Quality Assurance Program

Quality Assurance Program

Table of Contents 1.1 Introduction... 1 1.2 Purpose... 2 1.3 Compliance and Maintenance... 2 1.4 Organization, Authority and Responsibilities... 2 1.5 Method of Assuring All Contract Requirements Are Met or Exceeded... 3 1.5.1 Customer Surveys... 4 1.5.2 Performance Metrics... 4 1.5.3 Documenting the Quality Assurance Program... 5 1.5.4 Maintaining Effective Communications... 6 1.6 Identifying, Correcting and Preventing Deficiencies... 6 1.7 Continuous Process Improvement... 7 i

1.1 Introduction The Hyperion Quality Assurance Program is integral to the successful design and execution of all projects. The Quality Assurance Program is used in conjunction with management practices and policies to deliver effective services and quality performance. The Hyperion Quality Assurance Program is designed to ensure that all performance standards and/or service delivery requirements are met or exceeded on a consistent basis, and that government Quality Assurance personnel, managers, and the Contracting Officer (CO) have visibility of performance at the appropriate levels. Hyperion s overall approach to providing quality services is to: Achieve performance on the overall contract and each Task Order requirement, including cost, schedule, and staffing, that meets or exceeds all performance and service delivery standards Develop and maintain a true partnering environment and an atmosphere of trust, integrity and mutual respect between all Hyperion Team Members as well as with the government Implement defined processes and tools for collecting performance and service delivery indicators Measure customer satisfaction including use of feedback in a manner that assures consistently high performance Apply proven process improvement methodologies to continuously strengthen performance The Quality Assurance Program describes processes, procedures and standard practices that Hyperion employs to address the specific basic contract plan requirements, such as inspection and audit, report delivery, lines of authority, and training. Our quality assurance and control process combines sound project planning, performance management, incentives, monitoring, and quick problem resolution into a self-reinforcing management system. Hyperion is ISO-9001 certified in the Management and Design of Information Technology Projects. The guiding principles and policies under Hyperion s Quality Management Program will be incorporated throughout our execution of all projects and task orders. Our Quality Assurance Program is designed to make high quality performance the daily norm. The Hyperion Quality Assurance Program is organized as follows: Section 1.2 describes the purpose Section 1.3 describes compliance and maintenance Section 1.4 describes the organization, authority and roles of key management personnel Section 1.5 methods for ensuring all contract requirements are met or exceeded Section 1.6 methods for preventing, identifying, and correcting defective services Section 1.7 discusses our continuous process improvement methodology Hyperion Quality Policy Hyperion is committed to providing world-class Information Technology services and solutions that meet our customers expectations. Hyperion is dedicated to the improvement of our business processes and quality management system to maximize our efficiency and effectiveness to our customers. 1

1.2 Purpose The purpose of Hyperion s Quality Assurance Program is to document the quality assurance program that Hyperion uses to ensure the quality of our services and products throughout the life of a contract. Our program addresses: Standard Operating Procedures Responsibilities of key personnel Inspection procedures Performance measurement Methods of correcting deficiencies Documentation and reporting Continuous process improvement method Hyperion s Quality Assurance Program is provided to all Team Members and is the overarching Quality Assurance Program for the contract. Hyperion s Quality Manager will work with his counterpart within each corporate member of the Hyperion Team to ensure conformity with this Quality Assurance Program. 1.3 Compliance and Maintenance Hyperion maintains an electronic document control system which is available to all Hyperion employees and Team Member employees assigned to the contract. The Hyperion Quality Assurance Program will be maintained within this document control system under strict version control thus ensuring all employees have the most current document at all times. All employees of the Hyperion Team and government clients are encouraged to recommend changes to the Hyperion Quality Manager for consideration and implementation as deemed appropriate. At a minimum, the Quality Assurance Program will be reviewed and updated on a yearly basis or upon contract modification to encompass any change in the scope of work being performed by the Hyperion Team. 1.4 Organization, Authority and Responsibilities The Hyperion management approach incorporates short, direct reporting relationships and an empowered Program Manager and Project Manager(s). Key personnel in the context of this Quality Assurance Program include the Program Manager, Project Manager(s), Quality Manager, and corporate management personnel. The authority and responsibilities are described in Table 1-1. Position Hyperion President Program Manager Table 1-1. Key Personnel Authority and Responsibility. Roles, Responsibilities and Authority Oversee the performance of the Program Manager Final decision authority for all contractual matters Communicate with the government customer Serve as the primary interface to the government, including CO Execute all contractual directions received from CO or his/her designated representative Manage assigned staff Allocate and manage all contract resources to accomplish contract objectives 2

Subcontract Manager Quality Manager Coordinate and oversee all subcontracted personnel Resolve project issues Meet and exceed all contractual performance standards Prepare cost, schedule and status report Work with the Program Manager to resolve any subcontractor issues Operate independently from the Program Manager even though continual communications among the individuals is critical Oversee quality inspections in accordance with the quality control plan Recommend process or procedure changes to the Program Manager and Hyperion President Hyperion s corporate Quality Manager reports directly to the Hyperion President. The Quality Manager oversees quality inspections in accordance with the Quality Assurance Program, reviews all inspection results, and provides recommendations to the Program Manager and Hyperion President. All inspections, reviews, and customer satisfaction surveys will be tracked by the Quality Manager, who will verify completion and/or follow up with the government cognizant point of contact when necessary. Hyperion s Program Manager will serve as the primary focal point for resolving any quality issues. Because the quality of services delivered to customers is of the utmost importance to Hyperion, our Program Manager will keep the government apprised of any quality related issues. The Program Manager reports directly to Hyperion s President. Our Program Manager is authorized to make all programmatic decisions and commit the company up to the value of the contract. Hyperion s Program Manager has overall responsibility for success of the contract and as such will oversee the entire Hyperion team including all subcontractor personnel. Corporate affiliations of individual employees on Hyperion s Team will be transparent to government personnel. 1.5 Method of Assuring All Contract Requirements Are Met or Exceeded Hyperion uses three inspection techniques to ensure quality: scheduled inspections, random unscheduled inspections, and customer surveys. Inspection methodologies are tailored to the specific functions of the individual task orders. The inspections and customer surveys are designed to ensure that Hyperion meets or exceeds all contract requirements. When combined with our continuous process improvement system described in Section 1.7, these methods provide a low risk and cost-effective approach to quality control. Table 1-2 lists the inspections, audits, and reviews to be performed, frequency, and methodology. Table 1-2. Inspections, Audits and Reviews. Inspection, Audit or Review Frequency Inspection Methodology Report and Forms Required in Semi-annual 100% inspection to ensure use of Support of contract most current Reference Manuals Quarterly Verify version against source document provider. Standard Operating Procedures Semi-annual Verify currency with document author Key Control/Lock Combination Inspection Semi-annual Inspect key control logs & combination control documents to ensure only authorized employees have access 3

Table 1-2. Inspections, Audits and Reviews. Inspection, Audit or Review Frequency Inspection Methodology Computer Systems Security Semi-annual Review computer security Review procedures to ensure compliance Industrial Security Self- Inspection with applicable regulations Semi-annual As applicable, conduct industrial security program self inspections in accordance with applicable regulations 1.5.1 Customer Surveys Hyperion has a robust customer survey program to ensure we meet customer needs. Hyperion uses a program that ensures customer survey results are incorporated into our process improvements. Comments and recommendations are tracked through Hyperion s Quality Management System. Comments and recommendations are reviewed for understanding and potential disposition and an appropriate response is forwarded to the customer within 30 days. Recommendations that require changes to policies or procedures are entered into our ISO 9001-compliant Quality Management System Corrective Action Report database as corrective or preventative inputs. Management reviews these and resulting action items are incorporated into our continuous improvement process. The Hyperion customer feedback program includes surveys and customer visits, examples of which are described below: General Surveys - Each quarter, Hyperion sends surveys to a representative sample of customers. Questions focus on those issues that are customer satisfaction drivers. Transactional Surveys - Transactional surveys are short, immediate, and focused on a particular service or facility. Hyperion makes concise, three- to six-question survey cards available to all customers. Responses to these questions are subjected to trend analysis to assess positive or negative changes in performance and to implement management action if needed. Customer Visits - The Hyperion President makes regular visits to the Contracting Officer, Functional Area Points of Contact and active job sites to solicit specific feedback about Hyperion and Hyperion Team Partners performance and assess overall customer satisfaction. These periodic interviews are invaluable in maintaining high customer satisfaction levels. Our customer satisfaction survey presents a framework for measuring customer service. It recognizes the impact of customer expectations and perceived value upon customer satisfaction. Data from the contract level, site specific surveys and customer visits will be used to calculate customer satisfaction. Working with the Government, we baseline customer satisfaction index during the first six months of contract performance. Hyperion will then utilize it as a base to monitor future performance against for the remaining years of the contract. 1.5.2 Performance Metrics Hyperion uses performance metrics to identify and correct deficiencies or degradations in service before the level of performance becomes unacceptable. Hyperion s approach to performance metrics is straightforward: 4

Identify meaningful performance metrics, indicators and goals that reflect high performance standards, yet are attainable Communicate the goals and expectations regarding performance throughout the organization Ensure that objective data is collected, analyzed and used to guide and improve performance in a timely manner Share the information in an open and collaborative environment to promote teamwork and development of a true partnership Reinforce performance management metrics with rigorous customer satisfaction processes to create an effective mechanism for continuous improvement Incentivize the management team to deliver the results Within 30 days of each task order issuance, Hyperion develops Key Performance Indicators. These indicators are primarily focused on cost, schedule and technical performance of the individual task orders. This approach readily incorporates the government s need to have an enforceable Quality Assurance Program that is quickly adaptable to meet changing mission and priority changes that will occur over time, and is intentionally designed to focus on excellent performance without creating the requirement to amass large quantities of statistical data. Measuring results is important for enforcing accountability and determining the quality of work done by our personnel. The information compiled is used to identify personnel who require performance improvement, additional training, or special recognition for outstanding performance. Delivering results is most reliably achieved when every individual in the workforce understands how their efforts contribute to the mission. Under the Hyperion approach, enterprise metrics are reviewed by the management team and presented to the workforce on a regular basis. The metrics are used by the Program Manager to set organizational priorities and measure performance of discrete activities that contribute to service delivery. Hyperion s metrics directly link management responsibility and incentives to output objectives. They are tracked at the operating management level by the Program Manager who has the authority and resources to take timely preemptive and corrective actions to ensure performance standards are met. 1.5.3 Documenting the Quality Assurance Program Hyperion implements a rigorous schedule for documenting and enforcing quality control of all work. A database of all inspections conducted, the results of each inspection, and the corrective actions taken are appropriately maintained. This record and database contains the requisite data elements such that our Quality Control inspections can be reconciled with the Government s Quality Assurance results. This data is maintained on-site and is available via web interface to our employees, teaming partners and government customers. Documented procedures are a critical part of our quality management system. They define the correct and proper operation from a quality perspective and are applicable to all operations within our organization. Our documentation process can be categorized along four levels: Level One is a quality manual that identifies our strategies and policies on a macro-level scale and addresses the requirements of the standard of performance Level Two identifies processes and procedures under which Hyperion operates Level Three defines work instructions which provide details on how specific tasks or operations are to be performed Level Four describes quality records, to include forms, charts, illustrations or checklists used on a daily basis 5

1.5.4 Maintaining Effective Communications Effective communication with the Government is a fundamental tenet of our Quality Management System. For communication to be effective, it must be timely, relevant, and accurate. The key features of our communications approach include: Internal requirements for regular customer visits by the Hyperion President and the Program Manager Planned partnering meetings with the Government Detailed metrics spanning site specific criteria to overall contract management Regularly scheduled staff meetings An issues and corrective actions database In addition, the Hyperion Program Manager submits a quarterly quality report identifying quality issues, inspection results, and corrective actions to the Government. 1.6 Identifying, Correcting and Preventing Deficiencies Hyperion recognizes that performance shortfalls may occur in spite of all of the effective techniques described in this Quality Assurance Program. Problem identification is accomplished by: Effective and regular communications with government counterparts at all levels of the organization Regular monitoring, inspection and reviews built into Hyperion s project execution processes Feedback obtained from the customer complaints and customer survey processes described in Section 1.5.1 When deficiencies are noted through an inspection or review, we document them in writing and forward a report to the Program Manager and the Quality Manager. The deficiencies are provided to the responsible staff members and the appropriate Government representatives if Government assistance is needed to resolve the deficiency. These written deficiencies are completed as part of scheduled or unscheduled inspections/reviews. Customer-generated complaints are appended with a written report detailing how the deficiency was resolved to the customer s satisfaction. All customer complaints are reviewed and addressed by the Program Manager. In addition, Hyperion performs trend analyses using our Key Performance Indicators to identify any downturn in performance, which helps prevent service delivery problems. The Hyperion management team quickly corrects all identified problems and implements solutions in a rapid, responsive manner as described above. Hyperion establishes Customer Complaints and Complaint Resolution as contract-wide performance indicators, and sets very aggressive goals for each. The short lines of communication between our management team and their government counterparts will further ensure a rapid response. Any noted discrepancy or customer problem is normally identified by either self-inspection or by written customer feedback or telephone call. Customer surveys and feedback forms are sent to the customers for identification and resolution of quality issues. These methods are used to ensure a consistent quality control approach across the contract. Upon receiving the completed forms, the Program Manager and the Quality Manager review these surveys on a weekly basis to discuss any quality issues and determine the appropriate action to be taken. The Program Manager verifies with the customer that the quality issue is 6

resolved to their total satisfaction. In addition, a key component of our process to rapidly correct any deficiency is the involvement of our company leadership. The Hyperion President holds monthly program reviews with the Program Manager and selected staff members, and can be contacted at anytime by customers to quickly resolve issues. Problem prevention is embodied throughout this Quality Assurance Program, and includes the application of best practice quality control procedures, clear lines of authority and responsibility, and an empowered, informed workforce that is attuned to customer needs. Hyperion also spends significant resources on continuous process improvement, described in Section 1.7. By focusing on continuous improvement, we prevent deficiencies and considerably enhance performance. 1.7 Continuous Process Improvement Hyperion is committed to continuous process improvement and increasing the effective/efficient use of resources throughout the life of a contract. Our approach to continuously improving performance is based on Hyperion s Quality Management System and the premises of our ISO 9001 certification in Management and Design of Information Technology Projects. This includes the maintenance and enhancement of Hyperion s Quality Policy and Quality Manual. Another key component of Hyperion s quality plan is assuring that everyone involved on a project has access to the information they need to perform their functions and that that information is current and accurate. This includes Hyperion personnel, our teammates, suppliers, and government personnel. To accomplish this objective, Hyperion utilizes SharePoint for the control of the entire gamut of documents associated with successful project management including contracts, task orders, vendor invoices, timesheets, project plans, schedules, operating procedures, work instructions, etc. Hyperion believes that Quality Assurance is an ongoing process which must be tended to everyday not only during a project but in between projects as well. In our opinion, the mindset which makes Quality Assurance the last task before final delivery is doomed to failure. But the mindset which states that quality starts at the beginning, not the end, is not much better. We believe that all levels of management, all grades of employees must focus on quality during projects, at the beginning of projects, at the end, and especially in between when everyone is preparing for the next one. A key tenet of Hyperion s corporate philosophy is the right tool for the right job. Whether it s a hammer drill or an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR), we acquire best of breed equipment for our teams and train our people in proper operation. Another key tenet is the right person for the right job. Training is also an ongoing process which requires continual attention. Hyperion has developed training and certification objectives for each employee and we allocate resources to meet these objectives and improve employee skills through a mixture of classroom, internet-based, CD-based, on-the-job, and vendor training. We thereby ensure that each employee brings the right set of skills to each task. All Hyperion employees bring a hands-on approach to task accomplishment. When it comes to installations, even senior managers have been there themselves. As the company grows, our senior managers resist the tendency to get further away from projects by visiting project sites and leading by example in showing junior employees how to do the job the right way. This helps to further the development of our corporate culture of delivering a superior product on time with the highest quality by vividly demonstrating that senior management really does take quality seriously since they are willing to get their hands dirty and do the job right. 7