Construction Quality Management Blog

When it comes to quality management programs, the spectrum ranges from no formalized systems at all to a streamlined program with integrated mechanisms for continual improvement. Most organizations fall somewhere in the middle, but there are times when it’s important to know how a company ranks. A few scenarios when you might want to assess a quality program include hiring qualified subcontractors, evaluating the progress of your program, or determining the status of your program before you implement new systems.

If you’re looking for quality management software for your construction business, it’s important to understand the differences between the available options. For example, most software is designed to address only the quality-control component of quality management. Although this is an essential part of a quality management system, the software you choose should also allow you to address the other elements of quality management—quality planning, quality improvement, and quality assurance.

Having an underperforming subcontractor on the team can drag a project down, causing unnecessary delays, increasing costs, and affecting morale. It’s up to the super to recognize when a subcontractor is out of control and then to take steps to fix the problem. Some of the signs of poor subcontractor performance include:

Every Builder knows that having a solid specialty subcontractor base can make or break the company. Subcontractors who show-up on time and complete their jobs 100% keep the building schedule moving. Contractors who don’t, create complications and delays that can give the Builder a bad reputation.

A checklist is more than just a few items scribbled on the back of an envelope for the next trip to the grocery store. It’s a communication tool that’s clear and concise, and can have a significant effect on a company’s bottom line. In fact, builders are adopting checklists as a method to mold their employee’s, Trade Partner’s and customer’s perception of the company brand.

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.

Subcontractor reliability and performance are essential to the success of GCs and home builders. When subcontractors underperform, it’s frustrating, time-consuming, and brings the construction schedule to a grinding halt. But what should the Builder do when a subcontractor isn’t bringing its A Game – or worse, isn’t even showing up? Can the Builder help improve an underperforming subcontracting partner? Or should the Builder cut its losses at the first sign of trouble?