Fundamentals of the DOE Quality System

The quality assurance program is a management system involving all organizational components and should not be regarded as the sole domain of any single group. The Order and Rule reflects the concept that all work is a process that can be planned, performed, assessed, and improved. The basic requirements are broken into three categories:

This format permits managers, those performing the work, and those assessing the planning implementation, and results of the work to focus on their unique responsibilities in carrying out the provisions of the quality assurance program. The three categories capture the range of activities common to all work, from organizing and staffing to assessing results and providing feedback for process improvement.

Application of the QA basic requirements extends from the planning and conduct of basic and applied research, scientific investigation, and engineering design to operations, maintenance and repair of facilities, and eventual environmental restoration. These basic requirements reflect a comprehensive way of doing business throughout the life cycle of DOE programs and projects.

DOE's goal is to achieve continuous improvement. This requires a culture that encourages setting and maintaining high standards, identifying and resolving problems, accepting recommendations for improvement, and fostering mutual respect and effective communication between DOE and its contractors. DOE and contractor management are responsible for continuously pursuing enhancements to safety and reliability--not just complying with a minimal set of requirements.

Many DOE Orders assist contractors and DOE Field Offices to achieve their objectives, but prior to 1991 there was no single DOE Order that defines how to integrate these requirements and other policies into a management system. The basic requirements of the QA Order represent functional categories that interrelate these other DOE Orders and policies; in effect, pulling together all work performed by an organization.

Management should review existing requirements, policies, and operating procedures in light of this Order; care should be taken not to create redundancies. The Safety Management System Policy, P 450.4 further strengthens integrating safety with the work process. The QA basic requirements are to be applied to the implementation of SMS Policy. These two management systems are also to be integrated to ensure Quality Assurance and Safety Management policies effectively work together to achieve quality and safety in the Department's work.

Guidance developed specifically for the Order and Rule, and used in combination with it, assists management in developing quality assurance programs that satisfy the basic requirements. The guidance interprets the Order's basic requirements as they apply to different types of work performed by DOE, such as reactor operations, basic and applied research, and environmental restoration. Other guidance such as international and U.S. consensus standards, should be used provided it results in acceptable performance. Organizations should use standards and guides as sources of information that provide ways to meet the basic requirements. The format, such as the number of criteria of an organization's quality assurance program, should be based on the organization's individual needs; and is only important if it affects the organization's performance. DOE and contractor management must assume a different leadership role than in the past when DOE defined quality solely in terms of conformance to standards. Today quality is defined in terms of satisfying the customer in the most resource-efficient manner. The scope of employee's work must be expanded to include value-added activities, such as finding new and innovative ways to improve the quality of their work. The following policy, principles and value-added attributes are articulated in the Order and Rule.

For additional information regarding this page or feedback on its content, please contact:

Colette Broussard, Director, Quality Assurance Policy and Assistance, colette.broussard@hq.doe.gov