Posted by Ed Caldeira on Wed, May 19, 2010 @ 04:16 PM
One of the most common problems I find with construction quality management is a lack of consistency from project to project.
It’s not that organizations don’t have quality management systems in place.
It’s that, oftentimes, there's no consistency in terms of how they approach quality from one project to the next or even from one superintendent to the next. Like franchises, you want all your projects to maintain consistent quality.
Take McDonald’s for instance, whether you like the brand (or the food) or not, you have to agree that as a franchise, the company is very successful. Why? Umm...because the food is cheap? While this is certainly true, it’s not the reason for McDonald’s success.
Consistency... just about every McDonald's has the same basic layout, menu, ordering process, and quality of food. All this standardization creates consistency for the customer, for the employees, and for the franchise owners – all with an unskilled workforce. And, it’s a consistency that’s based on what works.
The same consistent quality should apply to construction quality management in your organization. Keep in mind, most people at your organization are busy dealing with their normal workload, plus the inevitable firefighting that crops up on a regular basis.
In our fast-paced world of construction, work procedures have to make sense in a hurry, or they'll just go by the wayside. You can't expect people to always figure out things on the fly. You need some standardization so you can have consistent quality management.
Some companies may have a single, unifying quality policy for the entire organization, but may not implement it the same from one project to the next. For example, if you leave it up to each project manager to re-invent the wheel on every project, you’ll sacrifice consistent construction quality.
A much more effective approach would be to create a company-wide quality management system that you can use on all projects. Such a system might include your quality policies in a quality assurance/quality control manual, project-specific quality plan, inspection procedures, quality improvement processes, and quality system analytics. Having a standardized company-wide quality management system creates consistency across all projects.
People working on multiple projects will perform the same procedures, and these procedures will become second-nature for them. This consistency makes it more likely that the procedures will actually be executed properly.
Keep in mind that these quality policies do not have to be overly prescriptive. You’re not trying to standardize every aspect of the work; you’re just trying to create a common framework for people to use to consistently manage quality.
Your framework should be flexible enough to be adapted to different projects and teams. On the other hand, your framework should definitely be standardized enough so that any employee plucked away from one project and dropped down into another project would quickly know what to do with regards to quality.
The goal is consistent quality. It’s your brand, how do you want to franchise it?
What is your approach to consistency with regard to construction quality management?
Please share your critique / approaches / feedback in comments below.
Posted by Ed Caldeira on Wed, Dec 16, 2009 @ 02:04 PM
Every quality driven construction company needs a written QA/QC Framework. Your QA/QC Framework will act as your company standard for setting and establishing quality-related activities across all divisions and projects.
Even if you already have a written set of policies and procedures, your QA/QC framework will help put those details into perspective as part of a well thought out, integrated quality system.
Your QA/QC Framework should be a simple two or three page document, easily understandable by customers, employees, and subcontractors, and one that describes what your company does to manage quality.
This powerful yet simple document only describes WHAT your company does to assure quality and not HOW your company does it. The HOW details should be included in your policies and procedures document.
I recommend that every construction company’s QA/QC Framework include at least six elements. The following are six elements you should include in your QA/QC Framework:
1. Quality Organization and Management
2. Documented Standards and Specifications
3. Formal Qualifications of Employees
4. Formal Qualifications of Subcontractors and Suppliers
5. Documented Field Inspections
6. Control and Prevention of Nonconformances
Each element should have a statement paragraph and several bullet points that define the company's standards. Here is a good example of a statement paragraph and bullet points for Framework element #5, Documented Field Inspections.
#5 Documented Field Inspections
[Company Name] inspection processes ensure that all construction activities comply with the documented standards and specifications. We:
- Develop an inspection and test plan to identify required inspections and tests at key milestones during the construction, closeout, and warranty.
- Conduct a series of inspections for each construction task; before work begins, at first article completion, while work is in process, and at completion.
- Identify required checkpoints for critical quality and safety requirements for each construction task inspection.
- Use third party inspectors to verify conformance to critical quality and safety standards when a re-inspection cannot be repeated at job completion. The needs of the project dictate the frequency of third party inspections.
Each division or project typically has its own separate QA/QC manual that defines how the division or project carries out its quality-related activities. This allows for flexibility within divisions and projects, but provides consistency within the company.
In Conclusion
Think of your QA/QC framework as the backbone of your company’s quality program. Once you’ve developed the structure, you are then ready to build on the details. Preparing detailed QA/QC manuals for company divisions and Quality Plans for specific contracts becomes much easier.
The Framework is a tool for communicating your quality approach to customers and subcontractors outside your company as well as people inside the company. In most cases, the Framework will be useful for bid qualifications when owners ask for a brief description of your quality control methods.
More QA/QC Framework Examples.
Download a free sample of selected sections from our custom QA/QC Framework along with sections from our comprehensive quality plan.