The road to First Time Quality (FTQ) in construction is rarely straightforward. Success depends on an adaptable and proactive approach to building and maturing the company’s inspection and QAQC systems.
To achieve FTQ efficiently and effectively, construction teams must adopt agility - not as a buzzword but as a structured and incremental approach to evolving their quality management process.
An agile digital action plan provides the foundation for this transformation. By breaking down large-scale initiatives into manageable, iterative steps, construction professionals can address challenges, refine processes, and deliver improvements that grow with their organization’s needs.
The Need for an Agile Approach
In construction, attempting to implement the final version of a quality management system all at once, often proves impractical. Construction projects operate in dynamic environments, with constantly shifting variables, lessons learned, and evolving challenges. A static, “one and done” approach lacks the adaptability required to stay aligned with the goal of FTQ.
Agility offers an alternative - a system that evolves incrementally while providing tangible benefits from the outset. Instead of waiting for the “ultimate system” to be completed, teams can begin delivering value with the very first improvement. Each iteration builds on the last, adapting to new insights and project realities to maximize the effectiveness of the QAQC program.
Through iterative workflows, large initiatives are broken down into smaller, manageable cycles. Teams test, refine, and optimize processes incrementally, ensuring continuous progress without the risk of overhauling systems in one unwieldy step.
The Quality Manager as the Agile Leader
At the heart of this transformation is the quality manager, who acts as the Agile Leader.
Much like the product owner in Agile methodologies, the quality manager plays a central role in aligning both short-term and long-term initiatives with the company’s strategic quality goals.
The quality manager sets priorities, collaborates with stakeholders, and uses real-time data to adapt plans as needed. This dynamic role ensures that every improvement - whether it’s introducing a new tool, refining an inspection process, or automating deficiency tracking - moves the organization closer to FTQ.
Beyond strategic planning, the quality manager serves as a process-focused leader, guiding teams through implementation while resolving roadblocks and maintaining alignment across all stakeholders. Their leadership ensures that workflows remain efficient and that iterative improvements contribute directly to the success of the quality management system.
Defining Long-Term “Epics” for Advancing the Construction Quality Management System
An “epic” represents a high-level initiative aligned with the long-term vision for the organization’s quality management system. These ambitious goals form the foundation of the agile digital action plan, guiding the organization’s efforts toward sustained improvements.
Examples of epics include transitioning to real-time deficiency tracking, implementing monthly cycles of defect reduction processes, or integrating subcontractors into a unified quality platform. Each epic is broken into actionable steps, making these transformative goals more achievable.
Digital platforms like FTQ360 play a critical role in executing epics. By providing the tools to manage data, automate workflows, and track progress, FTQ360 empowers teams to achieve long-term goals with precision and confidence.
Crafting Incremental “Stories” for Adding Functional Capabilities
While epics define the long-term vision, “stories” represent the detailed, user-focused activities that drive day-to-day improvements. Stories translate high-level goals into actionable tasks, ensuring that each step contributes meaningfully to the overarching epic.
For example, a story might involve enabling field inspectors to log deficiencies in real time or automating notifications for corrective actions. These targeted efforts address specific needs within the quality management system, delivering immediate value while building toward broader objectives.
By linking stories to sprints, teams can implement functional capabilities incrementally, ensuring steady progress while addressing the unique needs of users like project managers, field teams, and subcontractors.
Executing Sprints to Drive Incremental Progress
Sprints provide the structure for implementing stories, operating as time-boxed, focused efforts lasting one to three months.
Each sprint targets a specific cohort of stories, enabling teams to prioritize tasks, test new processes, and refine workflows before scaling them across the organization.
For instance, a sprint might focus on piloting mobile inspection tools on a single project, automating corrective action workflows, or rolling out standardized inspection templates for a specific phase of construction. At the end of each sprint, teams review outcomes, identify challenges, and determine actionable improvements for the next cycle.
This iterative approach ensures that every effort delivers measurable benefits, driving continuous progress toward the organization’s broader quality management goals.
Fostering Collaboration and Transparency
Collaboration is a cornerstone of agile quality management. Aligning teams toward shared goals requires open communication and trust, both of which depend on transparency.
FTQ360 facilitates collaboration by providing centralized access to real-time quality data. With regular communication checkpoints and shared dashboards, all stakeholders - from field inspectors to executives - can monitor progress, track performance, and make informed decisions. This level of visibility fosters accountability and ensures that everyone is working toward the same objectives.
Conclusion: Transforming Quality Management with Agility
The journey to First Time Quality isn’t about taking a single leap, it’s about taking strategic, incremental steps that build on each other over time.
By combining the structure of epics, the focus of stories, and the iterative progress enabled by sprints, construction teams can transform their quality management systems with confidence.
The leadership of the quality manager is essential in aligning efforts, while collaboration and transparency ensure that every step contributes to a unified vision. With the support of digital platforms like FTQ360, teams can reduce risks, enhance collaboration, and ensure continuous improvement, delivering defect-free projects time after time.
Take the first step today. Download our eBook now to learn how FTQ360 can help you build an agile digital action plan and achieve First Time Quality on every project.
