Quality Assurance Process
Constellation West’s Quality Assurance Program (QAP) approach is a planned and systematic pattern of actions. As a CMMI® Level-3 company, we apply our CMMI® processes to all projects we undertake, adapting them to the specific requirements of our customers and the work environment. Constellation West identifies goals, objectives, processes and procedures to be implemented to monitor Quality Assurance (QA) in accordance with contract requirements.
Step 1 Monitor Performance. On at least a quarterly basis, the Quality Assurance Manager (QAM) assesses the results of process audits and performance metrics to make an overall quality determination of the program’s services. The QAM ensures that processes are followed, performance standards and metrics are met, output is correct, results are reported, and user(s) are satisfied.
Step 2 Analyze QA Data. We collect and analyze data from processes and quality records to determine the effectiveness of our QAP and needed focus for improvement efforts. Our analysis includes data from work and data logs; performance reports; status reports; customer surveys; tests and evaluations; and other relevant sources for use in identifying possible improvements. We analyze the data to provide information on customer satisfaction and for measures of continuous improvement.
Step 3 Perform Process Improvement. When the result of an analysis suggests that performance is not meeting requirements or that improvements are necessary or possible, the QAM and the our managers work closely to identify the root cause of the degradation of performance and revise policies, processes, procedures, or performance measures as necessary to resolve the issue or implement mitigation procedures if required.
Step 4 Improve the Quality Assurance Program. Our QA plan includes continuous improvement efforts. Timely corrective actions are crucial to ensure that our processes and QA methods are responsive and adequate for controlling the quality of our services. We will log non-conformance, customer complaints, audit reports of discrepancies, lower than desired performance measures, and any other deficiencies into a QA Corrective Action System. Log entries are categorized as deficiencies to be corrected, issues to be resolved, or action items for completion. The QAM will ensure corrective action close-out, verification of effectiveness, and status reporting to the project managers.