Policies and Procedures about Quality Assurance for EPA Organizations
The EPA Quality System encompasses management and technical activities related to the planning, implementation, assessment and improvement of environmental programs that involve:
- the collection, evaluation and use of environmental data
- the design, construction and operation of environmental technology
View some of the example activities.
The following topics are discussed below:
- General Specifications
- Relationship to EPA's Information Quality Guidelines
- Organizational Implementation
- The Graded Approach
- Policies
- Agency-wide Oversight
This information is also contained in the Overview of the EPA Quality System for Environmental Data and Technology. In addition, some common questions asked by EPA organizations are answered under FAQ #3 - EPA Organizations and Personnel.
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General Specifications
There are 11 quality management specifications defined in EPA Order CIO 2105.0 for all EPA organizations covered by the EPA Quality System. It is EPA policy that EPA organizations conform to the minimum specifications of ASQ/ANSI E4 (current version of this American National Standard) and:
- Identify a QA Manager and ensure that this individual can function independently from environmental data collection and use and has access to the top management with the organization. See Quality System Contacts and Web Sites for a list of EPA QA Managers.
- Develop a Quality Management Plan and implement this plan following Agency approval - see Quality Management Tools for projects for examples, training, guidance, and other resources.
- Provide sufficient resources to implement the quality system.
- Assess the effectiveness of the quality system at least annually and implement corrective actions based on assessment results in a timely manner.
- Implement Agency-wide Quality System specifications in all applicable EPA-funded extramural agreements. See Chapter 46 of the EPA Acquisition Guide which is available on the EPA Intranet at https://oamintra.epa.gov/EPAAG. Also, see Quality Specifications for non-EPA Organizations for information on Federal Regulations, documentation, and other resources.
- Provide appropriate training for all levels of management and staff to assure that quality-related responsibilities and requirements are understood.
- Use a systematic planning approach to develop acceptance or performance criteria for all work covered by the EPA Quality System - see Quality Management Tools - Systematic Planning for examples, training, guidance, and other resources.
- Have approved QA Project Plans, or equivalent documents, for all applicable projects and tasks involving environmental data - see Quality Management Tools - QA Project Plans for examples, training, guidance, and other resources.
- Assess existing data, when used to support Agency decisions or other secondary purposes, to verify that they are of sufficient quantity and adequate quality for their intended use.
EPA policy CIO 2105.0 also contains program-specific specifications and responsibilities for EPA managers and staff.
Relationship to EPA's Information Quality Guidelines
EPA's quality system policy includes procedures for developing and implementing program-specific quality-related activities. These activities then serve as a framework for information product developers to ensure that information products meet the specifications of the Information Quality Guidelines (IQGs). For more information, see EPA's Information Quality Guidelines.
Organizational Implementation
Because of the diversity and dispersion of programs within EPA, the EPA Quality System is decentralized. EPA organizations have individual quality systems that specifically address their needs. As a result, the EPA Quality System is composed of individual quality systems developed and implemented by the various EPA Regions, National Program Offices, and the National Research Centers and Laboratories in the Office of Research and Development.
Overall, there are more than 30 EPA organizations that maintain quality systems. These organizations are usually at the Regional Office level, at the level immediately below each National Program Office, and at the National Research Center and Laboratory level. Specialized, complex, large, or highly-visible programs may also may have their own quality systems. Typically, such programs cut across organizational lines and have their own organizational infrastructure.
The Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Information is responsible for developing and coordinating the EPA Quality System in addition to directing its implementation within EPA. This role is performed by the Enterprise Quality Management Division. See our Agency-wide Quality Systems Documents page for more information on the Enterprise Quality Management Division (EQMD).
The Graded Approach
Because of the diversity of work conducted through procurements and assistance agreements, EPA recognizes that a "one size fits all" approach to quality specifications will not work. Therefore, the implementation of the EPA Quality System is based on a graded approach. A graded approach means that quality systems for different organizations and programs will vary according to the specific objectives and needs of the organization. For example, the quality practices needed in a research program are different from those in a regulatory compliance program because the purpose or intended use of the data is different.
The graded approach applies to the development of a quality system and the resulting documentation. Example applications of a graded approach to documentation include:
- Documentation of the Organization's Quality System (Quality Management Plan): The documentation should describe a Quality System that is designed to support the objectives of the organization. The level of effort expended to develop and document a Quality System should be based on the scope of the program. For example, large grants to a State government may require a comprehensive quality system and documentation, whereas smaller grants for programs with relatively less significant impacts may require less substantial documentation.
- Documentation of the application of quality assurance and quality control activities to an activity-specific effort (Quality Assurance Project Plan): The level of detail of the Quality Assurance Project Plan should be based on a graded approach so that the level of detail varies according to the nature of the work being performed and the intended use of the data. As a result, an acceptable plan for some environmental data operations may require a qualitative discussion of the experimental process and its objectives while others may require extensive documentation to adequately describe a complex environmental program.
Policies for EPA Organizations
Policies for EPA Organizations are defined in the internal Agency policies listed below.
- EPA Order CIO 2105.0 - Policy and Program Requirements for the Mandatory Agency-wide Quality System. Quality specifications for EPA organizations that produce or use environmental data.
- EPA Order CIO 2106.0 - The EPA Quality Program Policy for Agency products and services. An internal memorandum issued on December 10, 2010 clarified implementation of this policy for the preparation of management systems.
- EPA Acquisition Guide - Chapter 7, Chapter 15 and Chapter 46 contain quality-related specifications for solicitations and contracts.
Agency-wide Oversight
Oversight of the implementation of the EPA Quality System is performed by:
- Agency Senior Management Official for Quality: The Office of Mission Support's Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Information is the Agency's Senior Management Official for Quality and is responsible for developing and coordinating the EPA Quality System and directing its implementation within EPA.
- CIO Strategic Advisiory Committee: An advisory group of Agency senior managers that assists the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Information.
- Office of Mission Support, Environmental Information's Enterprise Quality Management Division: The Enterprise Quality Management Division (EQMD) supports the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Information in the role of Senior Management Official for Quality. EQMD is responsible for developing Agency-wide Quality System policy and procedures, coordinating with EPA's Program Offices, Laboratories, Regional Offices and overseeing the implementation of the EPA Quality System. This role includes supporting Agency organizations in developing and implementing their individual quality systems and assessing these systems. See the EQMD's About Us page for more information.