Quality control in construction project success advice, Building managers guide
The Role of Quality Control in Construction Project Success
13 Feb 2023
Construction projects need critical evaluation to determine a successful closure. Project managers face multiple challenges in evaluating projects in every construction phase. However, you can overcome the hindrances by implementing quality control in construction.
Many construction companies stay on schedule and follow every SOP, but their project delivery doesn’t meet the expected quality standards. When a construction project doesn’t have the required quality, stakeholders avoid doing business with you.
Even worse, you will be held accountable for violating the quality control standards during or after the construction. So, why is quality control so important in construction? This article answers all your questions about quality control in construction and the roles of a construction quality control manager.
If you need to create a construction project management plan, check out an article written by Bridgit.
Quality control in construction
Construction quality control is a detailed process that includes the following basic objects:
- Evaluation – The gauging of each activity throughout the construction project
- Management – Resource allocation and delegation to project members
- Feedback – Getting feedback from different stakeholders
Quality control in construction aims to ensure the final deliverable adheres to the required quality standard. These standards must adhere to the client’s and industry’s requirements. Not delivering quality in a construction project leads to conflicts among project stakeholders.
A construction quality manager is responsible for planning and executing construction quality control. Here are the two components of quality control in construction:
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Quality control (QC)
QC is about attaining the required quality by finding issues in a construction project. The construction quality manager uses civil engineering concepts to determine the project’s quality. The whole process follows a quality control plan in each construction activity.
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Quality assurance (QA)
QA refers to improving construction quality through monitoring, controlling, and auditing. The QA team directly communicates with QC managers and continuously updates them about the project. The QA also devises a plan to achieve the required construction quality.
5 roles of construction quality control
The following are the roles and responsibilities of a construction quality control manager.
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Preparing a quality control checklist
Making a checklist ensures you will not miss anything while checking the quality of the construction activities and deliverables since construction projects entail numerous key elements. You must check the quality of each element to validate its success ratio.
Therefore, preparing a construction quality control checklist must be your first task. Check out some points included in the checklist:
- Scope of the project and its inspection report
- Approved submittals
- Project status
- Defects in the installation
The checklist might have a YES or NO answer box or some space for text answers. There is no standard way of preparing a construction quality control checklist. Moreover, the checklist points also vary from project to project.
So, you must prepare the construction quality control checklist to include all necessary details. Missing out on any point might lead to a major defect later in the project.
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Planning site inspection
A site inspection must be planned and created for the inspection team. Remember that a construction manager or any other head must lead the inspection team. Construction quality control managers don’t visit the construction site. However, they provide an inspection plan.
The inspection plan for the construction project covers various aspects, including:
- Legal formalities
- Safety standards
- Soil quality
- Availability of resources
You must plan the construction site inspection and share the document with the chief inspector. They are responsible for inspecting the jobsite.
Construction site inspection gives you the advantage of forecasting several conditions, such as weather. You also know the limitations that might hinder the construction progress. However, you can prepare a sound site inspection plan and enable the site inspectors to deal proactively with the issues.
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Defining building quality expectations
It’s a thorough building quality expectation plan that includes detailed project documentation. You must collaborate with the following project members to define building quality expectations:
- Designer – To provide the building’s architecture and other visual documents for a better project analysis
- Coder – To map different systems of the building and run simulations as a preview
- Contractor – To estimate resource and workforce requirements within the allocated budget
The building quality expectation must be defined clearly because different project stakeholders will read this document. If anything is ambiguous, they might send an RFI (request for information) which delays the project.
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Following safety requirements
Construction projects must follow the required safety standards to ensure quality control. You must implement every safety measure at the construction site for the workers. Moreover, you must ensure the relevant portion of the construction budget is spent on safety kits and equipment.
Construction safety requirements reflect the project’s quality. Clients, investors, and other stakeholders might unexpectedly visit the construction site and observe the working environment.
Lack of construction safety at the jobsite affects the project’s quality, eventually spoiling the company’s reputation.
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Reviewing and reworking if needed
You must review every construction activity and make sure the quality remains intact. Most of the time, workers don’t follow the quality control plan in the absence of the supervisor. That affects the deliverable’s quality, and other project milestones also don’t meet the required standard.
Reviewing the project’s key activities must be your mandatory practice. After reviewing, you can update the construction schedule by adding the necessary rework.
The reviewing and reworking phase is usually done by both QA and QC teams. However, the quality control manager implements the change requests in the construction project.
Importance of quality control in construction
Construction quality control is directly related to the client’s satisfaction. Every client in the construction industry expects to get top-quality construction delivery. Therefore, you must value your client and continuously check the quality of the project in each activity.
Remember that a highly satisfied client markets your services to other people, expanding your business.
Keeping the quality intact throughout the project lifecycle is also beneficial in terms of time and money. You don’t need to add costly reworks to the construction schedule. Hence, you can save much on the construction budget and finish the project before the deadline.
Conclusion
Quality control in construction projects is a major aspect. You must observe each activity and improve the quality on a minor level. Eventually, the project’s quality will be holistically upgraded. Thus, your clientele will be highly satisfied.
Comments on this guide to Quality control in construction project success article are welcome
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