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Quality Assurance Training
The Regional Quality Assurance Team is proud to offer the following training courses to EPA Region 7 staff. State personnel are also welcome. EPA contractors may attend with written approval from their Project Officer. See the training schedule for dates, times, and locations where these courses will be offered.
For additional information contact: Diane Harris (913) 551-7258
Orientation to Quality Assurance
This introductory course provides an overview of the Region 7 Quality System. The course goals are to describe the:
- Components and characteristics of a quality system
- Roles and responsibilities in the quality assurance process
- Basic tools of the quality system
The course includes lecture, handouts, and discussion sessions. This course will be beneficial for all technical staff, including managers, and is required for all EPA Region 7 project managers who coordinate data collection activities. (4 hours)
Systematic Planning Process
This course provides an introduction to the systematic planning process (SPP), and will focus on the Data Quality Objectives (DQO) process, a specific type of SPP. The skills learned in this course will facilitate the planning of any activity. The course goal is to provide a hands-on introduction to SPP, including discussions about:
- Roles and responsibilities
- The seven steps of the DQO process
- Outputs of the process
The course includes lecture, handouts, interactive activities, and discussion sessions. This course will be beneficial to anyone coordinating or planning any activity involving the collection of environmental data, and is required for all EPA Region 7 project managers who coordinate data collection activities. This course links directly to the "Quality Assurance Project Plans" course described below. (4 hours)
Quality Assurance Project Plans
This course provides an introduction to Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPP). A QAPP is required for each environmental data collection project. The course goal is to provide a hands-on introduction to writing and reviewing QAPPs, including discussions about:
- How QAPPs fit into the quality system
- How QAPPs are used in implementing and assessing data collection activities
- The format and elements needed for an approvable QAPP
The course includes lecture, handouts, interactive activities, and discussion sessions. At the end of the course, an example QAPP will be provided. This course will be beneficial to anyone who writes or reviews QAPPs, and is required for all EPA Region 7 project managers who coordinate data collection activities. This course links directly to the "Systematic Planning Process" course listed above. (4 hours)
Data Quality Assessment
This course provides an introduction to the data quality assessment (DQA) process. The course goals are to:
- Describe the data quality assessment process
- Define how it differs from data validation
- Explain how data quality objectives are used in the DQA process
- Introduce data quality assessment guidance and software
The course includes lecture, handouts, interactive activities, a demonstration of DataQuest software, and discussion sessions. It is designed for non-statisticians. This course will assist anyone who is reviewing and/or using environmental data, and is required for all EPA Region 7 project managers who coordinate data collection activities. (4 hours)
Quality Management Plans
This course provides an introduction to Quality Management Plans (QMP). A QMP describes the quality system of an organization. The course goals are to explain:
- What a QMP is and why it is required
- The benefits of a QMP
- The process and responsibilities for developing a QMP
- The format and elements needed for an approvable QMP
The course includes lecture, handouts, and discussion sessions. This course will be beneficial for all EPA Project managers, contractors, state organizations, tribes, and other grantees who need to produce and/or use a QMP. (2 hours)
Standard Operating Procedures
This course provides an introduction to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). The course goals are to describe the:
- Components and characteristics of SOPs
- Types of Sops
- Roles and responsibilities for developing Sops
- Review and approval process for Sops
The course includes lecture, handouts, and discussion sessions. While this course is designed to cover Region 7 processes and requirements, it can be customized for presentation to other organizations. This course will be beneficial to anyone who writes or uses Sops (2 hours)
Quality Assurance Refresher Course
This course provides a periodic refresher course for any Region 7 employee who has taken the Orientation to Quality Assurance. This course will keep them abreast of any changes to Agency and/or Regional quality assurance policy, and must be taken at least once every three years after the initial Orientation course. The goals of this course are to discuss:
- Recent changes in the Region 7 quality system
- Current guidance and requirements
- Current issues and trends in quality assurance
The course includes lecture, handouts, and discussion sessions. This course will be beneficial to anyone who was initially trained but has not had quality assurance training within the last three years. (2 hours)
