NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

"Our commitment to continuous improvement and innovation ensures quality products, excellent services, and satisfied customers."

Glenn Research Center and Plum Brook Station Business Management System is ISO 9001 Certified.

Image right: K-Site Facility hardware inside vacuum chamber. Credit: NASA

Operational Readiness Review (ORR)

The Operational Readiness Review (ORR) is a review of the operational performance requirements of the system(s) or research project, including data quality, and a pre-operational review of those mechanisms that should be in place to ensure that these requirements are met. An ORR is conducted approximately one to two weeks before testing is initiated.

There are three levels of ORR. The level of review an activity receives is based on the following criteria:

• Risk of injury to personnel or facility damage
• Impact on the program if there is an incident
• Financial investment
• Visibility of the activity

Members for the ORR Committee are chosen with respect to the level of review required (A, B, or C) and to provide a representative mixture of various engineering and safety disciplines. Members for a Level A review are selected from within Plum Brook Station. Members for a Level C review are selected from outside Plum Brook Station. Members for a Level B review are a mixture of internal and external sources.

As a minimum, the ORR presentation shall include the following:

• Project Description - requirement, goals, and objectives; schedule; sequence
• Operational Performance Requirements - hardware, software, data quality, personnel, operations, maintenance, and how system performance was validated
• Status of Safety Review
• Security Requirements

Quality Audit Process

Plum Brook Station conducts routine assessments of its processes to ensure a high quality of testing service and data quality. Quality auditors from Glenn Research Center perform an annual audit. The ISO Registrar also performs an annual surveillance audit.

Customer Feedback Process

Plum Brook Station is responsible for reviewing its customer's requirements and, before accepting the task, ensuring that these requirements can be achieved. Additionally, PBS maintains an open dialogue with its customer to efficiently resolve any issues that may arise. Customer complaints or concerns are entered into a tracking database, analyzed for root cause, and corrected. At the end of each project, Plum Brook Station solicits feedback from its customer on technical, schedule, cost, interaction, and overall value. This information is evaluated to ensure a quality product, excellent service, and customer satisfaction.


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NASA Glenn Research Center