Quality

NASA Advisories and GIDEP

The Government-Industry Data Exchange Program (GIDEP) is a cooperative information-sharing program between the U.S. government, Canadian government and industry participants.

GIDEP members exchange significant problem and nonconforming item data for three main reasons:

To increase systems’ safety, reliability and readiness, and to reduce systems development, production and ownership costs

To ensure that only reliable and conforming parts, material and software are in use on all government programs

To avoid the use of counterfeit, known-problem or discontinued parts and materials

The unintended use of problem or nonconforming products or material in NASA spacecraft, aircraft, facilities and equipment can compromise NASA's mission; result in unanticipated replacement, repair or maintenance costs; and jeopardize safety. Using GIDEP data helps to prevent equipment failures and fraud, promotes safety and maximizes resources.

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Metrology and Calibration

The mission of NASA’s Metrology and Calibration Program is to ensure the accuracy and reliability of measurements considered essential for NASA safety and mission success, including the selection, control, and use of Measuring and Test Equipment (MTE) for measurement applications that affect safety and mission success. Metrology, defined as the science of measurement, encompasses the controls and requirements necessary to ensure adequate measurement quality and provide measurement assurance. Calibration is an integral part of those measurement controls and is vital to ensuring the continued adequacy of MTE for its intended use.

The Metrology and Calibration Program also collaborates with industry and other government agencies in the development of Metrology and Calibration standards, guidance documents and best practices.

Key program objectives include

• Development of policy and procedural requirements
• Issuance of guidance documents
• Deployment of tools and resources for facilitating the implementation of center Metrology and Calibration programs

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Nondestructive Evaluation

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance’s Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) Program ensures the integrity of NDE processes utilized by other NASA programs to achieve safety and mission success by educating the government and commercial space community regarding the capability and applicability of NDE technologies. The program operates primarily through the NDE Working Group (NDEWG), which oversees program definitions and standard practices, NDE documentation requirements, operating practices, and new technology initiatives.

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Supply Chain Risk Management

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) program is a part of the Quality Assurance discipline and focuses on strategies, tools, techniques and guidance that generate knowledge about supplier risk and create approaches for maximizing successful Quality outcomes throughout NASA’s supply chain for mission hardware. These approaches include developing the methodologies for gauging NASA supply chain health, enhancing the agency’s process for Government Contract Quality Assurance; increasing program management insight and accountability pertaining to supply chain risk; providing training on Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and NASA FAR supplement clauses; driving greater uses of risk-based decision-making into Quality surveillance practices; providing leadership to the Defense Contract Management Agency and support contractors, coordinating budgets with the Office of Procurement when programs and projects engage them for Quality surveillance tasks (i.e., Contract Administration and Audit Services budget and process management); redesigning standard NASA Forms (e.g., NF 1430B, NF 1707); providing leadership for program’s and project’s execution of supplier audits and assessments; and enhancing processes for cyber security threat, fraud, and counterfeit part avoidance programs. The SCRM program is responsible for managing the Supplier Assessment System Database and for working closely with the digital enterprise teams to develop enterprise-level Supply Chain Risk Management data acquisition, analytics, and planning tools to track, trend, analyze, communicate, and manage supply chain risk.

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Workmanship

Workmanship is the control of design features, materials and assembly processes to achieve the desired durability and reliability for subassembly interconnections — specifically those in printed wiring assemblies and cable harnesses — and the use of inspection techniques and criteria to assure interconnect quality. Workmanship promotes standardized designs and fabrication practices to enhance assembly durability and reliability and restricts the use of designs and manufacturing processes known to reduce those qualities.

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