Mobile Bay Project Quality Management Program
Authors: Page W.A. , Teague R.D. 
Published: October 2008

This paper describes the key quality management program components employed by the Owner in the design, procurement and construction of the Mobile Bay Project facilities. The program was compatible with ANSI/ASQC Q90 - Q94, adapted to apply to the offshore gas production facilities, pipelines and onshore gas treating plant. Key program elements, results and learnings are discussed. Key elements addressed include the quality program philosophy, use of a quality management contractor, quality plans, vendor inspection, quality audit program, weld/welder quality control, personnel requirements, lessons learned and program improvement areas.

INTRODUCTION

During the last several decades, a broad suite of quality management processes was developed to increase the likelihood of achieving a desired quality level. Several of these processes were applied on the Mobile Bay Project (MBP). While it is recognized that there are other ways of managing large project quality issues, application of these processes proved effective and are expected to be effective on other major projects as well.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The MBP consists of eleven gas wells, three offshore production platforms, thirty-six miles of flowline, 166 miles of gathering system and an onshore gas treating facility.

The project is described in OTC paper 7447 (Reference 1). (Available in full paper)

Current Owner risk management procedures require that documented quality control and inspection procedures be in place which ensure the facilities meet design specifications and the construction is in accordance with applicable standards. Processes must also be implemented to identify, review and approve deviations from the approved design practices and standards or approved design. The MBP quality program met these requirements.

QUALITY PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The following quality program objectives were defined early in the project:Assure completed facilities met design, functional and regulatory requirements,Ensure documentation was timely, complete and reflected compliance,Quality was to be built in.

The key measures by which success was to be determined were:No "quality clouds" exist during or at project conclusion, which reflect uncertainty about project quality.Quality documentation exists, which could be used to demonstrate compliance both during and after project completion.

CONCEPTS

Four basic concepts were developed at the outset of the project to define direction and guide the subsequent development of various quality program details.

The first concept was that the overall quality program would be formally defined in a Project Quality Management Plan (QMP). This Plan served several important functions in that it:Stated the Project Quality Policy.Identified the quality program scope and responsibilities (Figure 1) (Available in full paper).Defined quality roles and responsibilities for the Quality, Technical and Construction organizations, including Owner teams and contract organizations.Defined Project-wide quality requirements and programs (Figure 2) (Available in full paper).Facilitated alignment and agreement between all affected staff managers.Identified several key questions which were then able to be resolved in a timely and thoughtful manner.