DelDOT Data Quality Management Plan (DQMP)
The Problem: It is required by the FHWA that “Each State DOT shall develop and utilize a Data Quality Management (QM) Program, approved by the FHWA, that addresses the quality of all data collected, regardless of the method of acquisition, to report the pavement condition metrics…”
Under 23 CFR 490.319(c), the State DOT must develop a Data Quality Management Plan (DQMP) that addresses the following:
- Data collection equipment calibration and certification;
- Certification process for persons performing manual data collection;
- Data quality control measures to be conducted before data collection begins and periodically during the data collection program;
- Data sampling, review and checking processes; and
- Error resolution procedures and data acceptance criteria.
The Solution: Kercher assisted the Delaware DOT to develop an FHWA compliant Data Quality Management Plan to define and provide detailed descriptions for all parts of the quality management cycle, while not being so prescriptive as to require vendors to change their own quality management processes and procedures that would already result in high quality, accurate and repeatable final data. The DQMP includes AASHTO and ASTM standards that are applicable. To address all parts of the Data Quality Cycle, the document is divided into the following sections:
- Introduction: This gives the purpose and layout of the document.
- Data Collection: This section lists the deliverables, including individual data elements, and the protocols, resolution, accuracy, and repeatability required for each.
- Quality Control: This gives the QC activities for each deliverable, and the frequency at which the QC activity should be performed. The section is further divided into sub-sections for pre-collection activities, activities carried out during collection, and post-collection activities.
- Acceptance: This section gives a description of acceptance percentage (%) within limits required for each acceptance test, and the action that will be taken if the acceptance test fails.
- Team Roles and Responsibilities: This describes each role, the assigned resource, and the quality management responsibilities for that role.
- Quality Reporting Plan: The last section details the reporting that will be performed on the quality management activities, including which role is responsible for generating the reporting.
