PLSO The Oregon Surveyor March April 2021

16 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 44, No. 2 Featured Article The Mercedes engineers wanted to use this data to create a digital terrain model of the roadway so they could design their front-end suspension for California driv- ers many of which had been complaining about the stability and durability of the suspension systems. We carried out this assignment using the Vangarde 505 re- mote sensing pavement survey system. Due to the density of the grid, heavy traffic conditions requiring working off hours and nights, and coordinating with Caltrans, this was a very costly survey. It was also quite a change in philosophy from designing for cost rather than qual- ity and customer satisfaction. What has all of this to do with surveying and mapping? I believe we, as surveyors and mappers, need to take a close look at our own practices and how we deliver 100 percent quality and customer satis- faction. Someone once told me that it takes years to build a good reputation and about one minute to ruin it. You can perform thousands of precise, accurate, timely, and reliable surveys in the course of building your reputation. All you need is for one project to go astray and you have a major rebuilding effort ahead of you. What steps can you take to build a Quality Assurance (QA) program within your own practice, firm, or agency? In this series of articles I will share some of my thoughts and beliefs on quality as- surance. These are based on more than fifty years’ of experience in surveying and mapping both in public and private prac- tice. Some of the issues I will cover in this and upcoming columns are: • Defining the terms • Addressing the commitment of management to a QA program • Five steps to the development of a QA program • Scope and standards • Why QA must reach from the boardroom to the field • Training for QA • The importance of communications • The human resources element • Technical applications in QA • How to get valuable client feedback First, let’s look at some terms. Quality Assurance is a set of procedures designed to ensure that quality standards and processes are adhered to and that the final product meets or exceeds the required technical and performance re- quirements. Quality Assurance covers all activities from design, development, and production to installation, servicing, and documentation. It includes the regulation of the quality of raw materials and sub- contractors, assemblies, products, and components; services related to produc- tion; and management, production, and inspection processes. Quality Control (QC) is a systemfor achiev- ing or maintaining the desired level of quality in a service or manufactured prod- uct by inspecting samples and assessing what changes may be needed in theman- ufacturing process or a service product. Quality Assurance, therefore, is a means of conducting business, while Quality Quality control: Locating the position of a found or set monument with GPS assists with future recovery. continued T continues T