DOM - Procedures For Quality Preventive Actions - 0

District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences
DOM08 – Procedures for Quality Preventive Action

Table of Contents
1. Background
2. Definitions
3. Scope
4. Responsibilities
5. Procedures
6. Documentation
7. References
1. Background
1.1. Quality preventive action is a proactive process to identify opportunities for
improvement. All Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) personnel are
encouraged to identify needed improvements and potential sources of non-
conformities, either technical or concerning the management system.
1.2. These procedures bring about continuous improvement through proactive

measures, provide guidelines to identify potential nonconformities, and reduce
the likelihood of nonconformities occurring. These procedures conform to the
requirements of the Agency, government regulations, accreditation standards,
and the applicable supplemental standards.
2. Definitions
2.1. For the purposes of this document, the following terms shall have the designated
meanings:
DFS: Department of Forensic Sciences

Directorate: Key managerial personnel consisting of Directors, Deputy Director,
the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel
DOM: Departmental Operations Manual
QAM: Quality Assurance Manual
Q-PAR: Quality Preventive Action Request
3. Scope
3.1. These procedures are applicable to quality preventive actions identified by all
DFS personnel.
4. Responsibilities
DOM08 - Procedures for Quality Preventive Actions Page 1 of 3

Document Control Number: 1277 Approved By: Director
Revision: 8 Issue Date: 7/8/2019 8:45:07 PM
UNCONTROLLED WHEN PRINTED
4.1. The Division Director, Deputy Director, Directorate member and/or

Manager/Supervisor will:
4.1.1. Receive or initiate/designate initiation of a Q-PAR.
4.1.2. Ensure an individual or team is assigned the responsibility of handling

the quality preventive action.
4.1.3. Specify the response due date and the time frame for the follow-up.
4.1.4. Ensure the adequacy of the quality preventive action plan.
4.1.5. Ensure the quality preventive action plan is implemented.
4.2. The Quality Assurance Specialist or designee will:
4.2.1. Ensure the progress of the quality preventive action is tracked and
timelines are adhered to.
4.2.2. Ensure the effectiveness of the quality preventive action is verified.
4.3. Individual(s) and designees responsible for quality preventive action will:
4.3.1. Identify and report quality preventive actions to management.
4.3.2. Provide objective evidence of completion of the preventive action to the

Deputy Director and the initiating Manager/Supervisor.
5. Procedures
5.1. If a condition or situation exists that may be improved, the DFS employee
identifying the opportunity will notify their Manager/Supervisor, Division Director
or the Deputy Director. If a quality preventive action is identified through an
internal audit or assessment, the Manager/Supervisor and/or Directorate or
designee member will initiate the Q-PAR.
5.2. Q-PAR
5.2.1. The Manager/Supervisor, Deputy Director or Designee will evaluate the

proposed preventive action. If a Q-PAR is warranted, a person will be
assigned to initiate the Q-PAR, develop the action plan and manage the
preventive action. This form documents management approval for plan
implementation and identifies the individual who is responsible for
managing the quality preventive action, the specific milestone dates to
track the progress of the chosen quality preventive action, and the date
of completion of the quality preventive action steps.
5.3. Verification of Effectiveness

5.3.1. The Manager/Supervisor, Division Director, Deputy Director or designee

will ensure the effectiveness of the quality preventive action is verified.
This verification may be accomplished by reviewing the objective
evidence of completion.
5.3.2. When the effectiveness of the quality preventive action has been
verified, the Manager/Supervisor, Division Director, Deputy Director or
designee shall inform the laboratory staff and/or individual analyst of the
completion of the process. Memoranda are the method used to convey
this information.
5.4. Monitoring
5.4.1. All approved action steps will be evaluated for completion and monitored
for effectiveness. The Deputy Director or designee will ensure all due
dates are monitored and adhered to. After a quality preventive action is
completed and closed out, the Manager/Supervisor, Division Director,
Deputy Director or designee will ensure monitoring is performed within
the established time frame as necessary to assess its continued
effectiveness. The monitoring may be accomplished by subsequent
audits.
6. Documentation
6.1. The following records shall be generated and retained for at least one
accreditation cycle or five years, whichever is longer:
6.1.1. Q-PAR with the associated responses.
7. References
7.1. ISO/IEC 17025– General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and
Calibration Laboratories, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva,
Switzerland, (current revision)
7.2. ANAB Supplemental Requirements for Forensic Testing, ANSI-ASQ National

Accreditation Board, Milwaukee, WI, (current revision).
7.3. Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories, Federal
Bureau of Investigation, (current revision).
7.4. Division-specific Quality Assurance Manuals, (current revisions).
7.5. Record Retention Policy.


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District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences

DOM08 – Procedures for Quality Preventive Action

1.2. These procedures bring about continuous improvement through proactive

DFS: Department of Forensic Sciences

DOM08 - Procedures for Quality Preventive Actions Page 1 of 3

4.1. The Division Director, Deputy Director, Directorate member and/or

4.1.1. Receive or initiate/designate initiation of a Q-PAR.

4.1.2. Ensure an individual or team is assigned the responsibility of handling

4.1.4. Ensure the adequacy of the quality preventive action plan.

4.1.5. Ensure the quality preventive action plan is implemented.

4.2. The Quality Assurance Specialist or designee will:

4.2.2. Ensure the effectiveness of the quality preventive action is verified.

4.3.1. Identify and report quality preventive actions to management.

4.3.2. Provide objective evidence of completion of the preventive action to the

5.2.1. The Manager/Supervisor, Deputy Director or Designee will evaluate the

5.3. Verification of Effectiveness

5.3.1. The Manager/Supervisor, Division Director, Deputy Director or designee

6.1.1. Q-PAR with the associated responses.

7.2. ANAB Supplemental Requirements for Forensic Testing, ANSI-ASQ National

7.4. Division-specific Quality Assurance Manuals, (current revisions).

7.5. Record Retention Policy.

DOM08 - Procedures for Quality Preventive Actions Page 3 of 3

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