In order to ensure the highest quality and professional standards for all projects
performed under the SeaPort-e program, MAR has tailored a Quality Assurance (QA)
Program, compliant to ISO 9001/2000 in which each and every team member will participate.
Clear and appropriate procedures have been developed, and all team members will be
indoctrinated to ensure a complete understanding of their involvement and compliance with
the QA Program.
MAR considers the QA Program to be a vital key in the overall success of
the operation of SeaPort-e, and our management fully supports this program and expects
strict adherence to its requirements by all MAR personnel and team members. Our QA Plan
states that the key to a successful quality management system involves comprehensive
program planning, awareness and adherence to established plans and procedures, and
continuous quality improvement.
Quality Assurance Team: Lead by the MAR QA Manager, this team is charged with quality
oversight of all program activities and deliverables, including the identification,
remediation, and eradication of deficiencies that impede the quality of service delivery.
The QA Team will operate independent of the Technical Project Team but will be woven into
every facet of the Technical Project Team. The QA Team will be responsible for the
review and formal delivery of all task order documents and other deliverables. The QA
Team will review each deliverable for accurate technical content and consistency with
standards. Formal deliverables will be submitted through the QA Manager in coordination
with the Program Manager. When problems are encountered with work packages, the QA Manager
will notify the Technical Project Manager and the appropriate project team analysts. The
QA Manager will also capture metrics on the quality of work packages, such as accuracy and
consistency in support of reporting Performance Measures. The information will be reported
to the Program Manager for incorporation into status reports and also captured within the
trend analysis process. The QA Team will utilize these metrics as part of a continuous
process improvement program to provide ongoing analysis to reduce error rates and
incorporate efficiencies into the process.
Quality Control and Surveillance: MAR’s Quality Control and Surveillance Process,
consists of a set of proven quality management practices, applied throughout a project’s
life cycle which is the key to any successful program. Our overall approach is built
around providing the best overall value to customers by implementing clearly defined
management practices that are the direct result of these experiences and principles. MAR
is accustomed to customer-oriented policies and strives to exceed the customers’
expectations through excellence in service, value, commitment, and continuous improvement.
A key aspect of our Quality Control Process is our Quality Management team. Each
individual has a role in identifying, reporting, analyzing, planning, tracking and
controlling project efforts. Ensuring quality services and products are provided is a task
assigned to every member of the project staff. Identification of defects needs to be
completed at the lowest level possible in order to optimize productivity, hence the use
of Quality Reviews. These reviews are the best mechanisms for early defect detection and
removal, keeping everyone involved and encouraging teamwork. Our team will incorporate
federal quality control requirements and industry standards to formulate a strategic
quality planning and control process that will serve as the baseline for work inspection
and process audits to be performed.
MAR senior management, program management and quality team personnel are routinely in
contact with Government COR/COTR and government project teams to receive assessments on
quality of MAR support and customer satisfaction. MAR’s internal QA processes are designed
to assure Total Quality Assurance. MAR does not isolate the QA function, but rather views
it as an across-the-board function that involves the entire corporation. Functionally,
our processes involve the Chairman and CEO, Vice Presidents, Financial Management,
Contract Management, Administration and Program/Project Mangers and Project staff. In
support of the Quality Management Process, each project lead will prepare a tailored
quality assurance plan detailing how the project will be implemented on each task/program.
As a minimum, for those processes affecting quality, each plan will identify how the following activities will be accomplished for each project:
- Quality Management
- Management Responsibility – quality policy and objectives, quality
responsibilities, management review and communications
- Resource Management – resource provision, competence/training, infrastructure and
work environment
- Product Realization – planning (processes, equipment, verifications), product
requirements, design/development, customer communication, purchasing, process
control, product ID/traceability, customer property, and monitory and measuring
devices.
- Measurement, Analysis and Improvement - customer satisfaction, internal audits,
process and product measurements, control of nonconforming products, analysis of data,
continual improvement, corrective and preventive action.