independent viewpoint in a monthly report. He will provide corporate-level attention to coordinating reviews and inputs to the products within and across divisional lines. Structured Quality Assurance reviews are an important part of all our work processes.

TWD’s quality control and quality assurance responsibilities and actions are depicted in the following table. All Task Order subcontractors will participate as an integral part of TWD’s QC program. The TWD QA Manager will review their internal quality control procedures and ensure they are conforming to TWD’s high standards of quality control.

Responsible Individuals	Quality Assurance/Quality Control Actions
Task Members	Participating in initial task planning ensures quality results Adhering to the O&M Task execution schedule Participating in in-process quality reviews Performing Corrective Actions or reperformance of work
Team Leaders	Performing in-process reviews Reviewing/editing drafts & final O&M products/services to ensure proper style and accuracy Approving deliverables/executing transmittal to DHS Directing corrective actions or reperformance
Task Order Manager	Directing O&M task planning to ensure quality results Performing in-process quality reviews, on a selected basis, in support of the EAGLE Program Manager Holding weekly reviews of contract/task status and continue to adhere to performance/quality assurance standards Leading the quality control review process Inspecting corrective actions or reperformnces
Quality Control Manager	Performing final quality check on the TO Inspecting O&M work on a daily basis Reporting to PM on quality issues. Auditing reported corrective actions or reperformances.
Quality Assurance Manager	Training junior staff on improving quality of deliverables Consulting with DHS Customer, as required, on O&M quality issues Performing quality audits of subcontractors’ quality program Reporting to CEO and COR on quality issues.