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Assuring Project Quality
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Attention New York Engineers:
This course cannot be taken to fulfill your
continuing education requirements in the state of New York since the course does
not cover material from one of the core engineering disciplines.
For more information, check the
New
York State Board Requirements.
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Dr. Samir G. Khoury, Ph.D, P.G.
Overview
The implementation of major engineering projects
usually begins with the development of conceptual feasibility studies followed
by the performance of site selection and suitability investigations, the
development of site-specific designs and finally by the construction and
operation of the structures or facilities in question. It is not unusual for
such major projects to take a decade or longer to implement, cost multi-millions
or even billions of dollars. In addition, the various phases of the project are
often implemented by a plethora of contractors, sub-contractors, consultants,
constructors and other specialized technicians.
To maintain project continuity and to develop a
strong level of confidence that the structure or facility that is ultimately
constructed will perform satisfactorily in use the owner(s) usually require that
a formal program of “Quality Assurance (QA)” be implemented to track project
progress. The aim of the QA program itself is to provide the owner(s) with a
level of confidence that the structure or facility in question has been
conceived, designed, constructed and will be operated safely in accordance with
its intended use. The underlying assumption is to be in a position to certify
that all work has been performed in conformance with the best prevailing
engineering standards that are applicable at the time the project is
implemented.
Given the above considerations, this course
introduces you to the concepts and describes the principles involved in the
development of a well-balanced and formal Quality Assurance (QA) Program. Many
of these concepts are also equally applicable to projects and activities ranging
from the design and construction of large and small structures, systems,
subsystems, the manufacturing of components or complete products to providing
professional services such as the implementation of site assessments and
environmental and hazardous waste investigations. As such, the principles and
concepts presented here are equally useful and of interest to all types of
engineers, constructors, architects, contractors, building inspectors, surveyors
and environmental and geological scientists.
The payback of a well designed QA program
includes:
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Delivering higher quality products and services,
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Reducing the time and money wasted in re-performing activities or correcting
errors,
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Enhancing your professional reputation for delivering quality work on schedule
and within budget,
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Minimizing crisis management and the associated stress,
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Reducing loss time accidents or injuries, and
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Enhancing protection from the damaging effects of lawsuits and
litigation
This
course addresses all the recommended QA criteria that are formally published in
the Code of Federal Regulations, which are:
01) Organization
02) Quality Assurance Program
03) Design Controls
04) Procurement Document Control
05) Instructions, Procedures and Drawings
06) Document Control
07) Control of Purchased Material, Equipment and
Services
08) Identification and Control of Materials, Parts
and Components
09) Control of Processes
10) Inspection
11) Test Control
12) Control of Measuring and Test Equipment
13) Handling Storage and Shipping
14) Inspection, Test and Operating Status
15) Nonconforming Materials, Parts or Components
16) Corrective Action
17) Quality Assurance Records
18) Audits Surveillance and Managerial Controls
Each of these 18 criteria is addressed, and for each criterion,
three questions are answered: “What does this criterion address?” “Why is this
criterion important?”, and “How is this criterion implemented?”.
The
student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of twenty (20)
questions at the end of the course to obtain PDH credits.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained
At the end of this course, you will understand the
purpose and benefits of implementing a formal Quality Assurance (QA) Program for
your projects. You will become familiar with the 18 components of such a
program. For each of the 18 components, you will learn:
1)
What aspect of design, construction,
manufacture or site studies the component addresses,
2)
Why this aspect is an important part
of a Quality Assurance Program, and
3)
How this component is actually
implemented.
You should then be able to evaluate, for your own
projects or activities, which of these components are applicable, to what extent
or degree the component should be applied, and what benefits you might realize
if the component is properly implemented. For the design and construction of
critical facilities, in which the health and safety of the general public is
involved and for which the protection of the environment is a priority, all of
the 18 criteria need to be implemented.
Course
Click on the link below to review the course
"Assuring Project Quality" prior to taking a quiz for credit.
Assuring Project Quality (239 KB)
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