NBIS defines Quality Assurance (QA) as, “The use of sampling and other measures to assure the adequacy of quality control procedures in order to verify or measure the quality level of the entire bridge inspection and load rating program.”¹

The Bridge Division’s Bridge Inspection QA Program is carried out by the Bridge Division’s Team in conjunction with the Quality Control efforts from the following workgroups:

The purpose of QA is to confirm that the QC procedures within all facets of TxDOT’s BIP are efficient, that the procedures are suitable to achieve quality, and that the overall QC program is successful in maintaining and improving quality.

The QA reviews are intended to confirm that the QC efforts are equally effective across TxDOT’s BIP, resulting in overall quality and confidence in the BIP. The purpose of QA activities is not to remove, for example, the errors of a specific inspection report or load rating, but to observe and modify the program requirements and procedures, as needed, to ensure that the desired quality levels are maintained and improved.

Important aspects of a QA program include:

Elements of TxDOT’s QA reviews will include:

These elements will be reviewed based on variances such as inspection types, workgroup organization, QC responsibilities, duties, etc.

The presentation of QA review results is important in establishing a method for effectively documenting and evaluating improvements to the BIP over time. Thus, effective QA activities rely on quantitative data as well as qualitative data.

Quantitative data is represented numerically and provides objective assessments of quality, reducing bias and subjectivity of data results. It can be summarized and used for independent analysis and comparison (e.g., the specific number of errors found in the assessment of condition ratings and inventory items from a bridge inspection report or the number of errors found in the Bridge Inspection Management System). It is the quantitative data that makes feasible the unbiased results of QA across the different workgroups in TxDOT’s BIP, provides a measure of each workgroup relative to the overall system, and can be used as a measurement for progress.

Qualitative data is anything not represented numerically and can include general observations or descriptions of performance qualities (above average, inadequate, inconsistent, etc.). Qualitative results help identify areas where actions are warranted