PA Asphalt Improvement Network (PASIN)

Formed in 2004, the PA Asphalt Improvement Network (PASIN) was a targeted goal to develop, pilot, and implement an ISO 9000-2000 based Quality Management System (QMS) for asphalt pavement from pavement design through qualification, procurement, manufacture, delivery of materials, installation, acceptance testing, and maintenance.

Read the PASIN Executive Overview

What is a QMS?

"Say what you do, Do what you say, Prove it, Improve it"

Organizations use a Quality Management System (QMS) approach to ensure that their operations achieve quality objectives. These systems document the policies, processes, and procedures that member organizations use to accomplish these objectives. The systems include regular, systematic reviews of how organizations conduct daily activities and provide opportunities to correct deficiencies and to improve operations.

Using a systematic approach to managing quality engrains into business processes steps that confirm:

the effectiveness of quality control processes,
the minimization of product failures,
achievement of acceptable profit margins,
the safety of operations, and
customer satisfication with product produced and services produced.

PASIN QMS Flow Diagram (PDF)

QMS for Bituminous Pavement

BaseLine Assessments

Analyze A Number Of Firms To Get An Idea Of The Industry’s Overall Conformance To The ISO Standards.

Results of the Assessment (PDF)

PASIN Quality Manual

A guidebook for operating within the requirements of this established QMS.

Process Maps

Guide participants through the steps involved in asphalt pavement project delivery.

Defined Best Practices

The team researched and offer these practices to give participants options of proven value-adding procedures.

Reference for Warranty Specs (XLS), Best Practices (XLS)

Minimum Quality Control Requirements

Participants may have additional requirements, but must at least comply with these.

Measurement Systems

Tools to document performance.

Helping Hand Review

Reviews to document conformance to standards and identify opportunities to improve the operations.

Corrective and Preventative Action Reporting (CPAR) System

Collects and records improvement items in a database.
Requires management to review the issues.
Tracks the items to completion.
Provides a history for collective learning.

Customer Complaint Data Management System

A method of collecting customer concerns and a tool to improve customer satisfaction.

Management Review Process

A defined process for ensuring management involvement and commitment to continuous improvement.

Learning Tools

Outputs from the CPAR and customer complaint databases through which best practice data is expanded and shared.

Information Sharing Mechanisms

Communication systems to share the results of this effort with the stakeholders of the process, and beyond.

Commitment & Benefits

Commitment

The Department has made the commitment to the industry that if the results of the pilots prove that the new process works, the changes will be accepted and implemented. The final report indicating the outcomes of the pilot effort and recommendations for advancing the effort were presented to the PennDOT Executive Team, FHWA representatives and PAPA.

Benefits to the Industry

Reduced costs and increased profits.
Development of acceptance criteria that would include contractor QC test results in acceptance for payment.
Acceptance to include verification of contractor QC testing by the Department.
Develop statistically-based dispute resolution that clearly defines outcomes when non-conformances are revealed.
A learning tool for new employees.
An analysis of your organization as it compares with others in the bituminous community.
Tools to document performance.
Continual improvement of your organizational processes and procedures.
Access to best practices in the bituminous community.

Benefits to the Department

Increased confidence in the consistency and quality of our highways.
Continual improvement of design processes and procedures.
A learning tool for new employees.
Improved performance of asphalt pavement.
Increase efficiency in cyclical maintenance planning.
A supply line QMS template for other aspects of highway infrastructure quality management.

Participants & Leadership

Participants

PA Department of Transportation, American Council of Engineering Companies, PA Aggregate and Concrete Association, PA Asphalt Pavement Association, PA Association of Asphalt Material Applicators, AASHTO Materials Reference Laboratory, Federal Highways Administration, PA Turnpike Commission, NECEPT

Leadership

George W. McAuley, Jr.
Assistant District Executive
PennDOT Engineering District 10
gmcauley@pa.gov

Pilots & Awards

Pilot #1

Applied the construction portion of the overall Aphalt Pavement Delivery process during the 2007 construction season by bidding two projects with a special provision to add the requirements of our Quality Management System: 1) ECMS No. 57791, Jefferson Co. SR 28 Section 510 in District 10-0, Game School Road 3R and 2) ECMS No. 75816, Schuylkill County 81-07M in District 5.

The contract had a line item to compensate the firm for a quality manager to oversee implementation and documentation of the processes. The Pilot team provided the following: Quality Manual, Quality System Process Maps, Best Practices, Minimum QC Requirements, Guidance, "Helping Hand Review" (audit) Training, Documentation Format, "External" Review (audit).

2007 PASIN Pilot Report (PDF)

Pilot #2

In 2008, additional pilots were constructed to further evaluate the effectiveness of the PASIN process, utilizing templates born of the 2007 pilots to ease implementation, and requiring specific metrics to measure the degree of quality control consistency achieved. The projects were: 1)District 3 – Lycoming County, SR 15-121, named “SR 15-A20/30 Northbound” ECMS# 79105, let date 4-17-08 Contractor – Glenn O Hawbaker and 2) District 12 – SR 0021 SECTION 07R, named “SR 0021 Betterment” MPMS# 80092, let date 4-17-08 Contractor – A. Folino Supplier – Better Materials (Hansen)

Pilot #3

While the success of previous applications of this QMS was limited by standard acceptance specification restrictions, in 2009 a pilot project linked the PASIN QMS to acceptance based on a 60 month warranty. Under the warranty scenario, the contractor has the freedom to implement its quality control processes as it deems prudent, with the risk of performance falling upon the company. The warranty scenario for this project drove the contractor to engrain these improvement tools in their operations and improve the quality of this asphalt pavement: District 10 – Armstrong County, SR 28 – 117, “The Allegheny Valley Expressway” ECMS #84293, let date 4-23-2009 Contractor _ Derry Construction, Inc.

Derry Construction established an improved chain of command with better communication, its training operations were improved, and it realized increased profits: Less trucks were used, laydown production was increased, roadway quality was improved, 100 percent ride bonus was achieved in the latter phase of the project, and the overall operation produced and placed 600 more tons of asphalt per day on this project than expected. In addition, teamwork among all parties was significantly improved.