Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-06-024
Date: April 2006

The Road to Quality Assurance

Learn the basic elements of a statistically-based quality assurance program for highway projects with the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) National Highway Institute (NHI) course on Materials Control and Acceptance-Quality Assurance. The course features an introduction to quality management and quality assurance. Participants then learn techniques for collecting, organizing, analyzing, and interpreting materials data, as well as assessing the strengths and weaknesses of process control and acceptance plans. The course also provides an introduction to risk.

The course is available in both a 4.5-day version (Course No. FHWA-NHI-134042) and a 2-day condensed version (Course No. FHWA-NHI-134042A). Topics covered include:

• Sampling theory.
• Organization of data.
• Analysis of data.
• Sources of variability.
• Process control.
• Acceptance plans and risks.
• Percent Within Limits acceptance plans.
• Implementation.

Among the skills participants will gain are the ability to describe necessary forms of data organization; identify population and sample means, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation; indicate sources of variability and how to use precision and bias statements; explain process control plans; identify the elements of acceptance plans; and identify procedures for verifying contractor tests used in acceptance decisions.

The course is designed for Federal, State, and local highway agency engineers in materials, construction, research, and other highway fields. The target audience also includes technicians involved in specification development and laboratory and field testing of highway materials. The course has a minimum class size of 20 and a maximum of 30. The fee is $600 per participant for the 4.5-day class and $270 for the condensed course.

To schedule the course, complete the "On-Site Course Request-Form 1530" at www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/NHIUPLR/Login.aspx. For more information on the course content, contact Michael Rafalowski at FHWA, 202-366-1571 (email: michael.rafalowski@fhwa.dot.gov). For more information on scheduling a session, contact the NHI Training Team, 703-235-0534 (email: nhitraining@fhwa.dot.gov). The course description for the 2-day class can be found at http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/training/course_detail.aspx?num=FHWA-NHI-134042A&cat=&key=&num=134042&loc=&sta=%25&tit=&typ=&lev=&ava=&str=&end=&drl=.

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