Product assurance planning in an environment of increased need for accountability
V. Esparza, Christopher M. Casey · 1991
Projects producing data are too often providing a product that is neither defensible nor usable. Instead of planning for data of known and required quality, managers are too often asking for (and getting) the wrong thing. The problem is a lack of correct planning strategy. A planning strategy to produce usable, defensible data requires communication from the customer to top-level management and from top-level management to the project leader, who must then communicate with the technical experts who will run the project. EPA requires that data quality objectives (DQOs) be derived for RI/FS projects. The DQO process is a top-down planning process that requires two-way communication; some organizations do not have structures suited for implementing DQOs as mandated by EPA. This paper discusses specific tools for imposing structure that will make the DQO process easier to follow for many organizations. The tools include a steering committee, a test design team, and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) matrices. The steering committee is a strong technical forum that can develop technical issues systematically and break down technical issues into manageable pieces that can be stated as test objectives. The test design team plans each test, systematically designs the test matrix, and guides the completion of test documentation that will be used to defend the data collected. QFD matrices are used as tools by both steering committee and test design team as a highly structured, systematic means of relating top-level (customer) requirements to data quality needs and measurement system design.