Phase I: UNDERSTAND
Understanding what is to be done is critical to successful
performance on a Task Order. Therefore, during this stage,
the Task Order Manager will create a requirements matrix based
on the Task Order PWS. If the customer has provided a Quality
Surveillance Plan (QSP), this will be incorporated in our
Quality Assurance Plan as well. This identifies the tasks
that need to be performed as well as what the customer will
be evaluating and how they will evaluate it. We will review
any Task Order specified performance measures (from the QSP
or other source) and direct questions or requests for clarification,
if required, to the COR and/or the TOCOR.
The incentives as well as the penalties criteria, as defined
by the customer, are also analyzed and understood in this
phase. These are usually a part of a Quality Surveillance
Plan (QSP) that the customer may provide for a Task Order.
The incentives address the situation where the performance
of the contractor exceeds the acceptable performance standard
whereas the penalties, usually in the form of credits from
the invoices, address the situation where the contractor’s
performance falls short of the acceptable minimum standards.
Before monitoring the performance, it is essential for everyone
on the Task Order team to understand the Performance Standards,
including the delivery times of the deliverables. Therefore,
immediately upon the award of a Task Order under this contract,
LSI’s Task Order Manager will define our detailed Task
Order plan and Quality Assurance Plan.
The QCP will very clearly detail the performance measures
and the associated acceptance criteria that the Task Order
team will be measured against. We will also explain our contract
monitoring process and the acceptance criteria (in terms of
schedule and quality) for each deliverable for which we are
responsible. By the end of this phase the Task Order team
will clearly understand which tasks they will perform on a
particular Task Order, what comprises an acceptable performance,
how they will report their progress, the review meetings schedule,
the communication mechanism, when they have to produce their
deliverables and the contractual rewards and the penalties
impacts for performance as defined in the Acceptance Criteria.
Phase II-MONITOR
The following tools will be used to monitor the performance
of the team members in terms of scope and schedule:
(1) Regular Weekly Meetings- All Task Order team members
will be required to attend regular weekly “progress
review” meetings. Each team member will give an assessment
of the progress that they have made in their respective tasks,
the problems or issues they are facing, and any schedule impacts.
Meetings are a good way to identify issues, if any, early
and take corrective action quickly.
(2) Status Reports- Task Order team members will be required
to submit, to the Task Order Manager by e-mail, weekly status
reports on the tasks for which they are responsible. Weekly
reports will be used to generate the Monthly Progress Report
input. These progress reports will include, at minimum, the
following information:
- Identification of progress made and work completed during
the reporting period.
- Statement of work accomplished with contractors’
hours.
- Identification of the impact of any schedule delays.
- Status information regarding tasks not yet completed.
- List of deliverables submitted.
- List of deliverables scheduled for completion in the
next reporting period.
- List of issues and problems encountered, both resolved
and unresolved, together with recommendations and alternatives
for resolution.
(3) Time Sheets- Prior to the commencement of each Task Order,
team members will be provided with a copy of the LSI Time
Sheet, which will require completion and signature approval
by the LSI Task Order Manager on a regular basis. The Time
Sheet will detail the tasks completed on a daily basis, time
taken to complete the tasks and whether the tasks were satisfactorily
completed in accordance with the Quality Assurance Plan. Task
Order Managers will carefully review the work performed by
the subcontractor personnel and only sign the time sheets
if performance is consistent with pre-established acceptance
criteria. Time sheets will, therefore, provide a simple yet
effective means of constant monitoring and evaluation of subcontractor,
as well as, team performance.
Phase III: MEASURE
Internal audits are extremely effective in the early identification
of performance issues. Audits of each Task Order regarding
work performed and quality of deliverables will be conducted
on a regular basis along with root cause analyses. Deliverables
will be measured against the acceptance criteria (as noted
in QCP) and the results logged on QA audit sheets.
Phase IV: REPORT
The results of internal audits will be documented in a pre-approved
format and sent to the relevant Task Order Manager. The Task
Order Manager will assign each issue to the appropriate team
member and discuss root causes as well as possible measures
to correct the performance issue. Some corrective actions
may require customer approval if customer processes or activities
are affected. In these cases, the LSI Task Order Manager will
work with the customer to gain approval for such corrective
actions and generate a cooperative plan with the customer
for implementation. Once an issue has been corrected, it will
be validated against the acceptance criteria and then identified
as complete on the audit sheet. |
