Quality Assurance Program

CAIRD Sextant works side by side with its client to ensure all its projects adhere to established schedules while completing deliverables and actions on time, and meet all quality requirements and metrics.  To achieve the highest quality, and recognizing that no two projects are identical, CAIRD Sextant develops customized project specific and systematic approaches that pay close attention to all stages of a project, from initial planning, to execution, deliverables, and closure.  These customized approaches are rooted in established best practices.  They include the following steps:

Clarify and define desired outcomes and metrics of progress and success – One of the most critical steps in successfully implementing and maintaining quality of a task order is the clear definition of desired outcomes and metrics of success.  This greatly increases the attainment of the task order goals while reducing the probability of dramatic changes in efforts, which are frequently associated with contract modifications that tend to increase cost and cause delays. 

Define requirements to ensure desired success – This stages define and clearly identifies all requirements to ensure success.  Requirements may include a myriad of factors.  For example, they could range from predetermined schedules, legal or policy requirements, or a level of performance of a system.  This state also identifies the needs for archival and retention of documents and data used and generated during the project.  An important effort includes the development of robust integrated management schedule that will sequentially link efforts and resources required for completing the task orders on time and at desired quality. 

Identify all direct and indirect stakeholders, and how they relate to success and quality of effort – This phase focus on bringing the correct staff and stakeholders onto the project team.  It begins by introducing key personnel from the client and contractor, and coalescing them into a cohesive working team.  Depending on the complexity and focus of a task order, this may require the formation of an Integrated Program Team (IPT).  Very important at this stage is the definition of roles and responsibilities of each team member, and identification of potential backup staff that could step in and assume responsibilities in case a team member becomes unavailable.  Project stakeholders must be identified, both within and outside the client’s office that may have a direct or indirect interest in the project.  Stakeholders likely may include Navy Technical Warrant Holders with the authority, responsibility, and accountability to approve the technical products or policy being developed.  Other likely stakeholders include cooperating agencies, such as National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) or US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), if involving activities such weapon tests at Navy ranges where protected species may occur.  This management approach keeps all stakeholders abreast of activities required to achieve the task order goals while fostering a sense of ownership and commitment.

Identify material, protocols, and tools including software that may be required to ensure desired quality – Every project has its unique set of requirements, for example, a complex environmental impact statement will have a different set of needs that a pollution prevention plan for a military installation or a marine mammal monitoring plan for a live fire test and evaluation event.  CAIRD Sextant brings its staff extensive experience supporting diverse projects, and in coordination and consultation with its clients identify early in the process all materials, protocols, and tools required to ensure quality.  At the same time, all projects have certain commonalities that allow the use of some generic tools to ensure quality.  For example, a common challenge while developing complex documents is the management of reviews done by multiple stakeholders.  This requires the resolution and consolidation of editorial and technical comments into one unified functional document.  To ensure quality, CAIRD Sextant uses a customized software tool that seamlessly copies and extracts comments and edits made in tracked changes into resolution tables.  These tables track all edits and comments, their locations within the original document, authors of each comment and edit, and date and time when they were done.  These tables facilitate and streamline development of final documents ensuring all inputs are addressed while maintaining version control of final product.

Allow for feedback from stakeholders to ensure efforts are on target – Communication must active and at a minimum conducted on predetermined interval to confirm that all critical feedback is properly conveyed.  At the same time, all communication must be conducted using well-defined protocols to ensure timely and effective information exchange according to established security policies and regulations.  If required, an administrative record would be developed that will include all communication and feedback received. 

Implement adaptive management processes to fine tune efforts including implementing corrective actions – As the project evolves, lessons and experience is gained.  CAIRD Sextant, in coordination with its clients, applies this knowledge to improve processes and to ensure a proactive approach at implementing corrective actions.  Two key factors for effective adaptive management are: (1) the proper identification and mitigation of risks before they materialize and become issues; and (2) adapting and fine tuning implementation as task orders mature and evolve on their way to successful completion.

Conduct systematic measurements of outcome of ongoing and final efforts – Task, as they progress must be constantly measured against well define metrics to ensure they are on track and maintain the confidence that the desire quality is at a minimum maintain and if possible, exceeded.  The results of these measurements of intermediate products and steps will ensure that final products comply with all pre-established quality requirements.  If at any time results indicate a potential deviation of desired outcomes or quality, corrective actions would be implemented.