Which of the following defines Quality Assurance?

Quality Assurance is defined as all planned and systematic actions intended to provide confidence in the performance of a product. This definition encompasses a wide variety of activities aimed at ensuring that a product meets specified standards and requirements throughout its lifecycle.

In the context of soils and aggregate inspection, Quality Assurance involves implementing procedures that monitor and evaluate all aspects of material quality, from selection and testing to construction processes, to ensure they align with industry standards, specifications, and customer expectations. This systematic approach fosters consistency, reliability, and integrity of the products being assessed.

The other options do not align with the comprehensive nature of Quality Assurance. For instance, focusing only on financial metrics disregards the broader quality considerations necessary to ensure safe and effective products. Limiting the definition to actions that only deal with material selection ignores the ongoing quality verification processes required throughout the project lifecycle. Finally, a method that circumvents agency oversight undermines the principles of accountability and compliance that are essential to Quality Assurance.