DOE Federal Quality Council

Formation of the Department of Energy's Federal Quality Council

The DOE Quality Council was formed in 2008 to provide a forum to identify quality assurance (QA) policy needs and recommend resolutions as well as to identify and recommend actions for continuous improvement of the quality of DOE work. The Council works to improve QA program implementation and maintenance according to the needs of the diverse DOE offices' requirements. The Council disseminates, as appropriate, recommendations and suggested improvement actions. The objectives of the Quality Council include:

• Identify crosscutting QA issues and develop recommendations for paths forward.
• Improve the DOE QA policy (directives)
• Develop mechanisms to evaluate effectiveness of QA implementation in the Department
• Assist line management in evaluating effectiveness of QA implementation
• Support quality initiatives across the DOE complex to improve mission effectiveness
• Improve the effectiveness of QA lessons learned program (including recording, disseminating and implementing)
• Provide recommendations on training and qualifications programs related to QA
• Work effectively with the Energy Facility Contractor's Group (EFCOG) QA Subgroup in their initiatives
• Establish and maintain a working relationship with other Federal agencies and the private sector regarding QA programs, activities or lessons-learned
• Establish and maintain a working relationship with QA consensus standards bodies and professional organizations
• Assist, as requested, in reviews of QA programs, directives, etc., and
• Accomplish other objectives related to DOE QA as agreed to by the Quality Council members, or as directed by the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of Energy.

The Council Chair, Colette Broussard, is the Director of the Office of Quality Assurance (HS-33) within the Office of Health, Safety and Security. Representation on the Council currently includes nominated members from twenty DOE HQ and Field offices. The Council welcomes new members and any recommendations from individuals on QA-related concerns.

The Council has been meeting regularly since August 2008 and operates by establishing teams to work on developing guidance for various QA-related topics. To date, the topics addressed by the Council include the development of DOE Headquarters QA Training, guidance on the Applicability of NQA-1 Part II, guidance on the implementation of Commercial Grade Dedication (CGD) activities for nuclear safety related items and services, the development of guidance for performing Management Assessments, the development of an approach for establishing Performance Metrics for QA programs, and the development of a template to integrate QA programs and Integrated Safety Management (ISM). The primary point-of-contacts (POCs) for the Council are Colette Broussard (colette.broussard@hq.doe.gov) and your respective program office or field office member.

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