Construction Materials: Quality Assurance/Quality Control
Why is construction quality control important?
The standard by which you judge the success of your construction project is quality control, which determines how closely you adhere to the client’s construction job specifications. It is crucial because without quality control checks, you might not be able to gauge how closely the construction adheres to the predetermined specifications.
What is construction quality control?
The process by which a construction company checks a project to ensure that it complies with the client’s standards and guidelines is known as construction quality control. Additionally, it entails making sure that every aspect of the project complies with all applicable laws.
A construction project’s quality control can be supervised by the project manager. They also answer to senior management and the client.
Before the project starts, the client and the construction team agree on the project specifications, which then serve as a roadmap for the project as it progresses. A high-quality construction endeavors to meet the client’s exact requirements and adheres to their exact specifications.
Benefits of construction quality control
Here are some justifications for why it’s crucial to maintain the quality of your construction project.
Client satisfaction
A high-quality construction job increases the likelihood that your client will be pleased and want to work with you again on a subsequent construction project. Additionally, it increases your chance of receiving more work due to the positive recommendations of your clients.
Reducing costs
Your client might be grateful for the money you saved them in the long run by starting with a high-quality construction. Additionally, it means that your construction crew won’t have to work as long on one project and can move on to more lucrative ones.
Building company morale
Along with doing great work, your team also wants to work safely. Performing well can increase morale and pride in one’s work. Additionally, your team might be happy to see future projects come their way as a result of a satisfied client recommending them.
Construction quality control steps
Here are 6 steps you can take to ensure the quality of your construction:
1. Outline your acceptance criteria
You can start managing the quality of your construction project by ensuring that every team member and client is on the same page with the expectations, right down to the most minute details and materials. For the client to accept the project as completed to their satisfaction, the construction team must be clear about what they need to do. The construction team may not be able to finish the project until they have replaced the pipes, for instance, if the client requested that the finished project use copper pipes but the team decided to use steel instead.
The project manager can use the agreement as a set of guidelines to check the quality throughout the project once everyone has agreed on the job specification.
2. Plan out inspections
Inspections assist clients and project managers in keeping track of the status of construction projects. These inspections are a typical step in the process and can occur frequently all the way through it. Before the project begins, you can schedule the inspections to determine how many and when they should be performed. This will help you organize your project’s progress and provide a framework for your quality-related notes as it moves past each inspection.
3. Use checklists
You can make a checklist to keep you organized about tasks that must be finished to specific requirements. Before the project starts, you can give your team checklists so they have additional instructions and prompts for how to complete their tasks. This will help them monitor their own quality in addition to your oversight.
Your checklist can include the task, who is working on it, who is overseeing it, when it needs to be finished, and any specifics that call for increased awareness.
Being specific when creating your checklist can mean the difference between a checklist that accurately reports on quality control and a checklist that is misleading. Yes/No checklists, for instance, can allow for incomplete quality checks. Language like “Do it right” or “looks good” can be ambiguous and not accurately reflect the project’s quality.
4. Correct deficiencies
You can conduct inspections using the checklists you’ve created once your team is aware of the specifications and the project has started. You might discover quality issues while working through these checklists that need to be fixed.
You can physically mark any deficiencies on the spot, take a picture of them, and make a note on your checklist to fix them. You can alert the person in charge of that project component, making sure they are aware of the issue and how to resolve it.
Once a team member has fixed the problem, you can mark it as fixed so that you have a record of the project’s quality control.
5. Verify acceptance
You can certify that the quality control meets the client’s standards once you’ve finished your inspections and had all flaws fixed. You can also ask the client to sign off on any modifications to the original specifications to ensure that they concur with the work’s quality assessment.
6. Close the loop
By comprehending what led to flaws in the construction process, you can close the loop. To avoid making the same errors on your next project, you can alter your quality control procedures.
For instance, perhaps team members made the incorrect choice of piping material because they were unsure of its specifications. You can increase your awareness of the quality control checklists for your next project and make piping material a priority.
Understanding the areas where communication is causing errors will help you avoid them on your subsequent projects, producing fewer flaws and greater client satisfaction.
Tips to improve construction quality control
Here are some tips to improve construction quality control:
Start with the right workers
Numerous positions require skilled labor, and employees with a lot of experience are more likely to meet your client’s requirements. To draw skilled laborers, try to offer your team competitive pay and benefits. Working with the right team will ultimately save you money through reduced reworks and client recommendations.
Incorporate software
You can use software to share checklists, track inspections, and manage deadlines digitally, which will help you be more organized. Additionally, you can use it to distribute information to your team and clients so that everyone is updated on the job’s acceptance requirements or timeline.
Start your inspections sooner
Starting your inspections sooner can help you track deficiencies sooner. This can save on time and cost when fixing them. Additionally, it can give you plenty of time to discuss any changes to the specifications with your client.
Starting earlier allows you to schedule more inspections, which can help you keep a closer eye on the project’s development while keeping quality control in mind.
Clarify workflows
Workflows can be used to distribute tasks to employees in a hierarchy so that no one person is responsible for the quality control of a particular task. The roles of each team member and their specific responsibilities for this project will be defined by clear workflows. Team members can pay close attention to each component of the project to ensure it meets the client’s specifications by having more clearly defined roles.
Manage risk
You can conduct risk assessments throughout the project to ensure that it is meeting the expectations of the client and to foresee potential issues with safety, zoning, legality, or cash flow.
To ensure that you are thinking about the needs of your team, your business, and the client’s expectations, you can include risk on your checklist. If you can keep an eye out for them as the project progresses, you can develop a plan for avoiding these risks or mitigating their effects.
FAQ
How do you become a quality control in construction?
There are several techniques for quality control. What Are the 4 Types of Quality Control? These include the Taguchi Method, Six Sigma, an x-bar chart, and 100% inspection mode.
What is QA QC construction management?
A bachelor’s degree and five years of construction experience, or being a graduate engineer or architect, are the primary requirements for a career as a construction quality control manager.
