Maintenance Quality Assurance

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Maintenance Quality Assurance
Program Definition and Evolution

• Teresa Adams
• MRUTC Director
• Will Sierzchula
• Project Assistant
• University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Presentation Outline
Definitions Program Evolution Terminology Measures
Sampling Strategies Field Manuals and Rating
Sheets User Surveys Communicating
Results Observations and Comments
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Maintenance Quality Assurance (NCHRP 422)

• Quality assurance (QA) in highway maintenance is
  the process of verifying that the maintenance
  provided meets requirements based on available
  resources and customer expectations.
• The primary goal of a maintenance quality
  assurance (MQA) program is to improve quality
  while maximizing the effectiveness of resources.

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Do we really mean maintenance performance
assessment?

• Performance - The degree to which infrastructure
  provides the services that a community expects of
  it. Performance is a function of effectiveness,
  reliability, and cost.
• Quality - (1) The degree of excellence of a
  product or service (2) The degree to which a
  product or service satisfies the needs of a
  specific customer or (3) The degree to which a
  product or service conforms with a given
  requirement.

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Generalized infrastructure performance assessment
process

• Identify problem, demand, or need.
• Identify decision level, stakeholders, and type
  of decision.
• Identify the boundaries and character, objectives
  and vision, and constraints and regulations.
• Select performance measures.
• Measure performance.
• Make decision and take action.
• Obtain feedback.

Measuring and Improving Infrastructure
Performance, National Research Council, 1995.
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Motivations for measuring maintenance performance

• Set goals and standards
• Detect and correct problems
• Manage and improve processes
• Document accomplishments
• Motivation leads to defining the goal
• Ability to justify budgets
• Ability to show accountability
• Ability to set priorities and allocate funds
• Ability to communicate program needs,
  expectations, and outcomes

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Relating Measures to Goals
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Measures of effectiveness, reliability, and cost

• Effectiveness Measures
• Technical output, quantity delivered
• Quality of Service to users
• Regulatory Concern
• Community Concern
• Reliability Measures
• Deterministic
• Statistical, Probabilistic
• Composite  
• Cost Measures
• Investment, Replacement
• Recurrent or OM cost
• Timing and Source

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MQA Document Library
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No Consistent Terminology
Most states build upon the terms defined in NCHRP
Report 422
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Level of Service (LOS)

• A specific threshold value that triggers the
  requirement of a maintenance activity
• A written description that states the maintenance
  effort authorized for a specific activity
• A defined frequency of a maintenance effort or a
  predetermined number of inspections in a
  specified time
• A policy of replacement of the missing, repair of
  the damaged, or elimination of the undesirable

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6 Common Maintenance Categories
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Decreased Number of Features being Measured
States are refining their performance measures.
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Increased Variety of Features being Measured
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Sampling Strategies for Field Rating
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Rating Sheets

• Field Manuals translate to a one-page rating sheet

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Visual Field Manuals

• Simpler compared to 2004
• Includes description of measure
• Image heavy with textual description

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Customer Surveys
How satisfied are you with snow and ice removal?
Indicate your level of satisfaction with pavement
markings.
How would you rate the level of service for paved
highway surfaces?
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Communicating Results

• Audiences
• Public
• Administrators
• Politicians

• justify budgets
• show accountability
• to set priorities and allocate funds
• communicate program needs, expectations, and
  outcomes

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Communicating Maintenance Condition
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Linking Maintenance Condition to Funding Needs
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Linking Condition to Targets and Budget Allocation
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Program Evolution

• 6 common categories have emerged
• The number of features has decreased
• User surveys are more common
• Field manuals and rating sheets are becoming
  simpler
• Program goals are not well defined
• Weak or missing connection between goals and
  measures

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Common Measures?

• Common measures ? common standards
• States have different MQA goals
• Lack of overarching federal program
• Is federal funding a way to align state goals?
• How does MQA programs meet requirements for
  systematic process for federal funding eligibility

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Bottom Line Current Status

• Evidence that MQA is being used to
• Identify and prioritize maintenance needs
• Link highway conditions to budget requests and
  allocations
• Set organizational performance goals
• Communicate with administrators and politicians

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MQA Listserv

• For additional discussion and information about
  MQA issues, please register for the MQA Listserv
  at
• http//www.mrutc.org/outreach/mqa/mailing.html