Quality managers in the construction industry often believe that the purpose of their quality program is to demonstrate compliance or meet client QC reporting. However, their quality program can serve a broader role. By leveraging construction data and utilizing data analytics, managers can harness the information they collect and the existing systems to identify and prevent deficiencies, leading to substantial improvements in construction quality performance.
How can you maximize your quality management system? Build a rich database of information, and use it to measure construction quality performance over time. Follow these steps to get started:
1. Collect the Right Inspection Data
Information is power, especially in construction projects. Collecting and managing project data and project management information is essential for effective decision-making. Therefore, it is important to gather data in a way that is usable and ensures its quality. During inspections, personnel should capture relevant information by taking pictures, writing notes, and evaluating subcontractor performance. This ensures that the collected data can be utilized efficiently when needed.
Structured inspection checklists are essential for collecting quality performance measurement data. You can structure your checklists to measure some of the following details and target those areas for prevention and improvement:
- Which checkpoints are found to be first-time quality and which are not
- Which subcontractor is responsible for performing the work being inspected
- Time-stamping of corrections so time to correct can be calculated
- Scoring of subcontractor quality and safety by the inspector
- Reason codes (such as material defects, schedule delays, weather events, and so on) to help you understand why certain issues occurred
- Corrective action codes (such as repair, replace, rework) to understand the impact of issues that occur
Rich data, when coupled with efficient supply chain management and a data-driven culture, enables organizations to identify areas for improvement. To leverage this advantage, it is essential to begin collecting information promptly, even if its immediate utilization is not feasible. Developing a data-driven culture fosters a mindset that values and utilizes data in decision-making processes. Additionally, minimizing manual data entry through the implementation of automated systems enhances data collection efficiency and accuracy, facilitating informed and impactful improvements.
To ensure the completeness and usefulness of your data, as well as the effectiveness of your management processes and construction process, it is crucial to fully implement a quality program. This entails outlining all required inspections, creating checklists, and assigning them to the appropriate individuals. By doing so, you can ensure that the quality data, management processes, and construction process are properly executed.
2. Review the Data to Identify Problems
Before you can make improvements in construction quality performance, you must first know where your problems are and the impact they are having on project success. Let the computer do the work to identify the problems that need the most attention. For example:
- Number of issues found, by project subcontractor and work task
- Number and type of recurring issues
- Number and type of job-ready issues
- Number of high-risk issues found
- Percent of first-time quality achieved
- Time needed to correct deficiencies
It is essential to prioritize problems based on their potential risks, especially in the context of data collection, big data, and digital technologies. By addressing the issues that pose the highest risks to data privacy and security, organizations can take proactive steps to mitigate potential harm. Once these critical problems are resolved and appropriate measures are in place, attention can be directed towards addressing the next issue on the priority list. This systematic approach ensures a comprehensive and effective approach to problem-solving in the digital age.
Don’t wait for a crisis. Schedule a regular time to review and analyze your quality performance, and act on the information you are gathering so you can stay ahead of emerging issues.
3. Create an Action Plan—And Do It!
After you have identified the problems that occur most frequently or have the biggest impact on project success, the next step is to plan how to prevent these problems and improve construction quality performance. Typical tactics include:
- Toolbox training field personnel
- Adding heightened awareness issues to your checklists
- Discussing issues at production meetings
- Posting pictures of targeted issues
- Using jobsite walks to talk about targeted issues
- Communicating quality expectations to subcontractors so they can train their crews
4. Evaluate Your Successes
Once you execute your plan, use external sources as validation that your quality program improvement strategies are working. Some of the sources that can be used to track performance include:
- Third-party inspections
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Budget variances
- Schedule variances
- Payment of subcontractor retainers
- Purchase order variances
Don’t Limit Your Potential
Don’t limit your quality program to just compliance and producing a record of what happened. Look for a scalable software solution that will grow with you as you learn more about how to measure and improve construction quality performance.
FTQ360 is here to help, whether you are just getting started or you aren’t sure how to get the most out of your existing quality program.
