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 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.
About the Author - Ed Caldeira is founder of First Time Quality, LLC, specializing in submittal-ready construction QA/QC plan templates and custom quality plans as well as construction quality inspection and punchlist software.
