In 1989, the Technical Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (TWGDAM), a group of forensic analysis experts from the public and private sectors, released the Guidelines for a Quality Assurance Program for DNA Analysis. The TWGDAM—since renamed the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM)—also teamed up with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop reference materials for forensic laboratories to use in measuring the reliability of their equipment and testing processes.
Early in its history, HITA recognized the importance of the SWGDAM: The guidelines it creates apply to forensic laboratories and to the manufacturers that produce the supplies and equipment used in the laboratories. To stay abreast of the latest developments in the guidelines and to voice its perspective on possible revisions to the guidelines, HITA has striven to send a representative to the biannual SWGDAM meetings. Through these meetings, the original guidelines created by the SWGDAM have been officially revised three times: first in 1991, again in 1995, and most recently in 2004.