The QAO is responsible for coordinating the ship's
1. To improve the quality, uniformity, and
QA training program and for maintaining the ship's QA
reliability of the total maintenance effort
records and test and inspection reports. The QAO
2. To improve work environment, tools, and
conducts QA audits as required and follows up on
equipment used in the performance of
corrective actions to assure compliance with the QA
maintenance
program.
3. To cut unnecessary man-hour and dollar
The ship quality control inspectors (SQCIs) must
expenses
have a thorough understanding of the QA program. The
4. To improve the training, work habits, and
SQCIs are usually the work center supervisor and two
procedures of all maintenance personnel
others from the work center. The following list contains
some of the other responsibilities the SQCI will have:
5. To increase the excellence and value of reports
a n d correspondence generated by the
1. I n s p e c t all work for compliance with
maintenance activity
specifications.
6. To distribute required technical information
2. Maintain ship records to support the QA
more effectively
program.
7. To set up realistic material and equipment
3. Make sure only calibrated equipment is used in
requirements in support of the maintenance
acceptance testing and inspection of work.
effort
4. Witness and document all tests.
5. Make sure all materials or test results that fail to
QA ORGANIZATION
meet specifications are recorded and reported.
The QA program for naval forces is organized into
different levels of responsibility. For example, the
SPECIFICATIONS
COMNAVSURFPAC QA program includes the
following levels of responsibility: type commander,
In the field of quality assurance, the following terms
readiness support group/area maintenance coordinator,
are often misunderstood and confused: level of
and IMAs. The QA program for COMNAVSURFLANT
essentialy and level of assurance. To eliminate some
includes five levels of responsibility: force commander,
of the confusion, this TRAMAN will define the levels
audits, squadron commanders, IMAs, and force ships.
of essentiality and levels of assurance required for
equipment/systems on surface ships. There is no direct
The QA program organization (Navy) begins with
connection between the two terms.
the commander in chief of the fleets, who provides the
basic QA program organization responsibilities and
guidelines.
Levels of Essentiality
The type commanders (TYCOMs) provide
Some early failures in surface ship systems were
instruction, policy, and overall direction for
traced to the use of the wrong materials. This led to a
implementation and operation of the force QA program.
system of prevention that involved levels of essentiality.
TYCOMs have a force QA officer assigned to control
A level of essentiality is a range of controls representing
the force QA program.
a certain high degree of confidence that procurement
The commanding officers (COs) are responsible to
specifications have been met. The range of controls is
the force commander for QA in the maintenance and
defined into two broad categories.
repair of the ships. The CO is responsible for organizing
Verification of material
and implementing a program to carry out the provisions
of the TYCOM's QA manual.
Confirmation of satisfactory completion of test
and inspections required by the ordering data
The CO ensures that all repair actions performed by
ship's force conform to provisions of the QA manual as
Levels of essentiality are codes that show the degree
well as to other necessary technical requirements.
to which the ship's system, subsystem, or components
are necessary in the performance of the ship's mission.
The quality assurance officer (QAO) is
The ship assigns these codes according to the QA
responsible to the CO for the organization,
manual. These codes show the impact that a catastrophic
administration, and execution of the ship's QA program.
