Developing a quality assurance model for small military institutions

Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) has a limited manpower, land to manoeuvre and resources. This reason has led the researcher to investigate the effective dimensions of discovering a model for quality assurance in higher education within a military context in Bahrain to compensate for these limitations. The research seeks to assess, through a case study how newly established education institute such as Royal Command and Staff College (RCSC) adapt and assimilates quality assurance systems. Using action research techniques, this case study analyses continual conceptualisation, implementation and evaluation of quality assurance actions over time. The cyclical process through time involves development of a model of quality assurance systems, implementation and evaluation. The study covers the period of the training years 2005/ 2006 to 2006/ 2007. Owing to the nature of this research and study of the complexity of organizational behaviour and change with active intervention, a case study design is adopted. This research approach involves a triangulation of multiple research designs, methods and analysis, which comprise Action Research Group Process, Survey Instruments (questionnaires), and Focus Group Interviews. The study finds that a strategic model of quality implementation emerges as a response to the inputs from the dynamic environment, the aspects of which are particularly ascertained by the actions of committed instructors

Model-driven Engineering IDE for Quality Assessment of Data-intensive Applications

This article introduces a model-driven engineering (MDE) integrated development environment (IDE) for Data-Intensive Cloud Applications (DIA) with iterative quality enhancements. As part of the H2020 DICE project (ICT-9-2014, id 644869), a framework is being constructed and it is composed of a set of tools developed to support a new MDE methodology. One of these tools is the IDE which acts as the front-end of the methodology and plays a pivotal role in integrating the other tools of the framework. The IDE enables designers to produce from the architectural structure of the general application along with their properties and QoS/QoD annotations up to the deployment model. Administrators, quality assurance engineers or software architects may also run and examine the output of the design and analysis tools in addition to the designer in order to assess the DIA quality in an iterative process

Understanding Alternative Quality Assurance Program in Innovative Project Delivery Environment

High quality transportation infrastructure carries great value to society and economy in the United States. To attain better quality of the infrastructure, innovative project delivery methods have been applied by many projects, such as design–build (DB) and public–private partnership (P3), thereby requiring a new model for ensuring overall quality management. The innovative quality management model has been adopted by a lot of states to serve as an essential element of a quality assurance program (QAP), where a construction quality acceptance firm (CQAF), also named as an independent quality firm (IQF) is required. Despite the increasing acceptance of the new model, many states’ Department of Transportation (DOT) agencies, which are responsible for maintenance and development, still utilize a traditional project delivery method. A deeper and more comprehensive understanding is desired about how these innovative approaches of conducting quality assurance (QA) have developed in the construction engineering and inspection (CEI) industry. The objective of this research is to identify discrepancies in understanding the new model between CEI understanding and DOT expectations and offer guidance to promote the QA process in the innovative project delivery environment.M.S

A literature review on environmental regulation and policy and quality assurance: A blueprint for the Malaysian food and beverage companies

The main objective of this study is to develop a life cycle mode for a process-oriented quality assurance in organizational performance of food and beverage companies.As an iterative and dynamic process, quality assurance is interwoven in the developmental process of food and beverage companies.Through the review of literature s in existence, specifically those that focus on procedures, frameworks, methodology, a process oriented framework is developed around non-linear sequential stages presented as: planning/before, design and production (during), post production and delivery (after).The model is approved through an advanced systematic methods employed in collecting, organizing and generating reports about quality assurance (QA) needed updates or changes. According to the approach of process oriented lifecycle, many studies emphasizes that quality assurance needs a friendly environment that take quality as a key factor and a work value for attaining the objectives of an organization. A practical quality assurance model is then proposed by this study that complies with the guide of food and beverage development phases.In each stage of development, practical steps are recommended. There is great potential in the quality assurance model for its transformation from static, the state of after-the-fact to a state of dynamism and iterative state, thereby improving the ongoing self-improvement culture, rather than compliance of circumstance

A Disease-Based Approach to the Vertical and Horizontal Integration of a Medical Curriculum

As medical disciplines have become increasingly interdisciplinary and evidenced-based medicine is widely practiced, there is a need for curricula that reflect these changes. The newly revised LCME standards 1.1 Strategic Planning and Continuous Quality Improvement and 8.3 Curricular Design, Review, Revision/Content Monitoring require ongoing curricular review to assure accreditation compliancy. We have completed a comprehensive review of our curriculum and have moved from a discipline-based curriculum to that of one that focuses on a systems/disease-based model. The approach allows for a more horizontally integrated curriculum in the preclinical years, while the use of 115 distinct disease and eight themes creates a quality assurance mechanism that allows for tracking of vertical integration across the entire curriculum. The first step in the development of this quality assurance model was to establish and empower a newly formed integration subcommittee. This subcommittee was tasked with developing a model to review, track and improve the horizontal and vertical integration of the curriculum. Our integrated curriculum is now in its second year having completed the initial identification of gaps and redundancies through a process that relies on the mapping of diseases and themes throughout the courses. This ongoing review and evaluation process has created a dynamic quality assurance process that allows our faculty to address issues of both horizontal and vertical integration of our curriculum at the course level

A methodology for the design of quality assurance functional model and information system

In spite of all advances in computer, technologies, information processing, automation technologies, manufacturing processes, and the push for integration across all functional areas toward a totally integrated and automated manufacturing system, the suggestion is that quality assurance which covers all quality-based functions in the product-life cycle is often overlooked. In spite of the important role of quality information systems in achieving high quality processes little published research in this area is found in the literature. Study of the available relevant literature and the collection of data from manufacturing industries confirm that different manufacturing situations require different quality assurance systems, and this is evident from the proliferation of differing QA systems found in industry. There are however some common features both universal/or within different classes of industries. Accordingly an 'ISO-9000 based generic structural model incorporating these common quality based functions and their associated information requirements has been developed. This research further investigates and verifies those factors which may affect the design of a QAIS as a guide for designing Quality Assurance Information Systems for manufacturing business organisations. Realising that knowledge-based systems can provide a support environment for designing QAIS, this research also considers and, develops a KB Decision System for Designing Quality Information Systems (DSDQAIS). The DSDQAIS recommends the structure of a QAIS, in the form of an IDEFO model, appropriate to specific company profiles input by the user. Since the available software' applications and development tools which support the sub-systems run on a personal computer, the prototype of this system has also been developed and tested on PC. Recommendations for the further development of the system are given

Quality Assurance Improvements in Australian University Libraries

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the growth in quality assurance maturity within the six Australian and New Zealand university libraries which make up the Libraries of the Australian Technology Network (LATN). Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on benchmarking surveys of library quality assurance commissioned by LATN in 2005/2006, with a follow up study in 2010. The author led the conduct and analysis of both surveys. The 2005/2006 study reviewed quality assurance practices at the member libraries, to draw out examples of best practice and identify gaps and possible areas for improvement within the libraries. It was based on a review of member libraries’ websites, a questionnaire completed by a nominee from each member library, and follow up in person interviews with each nominee and the University Librarian of each institution. In 2009/2010 the same questionnaire was re-administered to investigate whether changes had occurred in the intervening period, including what improvements had been made and where there were still gaps. Had the conduct of quality audits by the Australian Universities Quality Agency had an impact? Had members made improvements to their quality assurance processes based on the findings of the first study or for other reasons? To elicit additional information, follow up interviews are being carried out in 2011. Findings: In 2005/2006 the reviewers found three models of responsibility for quality assurance: centralised, within a manager's portfolio and devolved. Each was appropriate to a different level of quality maturity, with a centralised model considered to be most appropriate at the early stages of development. Whereas in 2005/2006 only one library had a centralised model, by 2010 three libraries had adopted this model and one had moved on from it.The paper compares applications of these models in the libraries and looks at the extent to which growth in quality assurance in the libraries is associated with adoption of the centralised model. It distinguishes the formal creation and appointment of a quality officer position from the ad hoc individual efforts in quality which can and do occur in many libraries. In 2005/2006 only two libraries had a functioning and well-maintained quality framework which the LATN reviewers considered to be a hallmark of best practice in quality assurance. By 2010 this number had doubled to four. The paper looks at the quality, planning and/or performance frameworks in place and whether they were selected or developed by the library or imposed by their parent university. The impact of the adoption of a framework on the development of quality policies, procedures and documentation to achieve comprehensiveness, standardisation and repeatability in quality assurance are considered. A notable change between the 2005/2006 and the 2010 surveys was the growth in individual work planning and performance review, which was identified by the LATN reviewers as a sector-wide gap in 2005/2006. Ideally, use of such plans and assessments should assist in the taking quality beyond library management, to develop amongst the library staff a culture of continuous improvement. Originality/value: The paper provides real examples of how quality assurance can and has been improved in libraries, within a five year timeframe. While it is based on the experience of Australian and New Zealand libraries, it addresses concerns and provides solutions which are appropriate internationally. It provides a range of options which an individual library could adopt depending on its own context

A survey on 3D CAD model quality assurance and testing

[EN] A new taxonomy of issues related to CAD model quality is presented, which distinguishes between explicit and procedural models. For each type of model, morphologic, syntactic, and semantic errors are characterized. The taxonomy was validated successfully when used to classify quality testing tools, which are aimed at detecting and repairing data errors that may affect the simplification, interoperability, and reusability of CAD models. The study shows that low semantic level errors that hamper simplification are reasonably covered in explicit representations, although many CAD quality testers are still unaffordable for Small and Medium Enterprises, both in terms of cost and training time. Interoperability has been reasonably solved by standards like STEP AP 203 and AP214, but model reusability is not feasible in explicit representations. Procedural representations are promising, as interactive modeling editors automatically prevent most morphologic errors derived from unsuitable modeling strategies. Interoperability problems between procedural representations are expected to decrease dramatically with STEP AP242. Higher semantic aspects of quality such as assurance of design intent, however, are hardly supported by current CAD quality testers. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund, through the ANNOTA project (Ref. TIN2013-46036-C3-1-R).González-Lluch, C.; Company, P.; Contero, M.; Camba, J.; Plumed, R. (2017). A survey on 3D CAD model quality assurance and testing. Computer-Aided Design. 83:64-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cad.2016.10.003S64798

Quality Development in Health Care: Participation vs. Accreditation

For more than a decade, quality development in the Danish health care sector has been managed with an accreditation system known as the Danish quality model (DQM), shaping the strategy for how to align work organization with technology use. In this article, we introduce a participatory design approach, known as effects-driven information technology development (EDIT), and discuss how this approach may contribute to a new quality-assurance program for the Danish health care sector. Our purpose is to demonstrate how accreditation, which focuses on processes and standards, needs to be supplemented and balanced with participatory approaches that allow for local experimentation and implementation of high-quality outcomes. We describe accreditation and participatory design as two approaches to reconfiguring and aligning work organization and technology; further, we emphasize the differences in each approach’s strategy and application