Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC)

The Program’s Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC) process is a joint effort between Program, Center, and DEP staff to assess the functionality the Dirt and Gravel Road Program within individual Conservation Districts. The process involves a full-day visit to each district with the majority of the time being spent visiting projects in the field. The purpose of the visit is to identify areas for improvement within the District and the Program, and to share successful strategies between Districts.

Details

The QA/QC effort visits individual conservation districts to assess their implementation of the Dirt, Gravel, and Low Volume Road Maintenance Program. The one or two day visit is conducted by SCC, Center, and DEP. These reviews focus on financials, administration/functionality, and project implementation. The following is an outline of what to expect for a typical QA/QC visit. The documents used during the QAQC process can be found in the reference documents below.

Round 4 of QAQC’s are now underway! SCC staff will be in touch to notify you of your QAQC and to schedule a date for the review that best fits your schedule.

Before QA/QC visit

DEP Field Rep and CDGRS Staff Assistance maybe available to help you prepare:

DEP Field reps & CDGRS staff can visit the District prior to the QAQC and ensure they are properly prepared for the visit. This form is meant for field reps and CDGRS Staff to give the Districts an “inside look’ as to what the SCC will be looking at and to make sure the District is properly prepared.

The District will be asked to review the pre-visit documentation sent prior to the visit.

  • Attachment A – Pre-Visit Checklist for the District
    • Schedule a remote interview session for District Staff / QAB / District Board (contact SCC to schedule)
    • Notify Board & Chairman / Encourage them to attend
    • Submit a list of current QAB members, their affiliation, and role on the QAB
    • Submit a copy of your local policy
    • Submit minutes from your last three QAB meeting minutes
    • Submit itemized accounting with supporting documentation of your administration, education/training, and project expenses and interest income for review.
    • Submit a list of projects the District recommends that the QAQC team visit.
    • The District and QAQC Team together will select up to 3 project for involvement in the project site review from the project participant.
    • Review the GIS system information and make sure it is up to date and accurate.
    • Review the previous QAQC report and be prepared to discuss how the recommendations and required actions were addressed.
    • Review all the projects and hard files for each project completed or contracted since the previous QAQC Visit
  • Attachment B – QAQC visit agenda

During the QA/QC visit (Day 1 & Day 2 for larger allocation counties)

  • QAQC Team will review project hard files first thing in the morning upon arrival to the District. (can be completed ahead of the actual visit if preferred)
  • Utilize as much of the days as necessary to conduct in the field site reviews. The plan is to visit completed projects, under construction projects, contracted projects, and potential sites. The majority of the QAQC visit will be geared towards in the field site visits.
  • Provide an informal overview of the findings of the QAQC team.
  • Provide time for questions and answers.

After the QA/QC Visit

  • The SCC will prepare a preliminary report and provide it to the District in a timely manner.
  • The SCC will conference call with the District to discuss the report and get any comments. An in person meeting can be arranged if the District prefers.
  • SCC will incorporate District comments into final report. The final report will be sent to the District and the District Board of Directors.

QA/QC Resources

All documents in pdf form unless otherwise noted.

  • Pre-Visit Letter (74.7 KB): Brief overview of the Program’s QA/QC effort that visits individual conservation districts to evaluate the effectiveness of the Program in each county.
  • Preliminary Report Round 4: Blank Preliminary Report used at a template for each QAQC. coming soon
  • QAB Interview Checklist (147 KB): Questions asked during QAB interviews.
  • District Staff Interview Checklist (134 KB): Questions asked during District Staff interviews.
  • Hard File Review Form (140 KB): Form used by the Commission when conducting a file review.
  • Project Expense Tracker Spreadsheet (13.9 KB): Form used by QAQC team to track project expenditures when reviewing hard files (Microsoft Excel file)
  • QAQC Project Evaluation: Form used by the Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies to evaluate each project. coming soon
  • QAQC Project Notes: Form used by the Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies during project evaluations. coming soon
  • Project Hard File Checklist: A checklist of the items that should be included in a projects contract hard file.
  • Project Narrative: Form to describe problems being addressed along with a project summary for a given contract.
  • Project Timeline: Form to record various payment/date information for a given contract.
  • Pre Application Checklist: A checklist of the items that should be considered prior to receiving an application.
  • Pre Construction Checklist: A checklist of the items that should be considered prior to beginning construction.
  • QAQC Docs: All above documents in a downloadable zip file. coming soon