Planning for quality assurance (QA) in research and development (R D) is like stealing eggs without waking up the chickens. The QA program should be as unobtrusive as possible. Researchers require a QA program that affords them an environment capable of supporting repeatable experiments with accurate data without unduly stifling their creative abilities. Careful advance planning ensures that the intensity of control provided by quality-related systems is commensurate with the importance and scope of the activities being performed. Good scientific practices applied to small bench-scale projects may require minimal additional controls. As projects increase in size and complexity the controls imposed through planning must, by necessity, be increased. Research and development QA planning, just like any other planning, involves all affected individuals. The application of control systems is determined by factors such as customer or sponsor requirements, the importance of an item or activity to the experiment's success, and the organizational complexity of the project. Many larger experiments are highly dependent on quality-related support activities such as calibration, engineering design, and inspection provided by organizations outside the R D group. Since, in most cases, the expense of support activities is taken directly from funds available for research, it is important …

This thesis presents the results of some of the author's work in the High Energy Physics Group at Brown University, work done within the framework of the D0 collaboration at the Fermilab National particle accelerator. To allow a broader audience an easier understanding of the experimental data presented, a brief review of the relevant areas of Particle Physics precedes the description of the experimental setup and results. Monte Carlo simulations of Z boson production at the D0 experiment were made to allow for precise predictions of expected data at the accelerator when construction reaches completion. The specific work that was executed is presented in detail, from the point of view of experimental high energy research, followed by comments on the results obtained and on possible future directions. 4 refs., 15 figs.