Posted by Ed Caldeira on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 @ 04:07 PM
An Inspection Test Plan (ITP) is a commonly required document that you'll need to submit with your construction quality control plan. Whether you're working on a private sector or government contract, clients today all want to see your inspection test plan. They want to know exactly what inspections and tests you'll be forming to control quality on their project.
In addition to telling your client what inspections and tests you'll do to control quality, your ITP is also a checklist for you to log the results of your inspections and tests during the project.
So what should you include on your inspection and test plan anyway?
The following 7 tips will help you to create your inspection and test plans:
1) Before you can start, you'll need an inspection test plan form. Click on this link, and you can download one free from our website: Inspection Test Plan Form Templates.
2) Complete the form by, first, adding your task inspections. List a task inspection for each Definable Feature of Work (DFOW), also known as a construction task or a phase of work.
3) Now, add your milestone inspections. These are inspections at the completion of each major piece of work. For example, this could be at the completion of a foundation or each floor in a high-rise.
4) Next, look at your project specification, and add the required inspections and tests from it.
- DO include tests that you hire an independent testing agency to perform.
- DO include inspection hold points.
- DO NOT include inspections conducted by your client, as that is their own quality control, not yours.
5) Finally look in the Division 01 General Requirements section of your specification for any special inspections to add to your inspection test plan. These could be such things as field assessments and final closeout inspections.
Click the image on the left to see the first page of a completed Inspection Test Plan.
Once you have a good template and know what to include, putting together an inspection test plan becomes very straightforward.
Posted by Ed Caldeira on Wed, Jun 02, 2010 @ 11:56 AM
You certainly don’t want to leave something out of your construction quality control plan that is needed or will get your plan rejected. On the other hand, you don’t want to add any unnecessary complexity either.
For starters, you’ll want to remove procedures that your client doesn’t actually require... And (more importantly) that you don’t intend to do.
Next, you’ll want to remove unnecessary detail in your quality control plan that can work against you.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should try to get away with the bare minimum level of construction quality controls.
However, I am saying that you should consider the different levels of quality controls suitable for different projects and modify your construction quality control plan accordingly. The goal is to promise the right level of quality controls to make everyone happy -- you, your client, and your workers.
Whether you’re purchasing a construction quality control plan template or developing your plan from scratch, you’ll want to pay attention to these six Dos and Don’ts:
- Don’t say your Quality Manager performs ALL your inspections.
The role of your quality manager is to provide oversight and to validate that your quality processes are working. Construction superintendents will do most of your inspections. So, make sure to specify which inspections your quality manager will do and which ones your superintendents will do.
- Do customize the list of records you’ll keep based on each project’s requirements.
Some projects are short and simple, and therefore, don’t require a high level of record keeping. On the other hand, some projects do warrant detailed record keeping. You should modify your construction quality control plan to reflect the record keeping needs of each project.
- Don’t submit every form you own.
Here again, it’s important that you only submit the forms you need for each specific project. Otherwise, your client will expect you to carry out all the procedures connected with the forms you include in your quality control plan.
- Do limit the detail on your list of Quality Controlled Construction Tasks.
A good practice is to list all the phases of construction (i.e. definable features of work) where you do an inspection at the completion of the task. It’s not necessary to include all the phases of construction that are on your project schedule.
- Don’t add too much detail to your inspection forms.
Inspection forms are for recording the completion of inspections. They’re records that the inspections took place, not records of your quality control standards. A good practice is to include about a dozen of your most important checkpoints, not a long list of minor construction details. Adding too many checkpoints can complicate matters for you.
- Don’t address each punch item as a nonconformance.
Most punch items are work in process corrections and not nonconformances. They’re easily corrected and don’t require the same level of quality controls as nonconformances. Your quality manual should differentiate work in process corrections from nonconformances. I suggest you handle items as nonconformances if they meet BOTH of these criteria: (a) items that do not meet project quality standards; and (b) only items remaining after the final task inspection has been completed.
The key to managing costs and liabilities is to provide the appropriate level of quality controls for each project. Your quality control plan is an extension of your contract and thus, a legally binding document. Promise too little and your client won’t be happy. Promise too much and you won’t be happy. Promise just the right amount and everyone is happy.
What is your approach to simplifying your construction quality control plan?
Please share your critique / approaches / feedback in comments below.
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 Fri, Jan 22, 2010 @ 04:13 PM
If you want a shot at winning a government construction contract, you'll want to dive in and tackle the mound of documents you'll need for your comprehensive quality control plan.
Quality control plans for government contracts require a substantial collection of documents, records, and forms. Their purpose is to communicate what you do to assure consistent quality results on every job.
A good quality control plan will show your clients that your company can fit into their quality systems.
What documents do you need?Most government agencies with comprehensive QA/QC requirements want specific submittals during each phase of construction. The phases include:
- Bid Qualification Phase
- Pre-Construction Phase
- Construction Phase
Here is a list of most of the documents or submittals you'll need for each phase of construction.
Bid Qualification Phase Submittal Documents - qualify your company to manage and deliver quality work
Pre-Construction Phase Submittal Documents -part of your project quality plan-- detail how you will manage and deliver quality on this project.
- Organization Chart – identifies the management team responsible for ensuring project quality
- Quality Personnel’s Qualifications form – lists the qualifications of your quality management team
- Quality Personnel’s Appointment letter– gives your quality management team authority for ensuring project quality
- Quality Training Plan – establishes your training plan for quality-related activities
- Regulatory codes and standards form - lists the regulatory codes and standards you comply with
- Industry standards form – outlines the industry standards you comply with
- Inspection and Test Plan form– describes the inspections and tests you conduct
- Selection of key suppliers and subcontractors form – explains you supplier and subcontractor selection process
- Material and equipment specification form – records specifications for the material and equipment you use
- Communications plan form - records a summary of monthly project status reports
Construction Phase Submittal Documents - provide a record of how you carried out your project quality plan
- Inspection and Test Records – records the results from your planned inspections and tests
- Nonconformance Reporting – documents any work or materials found during inspections and tests that don’t meet (conform to) your standards
- Daily Construction Reporting – summarizes what happened on the job site that day
- Training Records – lists training sessions that were conducted for preventive as well as improvement purposes
- Quality System Audits – defines the preventive actions you take because of your monthly project quality system audits and your annual company-wide quality system audit.
- Document Control Records – explains the controls you use to keep your quality system records up-to-date, accurate, and safe
The way you show your client that you have a good QA/QC program with good systems in place is by showing them your system documentation. In other words, you need to show them a good quality control plan.
Get started with developing your quality control plan by documenting the quality processes you do now.
Follow that up with a plan to improve upon your existing quality systems, and you'll be ready for that government construction contract.
And, don't forget... always document your quality processes.
Get Two Free Project Quality Plan Submittal Forms.
About the Author - Ed Caldeira is founder of Caldeira Quality, specializing in
First Time Quality construction quality programs and
FTQ360 performance management software. He can be reached at
www.FirstTimeQuality.com.
Posted by Ed Caldeira on Wed, Dec 09, 2009 @ 09:06 PM
There is no reason for your superintendents to continue to act as the subcontractors’ quality control inspector and creator of punchlists.
Here are 5 things superintendents can do to reduce punchlists and improve subcontractor quality performance.
#1 Communicate Expectations
Superintendents that set high expectations for first time quality ON THEIR JOBSITE get the best performance from their subcontractors.
Successful superintendents constantly reinforce their quality standards during production meetings and conversations. They make it clear, “Deliver 100% first time quality – don’t depend on me to create your punch lists!”
#2 Recognize Positive Behaviors
Everyone appreciates a bit of positive recognition. Subcontractors are no different. Even though you pay them to do a quality job, subcontractors will go the extra mile if they think you appreciate their extra effort.
For other subcontractors whose performance varies, catch them when they do well and use the opportunity to recognize them. Remember, behaviors that are recognized get repeated.
#3 Mentor and Teach
Teach your subcontractor to inspect their own work and punch it out before calling you to inspect. Ask the subcontractor to be with you while you do your inspection. The result will surely be a reduced number of punch items.
#4 The Last Resort
If communicating expectations, and recognizing efforts, coupled with guided improvement does not work, ask the owner for an action plan that will address the issue of repeated punch items.
Follow-up diligently and adjust the plan until the issues are resolved.
#5 Measure Success
Make your team’s progress come alive. Use inspection scores or punch item count data to track overall progress. Share it with your subcontractors.
The best superintendents go on to ask their subcontractors, “how good can we get?” and involve them in developing a plan to make it happen.
In Conclusion
Field superintendents that follow this proactive partnering approach will see positive results. In other words, punch lists will be shorter, and you will have fewer problems.
Just make it clear that delivering 100% complete first time quality work -- without depending on superintendents for punchlists is your subcontractor’s responsibility.
Posted by Ed Caldeira on Wed, Dec 09, 2009 @ 08:20 AM
Quality is subjective. That's why it's important that everyone in your organization use the same guidelines for measuring it.
When doing an inspection, I suggest you measure the level of avoidable problems you encounter and rate them using a rating scale of 1 to 5:
5 = Perfect, no problems, 100%
4 = Very good, 1-2 minor problems
3 = Good, 3-5 minor problems
2 = Poor, 6+ minor problems, hotspot or a major problem
1 = Very poor, excessive problems
Use your First Time Quality construction inspection forms to record your ratings and make sure to include notes for any measurements under a 5.
Adding notes and comments is a good way to give feedback to the subcontractor or crew whose work you are measuring.
Constructive feedback will encourage subcontractors and crews to make improvements to their work, while positive feedback for a job well done will encourage more of the same top quality work.
Comments might include:
- "Overspray on floors,"
- "Outlets covered by drywall,"
- "Concrete not level."
- "Great Job!,"
- "No Problems,"
Strongly encourage your superintendents to give accurate quality measurements. Afer all, it will be difficult to measure improvements if superintendents give inflated scores.
Make sure everyone knows that the purpose of measuring is to gauge the current level of quality and to work together towards improving it.
Remember keep your quality management process simple, consistent, and a positive team effort.