We understand that each Construction Management executive and each Quality Management team will have their own set of business goals and objectives and that achieving First Time Quality excellence can sometimes be an uphill battle.
Some companies will decide to focus on formulating an effective defect and deficiency reduction strategy while others will want to put their efforts into ensuring compliance and minimizing risks. Developing and improving the Quality Program itself is a very common goal too – but of course, the extent of the challenge at hand will depend on how mature the current quality management capability is.
To find out how your current Quality Program stacks up you might want to take this online assessment.
Improve field productivity with more efficient and predictable processes
For many firms though, being able to increase the efficiency of the construction operation is a great way to get some early wins and kick-start the journey to First Time Quality excellence. There are three very simple ways to achieve this:
- Save time
- Reduce costs
- Optimize processes
But construction is a complicated business, so improving operational efficiency is easier said than done. Developing predictable processes can go a long way towards helping though. You will be surprised at the difference this makes.
At FTQ360, we understand the power of standardizing and automating quality and safety processes. And we recognize that those processes need to stop costly deficiencies from eroding profits and blowing budgets and we appreciate the value of staying on schedule by eliminating avoidable problems that cause unnecessary delays.
In this article, we are going to explore the things you can start doing today to help drive improvements in your operational efficiency.
How can a business improve operational efficiency?
Focus one: Streamline issue communication
Focusing on automating your communications and simplifying your processes is one of the most effective things you can do. Here is a few things you can do
- Use mobile technology to document deficiencies in the field
- Automatically send notifications and updates to subcontractors
- Allow subcontractors to document all corrections remotely
Create a punch-list dashboard and share reports electronically in real-time.
“The key here is stay on top of your deficiencies by eliminating unnecessary steps and automating key tasks.”
Why not take a moment to explore how FTQ360 helps ensure fast and easy issue communication.
Focus two: Establish consistent processes
As a seasoned quality professional or construction manager, you’ll know that reliability and consistency are vital. Here are some practical ways that you can keep completely organized and stay totally in control.
- Develop automated process to eliminate administrative work steps
- Conduct all inspections in exactly the same way every time
- Use a single platform for communicating all types of construction issues
- Create automated alerts when inspections or deficiencies are overdue
- Use pre-defined reports and dashboards to monitor quality activity in real-time
“The goal here is to control your inspection process and get reliable results every time – from your quality experts and beginners alike.”
Why not take a moment to explore how FTQ360 helps ensure accurate inspections from the whole team.
Focus three: Develop defect reduction systems
Cost reduction is one of the core ways to increase operational efficiency, so proactively eliminating costly deficiencies is an absolute must for the best quality management teams. Your defect reduction system should include pre-construction risk prevention tools and deliver the following capabilities.
- Real-time dashboards highlight the most costly deficiencies
- Known risks are prevented systematically using pre-defined analytics reports
- Quality performance goals are pro-actively set for individuals, teams and projects
“Reach the pinnacle of quality management program expertise by systematically preventing deficiencies.”
Why not take a moment to explore FTQ360’s proactive defect reduction functions and tools.
Operational efficiency improvement in action at Henkels & McCoy
“Because we have many different projects and project managers, FTQ360 provides a consistent platform for inspections, reporting and documentation regardless of location.”
John Davis, QA Manager, Henkels & McCoy
In summary…
The simple truth is that the more advanced your quality program, the more efficient your operations.
- Streamlining issue communications is one of the first steps on your journey to First Time Quality excellence.
- Establishing a set of consistent processes is the cornerstone of a professional quality program and the secret weapon of the First Time Quality expert.
- Preventing defects proactively and systematically will elevate your advanced quality management program to a truly expert level and is a sure sign of First Time Quality excellence.
Over to you
We hope you found this blog article interesting and useful. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch. At FTQ360, we're serious about quality, if you are too, we'd love to talk.
