Navy Seaport-e Quality Assurance Plan

The concepts and beliefs of our quality program are based on the following:

Quality begins with an understanding of what the customer wants and delivering what is expected.

The quality of products and services is a direct result of the processes applied to deliver them. Consistent and repeatable processes will ensure quality products and services. Incorporating quality management standards and appropriate process controls into defined business processes allows quality to be “built in” throughout the product or service delivery.

The quality program is an active, rather than passive, endeavor with shared responsibility of all our staff and subcontractors.  This facilitates and promotes continuous improvement and the changes that come from improvement initiatives.

Quality is an ability that can be measured.

 

 

Determining customer satisfaction involves:

Understanding the requirements and expectations (Plan)

Gathering and collecting feedback and data from the customer (Do)

Analyzing the feedback and data (Check)

Acting on or making decisions based on the results of the analysis (Act)

Understanding the requirements and expectations (Plan)

Understanding the needs and expectations of the customer is not only necessary for determining what is to be delivered (e.g., project deliverables), but is also critical for achieving customer satisfaction. All issues important to the customer must be addressed, including unstated needs and desires. Typically, they are related to:

Accuracy – Were the stated objectives met?

Performance – Did AABSI employees perform as stated?

Value – Did the customer get their money’s worth?

Courteousness – Did AABSI employees conduct themselves in a professional and polite manner?

Knowledge – Did AABSI employees possess or have access to information necessary to accomplish the objectives?

Responsiveness – Did AABSI representative/employees respond effectively to any problems or issue?

Gathering and collecting feedback and data from the customer (Do)

Gathering feedback from customers can be accomplished using varied methods. Surveys, comment cards, reports, complaints, or recognition from customers are common ways satisfaction data is captured and recorded. Maintaining contact with the customer can also provide valuable information; verbal conservations can often provide insight into the “less tangible” requirements and expectations.

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Analyzing the feedback and data (Check)

Analyzing customer feedback involves not only identifying issues to be addressed and successes to be aware of, but also determining and reviewing the feedback/trends for improvement opportunities. As measures, metrics, and indicators are reviewed, commonalities, variances, extremes, and surrounding circumstances are identified.

Based on identified variances, determine the appropriate action to be taken

Complete the “re-work” as required

Re-evaluate the performance completed; identify possible contributing factors to not meeting the performance levels, i.e.  design, product performance, etc.

Determine the steps required to resolve the issue

Acting on or making decisions based on the results of the analysis (Act)

Issues or complaints will be addressed as they are raised to maintain the customer relationship. Successes and compliments will be shared as appropriate, and if the data indicates that there are improvement opportunities or areas of potential concern, decisions will be made as to how to best proceed.

Continuous Improvement

Striving for continuous improvement is very critical to AABSI’s success. As customer needs change and resources change, be it people, tools, or technology, business processes must also change to be more effective and efficient to increase our ability to meet those changing needs and expectations. Through continual analysis and review, improvement opportunities can be identified and decisions made as to the appropriate action to take for improvement.

Managing change

The direction of our Company has certainly been by the speed of its leadership – CEO Ishmail N. Buckley, and President Lisa R. Buckley.  That said, as part of our overall management principles, we adhere to the following:

Annual development of our Company Business Plan and review of performance organization wide each quarter

Required training courses and reading for management to ensure that they keep their leadership skills sharp. This includes both management as well as technical/line personnel

Company support of employees to have membership in various trade associations that will allow them to have a strong working knowledge of the issues facing our clients as well as the industry.

Weekly connect calls that allow us to ensure that as a team we stay connected and reach out to our clients, vendors, and each other to ensure that we constantly push each other to achieve success.

 

Customer responsiveness

As outlined above, in terms of our employee job requirements, customer responsiveness will be a key component.  However, in addition, we will have actually.  Ensuring that we have 100% on time response, we will utilize a system we have in place currently at Tyndall AFB to ensure that the right employee is dispatched to the work required.  Should this be on a 24/7 basis or a on call, we will be set to make this happen.

 

Our on call staff will be equipped with the following:

Client 1-800 call in number

A specific script will be written to address the key needs of  the client

A person will be dispatched within the contractual required time frame.

E-mails and Text messages will be sent to key PM’s and managers to know exactly what is needed

Summary reports of all dispatched employees will be reviewed daily by key Management.

The customer service personnel that will have responsibility for the execution of this will include all of our key management and support personnel, including Customer Service Representative, Service Technical, Chief Financial Officer and Company President

 

Problem resolution

Given our survey process, that adds significant abilities to communicate with our clients and identify issues before they become problems.  This as outlined above, will ensure that a) not only management but also our front line employees communicate regularly with clients and know what is on their minds b) Our dispatch system also is another customer interface whereby we can see that we have issues c) In our billing process, although we bill through WAWF, have our CFO contact our clients with their billings, and also are sure to ask if they have any issues.

Flow down

Depending on our subcontract utilization, we will also have the same requirements of them as we have of ourselves. This includes total engagement from the top down:

Owner ( as applicable for small business)

Project Manager

Technical staff

Administrative Staff

In addition, we complete weekly and monthly subcontractor reports that have to show their work completed, in which they will not be paid unless the performance has been completed.  In addition this also includes addressing of any client issues that have resulted in poor customer satisfaction.