Quality control plans generally specify all activities and tools required to ensure the quality of e.g. infrastructure works. In the case of road infrastructure, the quality control plan specifies the scope and interval of inspections or investigations and the data required to estimate key performance indicators (KPIs) and predict their future development.
The critical infrastructure is inspected/monitored after a certain period of time to determine whether it has the desired/required quality, which may deviate from the quality at the time of commissioning. This is a so-called static (snapshot) quality assessment, which is carried out in different ways, either visually, digitally and/or with the help of specific equipment. If the results at this stage show unacceptable variations in quality, more in-depth investigations or interventions can be initiated. In addition, the results of the inspection or monitoring process provide a basis for decisions on measures that can be taken to ensure the required quality in the long term. Planning is essential here in order to determine a schedule, the scope and the optimum times between inspections. These are the tasks involved in a dynamic quality assessment specifically for bridge management.
Quality control plays an essential role in this entire process, which in many countries is limited to the quality control of material properties. The aim of this research paper is therefore to discuss the latest developments and analyse the different quality assurance plans that have been carried out in individual countries, to analyze the differences and to show which of these procedures are useful and should be further developed and actualized in the interests of a sustainable infrastructure culture. A further aim of the work is to demonstrate and analyse the extent to which these quality assurance plans can be transferred into a reliability- and risk-based assessment concept and service life extension.