Just a few years ago, the main advantage of using a smart phone on the construction site was turning on the flashlight app. Today, smart phones are as important a tool as anything found in the contractor’s toolbox, especially when it comes to a managing quality.
A strong Quality Assurance Program can actually give the mid-size builder a competitive edge over those large builders with deep pockets. Jobsite waste, scheduling errors, rework, dry-runs and call backs get jumbled-up in the rage of volume building, where the race to deliver projects on-time can overwhelm any quality assurance efforts. It’s actually easier to deliver first time quality (i.e. finishing each milestone in the construction schedule 100% complete and on time) in a smaller business model. In fact, the builder can respond to changes faster, implement improvement measures easier and deliver a quality project with fewer people, fewer resources and fewer mistakes and accidents. But this is only possible when the subcontractors and crews work as a team with each other and the builder.
Many Builders are skeptical of the commitment to training and development. It’s too expensive or too time consuming or just too much of a hassle. It pulls workers off the jobsite and delays the completion of the project. However, most builders have a training program already built into their construction system, just waiting to be tapped.
