Quality Management in Construction: Assurance vs. Control
In the construction industry, where the competition is high and always present, a firm or contractor must find an edge to outshine its competitors. What is that one factor that’s proven repeatedly that the clients look for in their biddings? The only value constant in this fast-paced industry is none other than quality.
The definition of quality can be subjective, depending on who you ask. It can also be relative to the context of the industry one is referring to. Some will refer quality to the best available products, while others will automatically label expensive things as high “quality.” These may be true somehow, but the judgment of quality is quite simple.
Quality is meeting the clients’ expectations, qualifications, and demands on time without any defects and within the agreed-upon budget. There are standards and tolerances that the clients will establish in the Scope of Work that must be met before the project’s acceptance and turnover. This document acts as a set of specifications based on the client’s and stakeholders’ expectations. It clarifies how to execute the task to meet these standards according to quality of assurance.
What is construction quality?
When it comes to establishing the quality of a construction project, there are various components to acknowledge. These components include whether you have completed the project promptly and within the client’s intended budget. Additionally, whether you have achieved the specifications laid out in the job’s contract — without any disputes and complications — is vital in determining the construction quality. Finally, ensure that the final product performs its designed purpose once the job is finished and turned over to its client.
What are the benefits of construction quality management?
Before we go over the processes in the quality management process, here some of the benefits of creating a good quality management program:
- It provides high-quality final output according to a set of standards.
- it increases time efficiency and eliminates delays during operations.
- It grants customer satisfaction, which helps your company’s credentials and helps in growing your business.
- It minimizes time used for rework and post-construction warranty services, which will help save the company.
- It encourages the team to produce high-quality products and set a standard for success.
What are the quality management processes in construction?
One of the most ambiguous construction aspects is quality management, divided into two respective but connected categories: Quality Assurance and Quality Control. These two are often used interchangeably on-site, but they pose different functions equally crucial to project success. It is essential to understand the differences between the two, for they are implemented in the whole project lifecycle, even until the pre-construction phase.
Quality Assurance (or QA) first appeared in the quality management scene in the 1970s. Quality Assurance is a pro-active and process-oriented approach that focuses on managing the quality of the product. It is highly preventable and always anticipates risk, defects, and recognizes flaws in the process. Its main objective is to eliminate rework prevalent in the industry by preparing planned and systematic activities that assure that everything will go smoothly. A series of checklists and inspections are also set up for the construction’s critical stages, such as concrete pouring, pre-drywall, and final turnover.
Quality Control (or QC), on the other hand, is more tactical. It is a product-oriented approach that focuses on the outcome of the project. From the name itself, it ‘controls’ and monitors the works as they occur and verify that every activity is implemented in compliance with the standards, requirements, and tolerances established by the designers and other stakeholders in the planning stages of the project. Consequently, Quality Control also enforces corrective measures when those standards aren’t met. The Quality Officers are also responsible for detecting and analyzing any differences between the obtained and planned results to determine if corrections are needed.
It often occurs that professionals who work as QA or QC or QA/QC engineers are not informed of their job responsibilities, even though the two separate functions are very different. This issue is common in small and medium-sized contractors where they usually don’t have enough budget to hire QA or QC Engineers separately.
In such cases, the hired engineer may possess QC’s title while working as a QA and sometimes QA working as QC, or maybe doing both combined. This uncertainty is harmful to the project and may affect the quality and its overall success.
Quality Assurance vs. Quality Control in Construction Phases
1. Pre-Design Phase
In this phase of the project, the Quality Assurance Manager researches all the project’s needs and requirements. The Quality Assurance Manager determines the set of specifications that each team, such as the Architectural, Structural, and MEPFS, need to pass the various inspections that will occur throughout the project lifecycle according to the following construction standards:
- Building Code Specifications
- Legal Provisions
- Construction Safety Conditions
- Customer quality expectations
Requirements for the supplies and deliverables to pass the inspection are also set out in this phase. Once all these guidelines are finalized, the Quality Assurance Manager will arrange all the documentation process for all teams and clarifies all the confusing standards to certify a smooth flow in the next phases.
The sole responsibility of the Quality Control Officer here is to let all the teams know what to look for during inspection and find a way to surpass or meet the standards set by the Quality Assurance Manager.
2. Pre-Construction Phase
Now, this is where the Quality Control Officer takes over the managing construction aspect. To start, the Quality Control team will inspect and test whether or not the set of activities will comply with the standards laid out by the Quality Assurance Manager. The Quality Control Officer is also liable for the signing-off on all the design, revisions, and deliverables proposed. He is also accountable if they sign off parts that don’t comply with the necessary standards.
3. Selecting Suppliers
Once the signed off of the required documents is done, you can now assemble the needed suppliers as planned in the first two phases.
The Quality Assurance Manager sets the supply and materials standards and the procedures to carry out for fixing materials issues that may arise. He also crafts procedures to enable the Quality Control Officer and work crews to select appropriately qualified suppliers with the following requirements included:
- Site visits and inspections of supplier facilities
- Testing of materials
- Any other criteria to certify that the proposed supplier is qualified to meet the Quality Assurance standards
On the contrary, the Quality Control Officer is responsible for approving the suppliers and accountable if they deliver substandard materials. If the supply and materials meet or surpass the established standards, he can now sign off the documents, and construction can begin.
4. Hiring Subcontractors (if any)
The Quality Assurance process can also include establishing subcontractor qualifications, especially in large projects where the general contracting can’t accomplish all the works unaided. This team is also responsible for the bidding and submittals reviews required before the outset of the execution phase.
5. On-going Construction
During this phase of the construction, the Project Superintendent will be brought in with a decisive role in the project’s execution. It is the responsibility of the Superintendent to assure that the works are up to standard.
The role of Quality Assurance is to supply the Superintendent with the proper documentation and correct knowledge. Whereas, it is the job of the Quality Control to inspect the site beforehand and set a schedule on when the Superintendent will inspect as well and check the quality of work. If the Superintendent notices any issues or punch list, it is the job of the Quality Control Officer to follow quality assurance protocols and correct it.
A Quality Assurance Plan or Procedures must include the following items:
- Determine if the work procedures will meet the expected quality standard stated on the Scope of Work.
- Monitor the quality of the pending and completed works to determine that they comply or exceed the project specifications.
- The completed work is adequately protected from harm or damage.
- Track the corrective steps implemented and issue status reports until its completion.
- Continually review methodology and processes and identify possible areas of improvement for more quality output.
- Review Quality Control documentation to ensure organized management systems.
6. Post Construction
In this final step of the project, the Quality Assurance job is to have the procedures for every aspect to be ready, or else it doesn’t pass inspection. It is now the Quality Control’s responsibility to finish the building inspection and do punch listing when necessary for any parts that aren’t up to the code.
Once the building passes all the inspections, the Quality Management Team can now work on the next project.
Conclusion
Construction quality management is not Quality Assurance versus Quality Control; both functions work together to ensure the industry’s best quality buildings. They shouldn’t be misunderstood or interchangeably-used, for they are equally vital in the construction projects management, from start to finish phases of the project.
A contractor must craft a detailed quality management program critical to the project’s overall success. You are what you create, so make the best quality projects possible.
