Quality Cell

What is quality?

Quality is by definition "the ability of a set of intrinsic characteristics to satisfy requirements. (ISO 9000)

Quality is a cross-functional activity and implementing a quality approach is above all a collective adventure. Quality management in research consists of setting up an organization (in a laboratory, platform or department) based on the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard and documenting the important elements of the system, in order to ensure reliability, transparency and efficiency.

Quality issues:

  • Regulatory issues:
    • International credibility
    • Unquestionable work and results
    • Compliance with regulations: Safety, health, environmental protection
  • External issues :
    • Response to "customer" requirements
    • Scientific recognition
  • Internal issues :
    • Improving the performance of a department or project
    • Development and sustainability of know-how

**What is the purpose of a quality approach?

Thus the quality approach has several facets:

  • To set up/improve an internal organization: better management and valorization of experimental means
  • Optimize visibility and communication
  • Formalize good internal practices: capitalize and transmit know-how, optimize practices (e.g., create tools, methods, procedures, etc.)
  • Deal more effectively with problems that arise (traceability, non-conformity management)
  • Better management of the relationship with "customers": response to requirements (project) or to a recommendation (supervision, collaboration)
  • Need to give a framework to a project (implementation of a reliable and efficient system) for :
    • In the design phase: definition of the requirements for quality (expected performance)
    • Throughout the project: control of project risks
    • In the construction phase: verification of the achievement of the quality requirements and provide proof of it
  • Have a continuous improvement approach...

Source : CNRS Research Quality Network

Quality: An institutional approach

Within the IN2P3 Institute, quality is present in many activities: in instrumental developments (this is called product assurance), in laboratories for their organization or their skills such as metrology where a specific accreditation is necessary.

Institutional tools have been available for a long time:

  • Laboratory notebook: scientific tool of "good partnership practices" and legal
  • Documentary management: ATRIUM
  • IN2P3 Product Assurance and Quality Management Network (MAP)
  • IN2P3 Repository: documentation covering the themes of Project Management, Product Assurance and Systems Engineering

Source : IN2P3 Technews

Quality at the CPPM

Quality is a cross-functional activity, a management tool for the laboratory (organization, services), for projects (support for laboratory requests) and a criterion for evaluation by the authorities (tutelles, HCERES).

What are the reasons for such an approach at the project level? We can cite a criterion for labelling (platforms), a requirement of partners (space projects, CERN projects), a specific need (management tool for a service)...

The achievements:

The evaluation of quality support needs is carried out annually with the Management through the Project Progress Meetings (PPM).

It is with the strong support of the Management and for the needs of the ANTARES project that the quality function appeared in the laboratory in 2004 and developed through various achievements:

  • The installation of specific equipment such as clean rooms: ISO7 and ISO8 for the needs of projects, and the training of teams in the rules of use.
  • The contribution to the development of tools to help manage a department: e.g. for work requests from the mechanical department...
  • The implementation and monitoring of quality procedures for the most sensitive projects (in extreme environments)
    • EUCLID: As in all space projects, quality requirements (contamination monitoring, traceability, documentation, risk analysis) are very important and have mobilized a quality engineer almost full time on this project.
    • KM3NeT: The KM3NeT collaboration has defined a quality system that has been implemented for CPPM activities, particularly for the integration of detection lines and their deployment on site at sea.
    • LSPM (Laboratoire Sous-Marin Provence Méditerranée): an underwater platform that includes the deployment of cables and junction boxes (including the MEUST infrastructure), hosting the ANTARES detector, the KM3NeT/ORCA detector and new instrumentation for studying the marine environment (NUMerEnv). This platform is labeled by the IN2P3 and by the AMU and develops a quality approach based on the process approach.
    • ATLAS/ITk: The CPPM's achievements are subject to strong constraints in mechanical design, analysis and simulation as well as the organization of production. A quality approach is being implemented in order to guarantee the quality monitoring of metrology and production operations.
  • Active participation in the activities of the IN2P3 Quality network by pooling our experience and specific skills (e.g. quality audit for ISO 9001 and ISO 17025, participation in the "Product Assurance" ANF).

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