Program Components

fundamental rule for you to follow for all maintenance

appropriate force commanders, the QA manual takes

is that TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS MUST BE

precedence. Such conflicts should be reported to the

appropriate officials.

MET AT ALL TIMES.

The instructions contained in the QA manual apply

Prevention is concerned with regulating events

to every ship and activity of the force. Although the

rather than being regulated by them. It relies on

requirements are primarily applicable to the repair and

eliminating maintenance failures before they happen.

maintenance done by the force intermediate

This extends to safety of personnel, maintenance of

maintenance activities (IMAs), they also apply to

equipment, and virtually every aspect of the total

maintenance done aboard ship by ship's force. In all

maintenance effort.

cases, when specifications cannot be met, a departure

Knowledge is obtained from factual information.

from specifications request must be completed and

This knowledge is acquired through the proper use of

reported.

data collection and analysis programs. The maintenance

Because of the wide range of ship types and

data collection system provides maintenance managers

equipment and the varied resources available for

unlimited quantities of factual information. The

maintenance and repair, the instructions set forth in the

e x p e r i e n c e d maintenance manager provides

QA manual are general in nature. Each activity must

management with a pool of knowledge. Correct use of

implement a QA program to meet the intent of the QA

this knowledge provides the chain of command with the

manual. The goal should be to have all repairs conform

tools necessary to achieve maximum shipboard

to QA specifications.

readiness.

Special skills, normally not possessed by

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

production personnel, are provided by a staff of trained

personnel for analyzing data and supervising QA

The basic thrust of the QA program is to ensure that

programs.

you comply with technical specifications during all

work on ships of both the surface fleet and the submarine

The QA program provides an efficient method for

force. The key elements of the program are as follows:

gathering and maintaining information on the quality

characteristics of products and on the source and nature

Administrative. This includes training and

of defects and their impact on current operations. It

qualifying personnel, monitoring and auditing

permits decisions to be based on facts rather than

programs, and completing the QA forms and

intuition or memory. It provides comparative data that

records.

will be useful long after details of particular times or

Job Execution. This includes preparing work

events have been forgotten. QA requires both authority

procedures, meeting controlled material

and assumption of responsibility for action.

requirements, r e q u i s i t i o n i n g material,

A properly functioning QA program points out

conducting in-process control of fabrication and

problem areas to maintenance managers so they can take

r e p a i r s , testing and recertifying, and

appropriate action to accomplish the following:

documenting any departure from specifications.

Improve the quality, uniformity, and reliability of

CONCEPTS OF QUALITY ASSURANCE

the total maintenance effort.

The ever-increasing technical complexity of

Improve the work environment, tools, and

present-day surface ships and submarines has spawned

equipment used in the performance of

the need for special administrative and technical

maintenance.

procedures known collectively as the QA program. The

Eliminate unnecessary man-hour and dollar

QA concept is fundamentally the prevention of defects.

expenses.

This encompasses all events from the start of

maintenance operations until their completion. It is the

Improve the training, work habits, and

responsibility of all maintenance personnel.

procedures of maintenance personnel.

Achievement of QA depends on prevention of

Increase the excellence and value of reports and

maintenance problems through your knowledge and

correspondence originated by the maintenance

special skills. As a supervisor, you must consider QA

activity.

requirements whenever you plan maintenance. The

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