Define responsibilities
Name who designs, approves, installs, inspects, tests, documents and accepts each stage.
Quality system
Quality Assurance for Stormwater and Flood-Protection Work
Quality assurance defines how competent work is planned, checked, corrected and improved—not merely how a final inspection is passed.
- Risk-firstbefore product choice
- Evidencebefore claims
- Lifecycleinspection and maintenance
Who this is for
Use the guidance within a defined role and scope.
- Contractor organizations
- Municipal programme teams
- Consultants and inspectors
- Commercial property owners
RSM scope
Independent education and standards-informed practice guidance.
External authority
Law, code, municipal rules, permits, manufacturer instructions and qualified professional decisions remain controlling.
Project responsibility
Owners, designers, contractors, inspectors and authorities retain assigned duties.
Core principles
Build practice around clear decisions and verifiable outcomes.
Use controlled criteria
Check against current documents, approved changes and product instructions.
Manage nonconformance
Record departures, significance, disposition, correction and verification.
Learn from outcomes
Use complaints, maintenance, failures and audits to improve practice.
Practice detail
Quality planning before work
Identify competent personnel, required documents, product approvals, subcontractors, hold points, inspection records, equipment calibration, change control, owner communication and close-out. Higher-consequence work needs stronger review.
Practice detail
Control during delivery
Check products, storage, site conditions, locate packages, sequence, concealed conditions and field changes. Personnel should be able to stop work when safety, scope or evidence is unclear.
Practice detail
Corrective action and improvement
A correction fixes the immediate issue; corrective action addresses why it happened. Trend repeat deficiencies by system, crew, supplier, document or process and share lessons without exposing clients.
Working sequence
A repeatable pathway from question to maintained outcome
- 1
Plan responsibilities.
- 2
Verify inputs and competence.
- 3
Inspect at hold points.
- 4
Manage deficiencies and changes.
- 5
Audit outcomes and improve.
Avoidable failures
Common ways good intentions become unreliable practice
- Final inspection used as the whole quality plan
- Undocumented substitutions
- Repeat defects without root-cause review
- Complaints treated only as service issues
Related pathways
Connect guidance to the next responsible action.
Official and institutional references
Check the controlling source.
RSM summarizes concepts for education. Use current official documents, local authorities and qualified professionals for project decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Important scope and application questions
What is quality assurance versus quality control?
QA designs the system; quality control checks specific work and outputs.
Does QA require an external certification?
Not necessarily. Controls should be proportionate, documented and effective.
Who approves a nonconformance?
A person with defined authority and competence for the affected requirement.
Do subcontractors follow the same plan?
Yes for their assigned work and records.
Standards-informed practice
Use guidance as part of a complete responsibility system.
Connect knowledge with competent roles, approvals, records, inspection, maintenance and transparent communication.
Published: July 19, 2026 Last reviewed: July 19, 2026
RSM provides independent educational and standards-informed guidance. Confirm current legal, code, municipal, professional, product and project requirements with the appropriate authority and qualified people.
Next steps
Use the standards system
Move from a single topic to the wider guidance, evidence and feedback process.