SPARTA Team’s Approach to Maximize Quality

 

SPARTA is committed to providing quality products on time and within budget.

 

Our approach to maximize quality is composed of:

 

¨         Empowering the Task Order Leader (TOL) balanced by management involvement

¨         Clear lines of communications

¨         Thorough Task Order (TO) planning and executing the plan

¨         Monitoring progress against the plan

¨         Treating team members the way we want to be treated

¨         Performing in-process reviews

¨         Rewarding individual superior quality performance

 

We focus on thoroughly understanding our customer’s requirements and then deliver quality products.

 

Our approach to monitor quality consists of periodic:

 

¨         Internal TO reviews

¨         TOL discussions

¨         Program reviews

¨         Customer feedback on products, performance, and metrics

 

Specifically, SPARTA has implemented and maintains a Quality System Plan (QSP) which is fully compliant with ANSI/ISO/Q9001.  This plan has been approved as being fully compliant IAW DoD Common Processes Initiative and AS9000. SPARTA’s QSP fully addresses all elements of both the International Standards Organization (ISO) and AS specification.  The plan describes in detail our approach and implementation of our quality system.  It also provides for controls of process and product characteristics. It includes criteria and methodology that are used to validate conformance to performance specifications and to achieve functional areas in the design, test, and production, and management processes. The QSP includes discussions of key elements as follows:

 

¨         QA as an autonomous department reporting to top management

¨         QA initiating formal monthly quality reports to top management

¨         QA’s part in design reviews

¨         Design control, change control and configuration management

¨         Selection and control of suppliers

¨         Formal Quality planning

¨         Special Process controls

¨         Formal QA audits of all departments

¨         Manufacturing control

 

Our Quality Control system has been approved by DOD agencies and several aerospace companies as meeting the requirements of MIL-I-45208A. The adherence to this military specification ensures that all aspects pertaining to inspection, equipment calibration, Statistical Process Control (SPC), documentation control, non-conformances and subsequent corrective actions are well documented and in a state of continuous control. To solidify its conformance to the inspection requirements, SPARTA’s QC lab is equipped with state-of-the-art inspection equipment and measuring equipment that interfaces directly with Statistical Process Control (SPC) computers.

 

SPARTA has also instituted a software quality procedures plan “SPARTA’s Software Process Policies and Procedures” in accordance with the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Software Engineering Institute Capability Maturity Model (CMM).   SPARTA achieved Level 2 certification in 2000 and is actively pursuing Level 3. We have in-house assessment personnel who were trained at CMU, and over 60 engineers trained in software development by the CMM/CMMI process. We will follow the QA procedures of the CMM/CMMI process for development and modification of software.