Quality and Improvements

Achieving our mission and implementing our strategic plan, on top of juggling all of the day-to-day activities, requires that we make the most informed decisions possible using the highest quality environmental data available. We must also be excellent project managers and leverage our finite financial and staff resources as efficiently and effectively as possible.  

Quality Assurance

The data NHDES collects must be scientifically-defensible, and the quality of the data must be appropriate for its intended uses. NHDES, through its comprehensive, EPA-approved Quality Assurance System (QAS), strives for a systematic approach to the management of data and overall quality assurance issues across the department. This QAS is described in the NHDES Quality Management Plan (QMP), and both are continuously improved to highlight the evolving improvements to the over-arching system.

In carrying out its mission, NHDES relies upon many different types of data that enable it to better evaluate and measure existing environmental conditions and trends, to identify and understand areas of concern, to assign responsibility for these areas, to support necessary enforcement actions, and to promote dialogue among a diverse group of stakeholders on environmental issues.

Continuous Process Improvement (Lean)

Since 2009, NHDES, through its Lean/Continuous Process Improvement Team, has been promoting and implementing process improvements and innovative approaches that maximize the department's efficiency and effectiveness to advance the agency's mission to protect and restore the environment and public health.

Lean is an organizational management system comprised of principles, tools, and techniques focused on customer value. Lean tools are used by public, private and nonprofit sectors to improve processes by removing waste, increasing efficiency, and elevating quality.