Create a Quality Plan

Reported by: David Walker Over the past five years, the Kennedy County Council has recorded a dramatic increase in road traffic volumes near newly established housing developments. Of particular note was the route between Bushfield Road and Clinton Avenue, where average traffic volumes were recently recorded at record levels. Not only has the flow of traffic slowed along this particular route, but also the increased traffic volume has placed the road under extreme stress. The Traffic Services department of the Kennedy County Council has therefore decided to upgrade the Bushfield Road / Clinton Avenue arterial route by widening the road, upgrading its surface and constructing new feeder roads onto and off of this central roadway. This extensive engineering and construction project must be completed within 12 months (to accommodate forecast traffic volumes) and the majority of work must be performed between 7 pm and 6 am to ensure that the public traffic is not unduly affected. The highway construction firm "TechTar Roads Ltd" has been contracted by the council to complete this project, and I was assigned as Project Manager. After producing a detailed Project Plan, I then decided to document a comprehensive Quality Plan. The purpose of the Quality Plan is to identify the quality targets we need to achieve to deliver a successful project. It also specifies the Quality Assurance and Quality Control measures we will undertake throughout the Project Lifecycle to achieve them. I created the following Quality Plan, which was approved by the Kennedy County Council prior to project execution.

Case Study Profile

Project Name: Project Organization: Project Type: Project Client: Project Manager: Project Activity: Bushfield/Clinton Throughway TechTar Roads Ltd Road Infrastructure Upgrade Kennedy County Council David Walker Create a Quality Plan

This Case Study describes the Quality Plan used within this project. The project, people and organizations described are purely fictional.

Quality Plan for

Bushfield/Clinton Throughway Project 1 Quality Targets

TechTar has taken on responsibility for the upgrade of the Bushfield Road/Clinton Avenue roadway, which is to commence within six weeks' time. This roadway will include new feeder roads, widened road surfacing and the replacement of the existing 15-kilometer road surface. This will allow for a 200% increase in traffic volumes and an increase in current average traffic speeds by up to 30%. To ensure that this project meets the requirements of the Kennedy County Council, we have created this comprehensive Quality Plan. The following table lists the specific quality targets to be achieved by the Project team:

Quality Targets
Requirement Deliverable Stage 1: Prepare Site Widened roadway Silt fences to prevent the movement of earth from the construction site to the live roadway Debris control structure to prevent the clogging of road culverts New road embankments along the widened roadway Stage 2: Install New Drainage Effective concrete drainage systems for: Storm water drains Sub-soil drainage Highway drainage Quality Criteria New roadway must comply with Architectural Plans Live roadway must be kept free of construction materials at all times Existing and new road culverts must be kept free of debris at all times New embankments must comply with Architectural Plans Quality Standards 100% compliance with Architectural Plans Zero accidents caused by unsafe roadway during project execution No blockage of existing culverts during execution of project

Drains and sewers must provide sufficient capacity to deal with severe storm conditions so that gravity will conduct water away from the road for discharge into a natural watercourse All drainage systems must be created using cast-in-place concrete

100% of site visits during and after heavy downpours show that drainage is operating effectively Satisfactory results from soil moisture and density tests using a nuclear gauge

Stage 3: Build Foundations

Well prepared subgrade (i.e. road base) providing a solid foundation for the new roadway

Foundation must be solid, stable and able to bear the weight of heavy duty traffic at forecast traffic volumes

Density tests performed confirm a satisfactory stability rating for the new road base. Base course passes all

Stage 4:

The entire new roadway Base course must have

Lay base course Stage 5: Lay Asphalt and concrete

repaved with a preasphalt surface Fully finished paved road surfaces, sidewalks and curbing Road marking complete Roadside landscaping complete All construction materials, rubble and debris removed from site

been pugmill mixed and Gradation Tests delivered with optimum moisture levels Asphalt and concrete surfaces must meet specified council highway standards Road marking must meet specified council highway standards Landscaping must meet specified council highway standards Site must be clean and tidy Safety mechanisms must meet specified Council highway standards Zero deviation from Council highway standards. Highway is ready for live traffic Zero deviation from Council highway standards

Stage 6: Implement Safety Measures

All roadside safety mechanisms implemented, such as guard rails and pedestrian crossings

2 Quality Plan
To ensure that the Quality Targets specified in this document are achieved, we will implement a suite of Quality Assurance and Quality Control methods. These methods will enable us to monitor and control the actual quality of the deliverables produced for this highway project.

2.1 Quality Assurance Plan

The following table lists the methods the Project Manager and Quality Manager will use to assure the quality of deliverables on this project.

Quality Assurance Plan

Technique Utilize Skilled Staff Description To ensure that project deliverables are produced to a sufficient level of quality, we will: Only recruit and employ suitably skilled staff Not employ temporary, contracting or graduate staff Ensure that staff allocated to the project have at least three years experience in roadside construction Appoint four Senior Foremen to oversee day-to-day operations Appoint a fulltime Quality Manager Frequency Throughout the project

Undertake Quality Assurance Reviews

The Quality Manager will undertake Quality Reviews at the end of the following stages, to ensure that the project is on track (i.e. on time and within budget) and has produced deliverables that meet the quality targets specified: Stage 1: Site prepared Stage 2: Drainage installed Stages 3-4: Foundations built and base course laid Stage 5: Asphalt and concrete laid Stage 5: Road marked Stage 6: Roadside Safety Measures installed

On completion of activity

Maintain Standards

The Quality Manager will ensure that all work is performed in accordance with Kennedy County Council Highway Standards. A complete copy of these standards will be available in the Project Office. Quality Reviews will determine the level of compliance with these standards. Any major deviations will be raised to the Project Manager and Project Board for resolution.

Throughout the project

2.2 Quality Control Plan

The following table lists the methods to be undertaken by internal team members to monitor and control the actual quality level of deliverables for this project.

Quality Control Plan

Technique Sample Tests Description Sample tests will be performed on all materials at the construction site. Foremen will test the road foundation, base course and surface layers throughout the Project Lifecycle to measure the quality, grade, weight and density of the surface, using Proctor and Gradation tests. Regular sample tests will ensure that embankments meet the required quality targets. Foremen will regularly review their suppliers' inventories to ensure that the storage and quality of raw materials is satisfactory (e.g. methods for stockpiling raw materials, controlling moisture and weighing goods prior to delivery to site). We will also implement the following Peer Review policy: Each Foreman will be assigned specific project deliverables. Each Foreman will be partnered with another Foreman for the performance of peer project evaluations. Each Foreman will be responsible for performing a weekly review of their peer's deliverables. If either Foreman identifies a Quality issue, they will raise it with their peer. Any disputes will be raised with the Frequency Every 30 days throughout the project

Embankment Tests Supplier Checks

Every 30 days throughout the project Every 60 days throughout the project

Peer Reviews

Weekly throughout the project

Project Manager. The Quality Manager will be responsible for ensuring that this peer review process is undertaken throughout the project. Phase Reviews At the end of each project phase, we will undertake a formal Phase Review. These reviews will assess the quality of project deliverables to date to determine whether the project has met all of the required quality criteria and is ready to proceed to the next phase. The Project Manager will organize each Phase Review and present the results to the Project Board. At the end of each project phase

2.3 Assumptions
The following assumptions were made while documenting this Quality Plan: The Kennedy County Council Highway Standards will remain unchanged throughout this project. Skilled staff are available to monitor, control and assure the quality of deliverables as required. The Architectural Plans drawn for this project are achievable.

2.4 Constraints
The following constraints were identified while documenting this Quality Plan: All quality reviews must be undertaken after normal business hours, to ensure that traffic is not adversely affected. There is very little time available on this project for re-work. Each deliverable must be produced to a satisfactory level the first time and any quality issues must be resolved quickly and efficiently. The Quality Manager will personally undertake Quality Assurance Reviews, as we do not have time or funds for an independent quality reviewer.

3 Quality Process
Quality Assurance and Quality Control methods will be part of a wider Quality Management Process. This process will comprise a suite of activities, roles and documents to ensure that the deliverables produced by the project meet the quality targets set.

3.1 Activities
The following activities will be used to monitor and control the quality level of deliverables for this project:

The Quality Manager will undertake Quality Assurance Reviews to ensure that the project is on track. Site Foremen will undertake Quality Control Reviews to ensure that all project deliverables meet the quality targets set. The results of each quality review will be recorded in a "Quality Register." This log will also record the current status of each project deliverable and its ability to satisfy the quality targets set. The Foremen will make the Project Manager aware of any quality deviations and will implement changes to bring the quality of the deliverables to the required quality targets. If a Foreman needs to raise a project change (e.g. to extend the width of the road or to change the construction of an embankment) to improve the quality of a deliverable, he must request approval of that change from the Project Manager.

3.2 Roles
All staff on the project will be responsible for the production of deliverables that meet quality targets. The following roles will have key responsibilities for the assurance and control of deliverable quality: The Foreman will be responsible for: Managing road construction gangs to produce deliverables that meet quality targets Allowing his assigned "peer" to review his deliverables on a weekly basis Reviewing his peer's deliverables on a weekly basis Reporting quality deviations to the Quality Manager Taking necessary actions to resolve such quality deviations

The Quality Manager will be responsible for: Undertaking Quality Assurance Reviews to ensure that the project is on track (i.e. on time and within budget) and has produced deliverables that meet quality targets Ensuring that all quality assurance and control actions are undertaken as planned Ensuring that work is undertaken in accordance with the Kennedy County Council Highway Standards Keeping the Quality Register up-to-date throughout the project

The Project Manager will be responsible for: Assisting the Foremen and the Quality Manager with resolution of major quality issues Approving any changes required to resolve project quality issues Undertaking Phase Reviews and presenting their results to the Project Board

3.3 Documents
The following quality documentation is to be used during this project:

Quality Review Form. Foremen will use this form to record current quality levels for the project, and to document any quality deviations and the actions to be taken to resolve them. Quality Register. The Quality Manager will use this log to record the current quality level of each project deliverable, along with the results of quality reviews.

4 Appendix
Project Plan, Resource Plan Kennedy County Council Highway Standards Architectural, structural, electrical, and mechanical drawings Sample field test reports and site inspection forms Change Request Forms and Quality Control charts

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