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EPA Quality Management Tools for Projects

The following tools for projects are available to implement the EPA Quality Program. 

See the EPA's Terminology Search Web service for definitions of EPA's Quality Program terms. 

On this page:

Data Quality Assessment

Data Quality Assessment

Data Quality Assessment is used to assess the

  • type,
  • quantity,
  • and quality

of data in order to verify that the

  • planning objectives,
  • Quality Assurance Project Plan components,
  • and sample collection procedures

were satisfied and that the data are suitable for its intended purpose. Data Quality Assessment is a five-step procedure for determining statistically whether or not a data set is suitable for its intended purpose.

This assessment is a scientific and statistical evaluation of data to determine if it is of the

  • type,
  • quantity,
  • and quality

needed and may be performed either during a project to check the process of data collection or at the end of a project to check if objectives were met.

References

  • Data Quality Assessment: A Reviewer’s Guide (QA/G-9R) provides general guidance to organizations on assessing data quality criteria and performance specifications for decision making. G-9R is non-technical document and shows a reviewer what constitutes an appropriate Data Quality Assessment (DQA), and how to recognize situations or reports where a DQA has been conducted.
  • Data Quality Assessment: Statistical Tools for Practitioners (QA/G-9S). This document can be considered the technical aspect of G-9R. The document is designed as a "tool-box" of useful techniques in assessing the quality of data. The overall structure of the document will enable the analyst to investigate many different problems using a systematic methodology.
  • EPA's Science Policy Council Assessment Factors - General Assessment Factors for Evaluating the Quality of Scientific and Technical Information

Training

Visit our Training Courses on Quality Assurance and Control Activities page to review the available courses.

Other On-Line Resources

  • Software - EPA has a site license for SAS for EPA employees - information on the EPA Intranet at the EPA SAS Support Home Page.

QA Project Plans

QA Project Plans

A Quality Assurance Project Plan documents the

  • planning,
  • implementation,
  • and assessment procedures

for a particular project, as well as any specific quality assurance and quality control activities. It integrates all the technical and quality aspects of the project in order to provide a "blueprint" for obtaining the type and quality of environmental data and information needed for a specific decision or use.

All work performed or funded by EPA that involves the acquisition of environmental data must have an approved Quality Assurance Project Plan.

References

Training

Visit our Training Courses on Quality Assurance and Control Activities page to review the available courses.

Examples and Other On-Line Resources

Quality Assurance for Environmental Technology Design, Construction, and Operation

Quality Assurance for Environmental Technology Design, Construction, and Operation

Environmental technology is an all-inclusive term used to describe

  • pollution control devices and systems,
  • waste treatment processes and storage facilities,
  • and site remediation technologies and their components

that may be utilized to remove pollutants or contaminants from or prevent them from entering the environment.

Environmental technology is utilized in many configurations and is applied to many environmental problems, including devices and systems used in environmental programs to duplicate environmental conditions for test purposes or to

  • control,
  • prevent,
  • treat,
  • or remediate

waste in process discharges (e.g., emissions, effluents) or the ambient environment. Usually, this term will apply to hardware-based systems; however, it can also apply to general methods or techniques used for

  • pollution prevention,
  • source reduction,
  • or containment

of contamination to prevent further movement of the contaminants.

Users applying environmental technology to these problems should have an understanding of the basic quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) practices that may be needed in

  • planning,
  • implementing,
  • and assessing

the

  • design,
  • construction,
  • and operation

of environmental technology. The needs of the user community may vary from applying QA and QC to design activities to the construction and fabrication of equipment systems to the testing and operation of completed systems.

Project managers should understand when and how QA and QC practices should be applied to engineering work, based on the range and scope of the needed environmental technology and its application.

The QA and QC practices necessary for environmental technology design and development are similar in function to those tools used for environmental data collection and use, but there are important differences in order to ensure that environmental technology performs as needed to resolve environmental problems.

References

  • Guidance on Quality Assurance for Environmental Technology Design, Construction, and Operation (QA/G-11) - January 2005, EPA/240/B-05/001. Guidance provides users with an understanding of the basic quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) procedures that may be used in planning, implementing, and assessing the: design, construction, and operation of environmental technology, and complements the requirements defined in the American National Standard Specifications and Guidelines for Quality Programs for Environmental Data Collection and Environmental Technology Programs (ANSI/ASQ E4-1994) by providing basic guidance on applicable QA and QC practices; outlining engineering planning, construction, and operation processes that may require QA and QC elements; and identifying resources and references that may be utilized by environmental professionals in the application of engineering-based technologies to environmental problems.

This document is not a manual on engineering but is a guide for project managers in environmental programs to help them to understand when and how QA and QC practices should be applied to engineering work.

This guidance is not written expressly for engineers but may be used by managers with non-engineering backgrounds. As a further aid, the guidance uses and refers to good engineering principles/practices (GEPs) when discussing the application of QA and QC during a project design, construction, or operation.

  • ANSI/ASQ E4-2004, Quality Programs for Environmental Data and Technology Programs - Requirements with Guidance for Use. American Society for Quality (August 2004). American National Standard for quality management systems for environmental sector applications.

Examples and Other On-Line Resources

Standard Operating Procedures

Standard Operating Procedures

Standard Operating Procedures are written documents that describe, in great detail, the routine procedures to be followed for a specific

  • operation,
  • analysis,
  • or action.

Consistent use of an approved Standard Operating Procedure ensures

  • conformance with organizational practices,
  • reduced work effort,
  • reduction in error occurrences,
  • and improved data comparability, credibility, and defensibility.

Standard Operating Procedures also serve as resources for training and for ready reference and documentation of proper procedures.

References

Examples and Other On-Line Resources  

Systematic Planning

Systematic Planning

EPA uses systematic planning to plan projects and link goals, cost and schedule, and quality criteria with the final outputs. Systematic planning ensures that all participants understand the needs and expectations of the customer and the product or results to be provided by the supplier. 

Resources

Examples of Systematic Planning Processes

Software

  • Visual Sample Plan (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) is a simple, defensible tool for defining an optimal, technically defensible sampling scheme for site characterization. VSP is applicable for any two-dimensional sampling plan including surface soil, building surfaces, water bodies, or other similar applications.

Technical Audits

Technical Audits

Technical audits are systematic and objective examinations of a program or project to determine whether environmental data collection activities and related results comply with the project's Quality Assurance Project Plan and other planning documents, are implemented effectively, and are suitable to achieve its data quality goals.

Technical audits are not management assessments nor are they data verification/validation processes, which occur during the assessment phase of the project. Technical audits include

  • readiness reviews,
  • technical systems audits,
  • surveillance,
  • and performance evaluations.

References

Examples and Other On-Line Resources

Verification and Validation

Verification and Validation

Data verification and validation is used to evaluate whether data has been generated according to specifications, satisfy acceptance criteria, and are appropriate and consistent with their intended use. Data verification is a systematic process for evaluating performance and compliance of a set of data when compared to a set of standards to ascertain its

  • completeness,
  • correctness,
  • and consistency

using the methods and criteria defined in the project documentation. Data validation follows the data verification process and uses information from the project documentation to ascertain the usability of the data in light of its measurement quality objectives and to ensure that results obtained are scientifically defensible.

References

Examples and Other On-Line Resources

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