The panel held technical work sessions several times a year to review and discuss the work performed by the study contractors and to provide direction. At the outset of each phase of the study, the contractors were required to develop work plans for each of the research tasks. The panel members individually reviewed and commented on the work plans and all technical documents. When required, a panel member with security clearance reviewed and analyzed classified information to confirm the contractor's research findings. Panel members with applicable technical expertise often recommended alternative approaches to the research and analyses and gave direct feedback, both written and oral, to the contractors on changes and additions to be made.
Quality control is only one component of an overall quality assurance program.
It refers to inspection activities focused on specific aspects of the production, study process or final product. For instance, a manufactured product is inspected to make sure that it meets all design specifications and functional requirements. In a scientific study, one example of a quality control step is having calculations or data entry checked and validated by a second qualified person. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment staff in epidemiology and radiation invited experts to help design the two-phased study approach and develop the Request for Proposals for Phase I of the research. The Phase II Request for Proposals was designed by scientists on the Health Advisory Panel, with input from many of the same sources as Phase I and additional expertise from Clemson University in South Carolina and Clark University in Massachusetts.