Construction Quality Assurance - Example

NAME : XXXXXX TUTOR : XXXXXX TITLE : CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT COURSE : XXXXXX INSTITUTION : XXXXXX @2009 Introduction Quality assurance is an important issue in the construction industry and the industry has been struggling for many years to address the issue. The cost of non –compliance with the quality standards by contractors is significant in the economy and it can only be reduced if the contactors will embrace the quality assurance concept. Various initiatives have succeeded in intruding the concept of quality assurance in the industry though in small scale (Harrison 2005) .Due to the uniqueness of construction industry, the application of quality assurance requires an approach that can meet the industry’s needs. Basically, quality assurance involves controlling the entire processes involved in a business by setting standards and checking if the standards are being met on regular basis (Harrison 2005). Variations from the set standards are inquired in to so that the cause of the variance can be found and corrective measures taken to make sure that the variations do not occur again in future. It is the process in which the contractor provides satisfactory evidence to the client to show that the work he is doing will be done in conformation to the client’s requirements (Henson 1997). This article will discuss the quality standards used in the construction industry, the requirements of the standards and the systems that are used to make sure that the standards are met. It discusses the quality assurance process and its application in the construction industry. It also gives the benefits that are accrued for using such standards to all the stakeholders in the construction industry, that is, the contractor, and the employees of the contracting companies as well as the owners of the buildings. The use of quality assurance systems is probably the best way of ensuring that high quality standards in the construction industry. The quality standards Due to the unique needs of the construction industry on quality assurance, an effective quality assurance program must be user friendly, streamlined to suit the needs of the industry and have the right balance between the added value and the extra cost. The quality assurance standard currently used by the construction companies is the ISO 9000 system. This quality standard is known world wide due to its publicity. Unfortunately, the standard has been widely ignored by companies in the construction industry. In the US, only 42 construction companies have been certified for successfully applying the standard in their operations (Harrison 2005). Some of the instruments used to help companies and building owners to maintain high standards are; the ‘Construction Contractor Quality System Audit Checklist’ (CCQAC) which is a system used to verify that the quality assurance system is working and it was developed using the ISO 9000 guidelines. The CCWAC was tailor-made to suit the exclusive requirements of the construction industry. Other tools used are ‘Construction Quality Assurance Job Audits’ and ‘Corporate Construction Quality Assurance Program’ both of which were made to assist construction companies to maintain high quality standards (Harrison 2005). The quality assurance process The quality assurance process follows the procedures described in the Deming Cycle also known as the ‘Plan-Do Check-Act’ (PDCA) (Harrison 2005).The PDCA is known as the Deming Cycle because it was formulated by Dr. W. E. Deming. The components of the PDCA cycle are described below. ‘Plan’ involves instituting processes and the objectives necessary to achieve the desired quality. In the situation of quality assurance in the construction industry, the objectives to be met are the standards. The standards used in the construction industry are the ISO 9001 certification standards, which are internationally recognized standards in quality management and the internal standards which are set by each country or the concerned departments. The internal standards used in many countries are mainly formulated in conformity with the international standards. ‘Do’ involves implementing the new process and in the context of quality assurance, it means that the plan of how the standards will be met is put into action. At this stage, all the required materials have been purchased and construction work starts. The materials must be of high quality so that the overall work can meet or even exceed the required standards. The ‘Check’ stage can also be referred to as the evaluation stage and it involves measuring the new process and comparing the achieved results with the expected results to ascertain if there are any variances. The ‘Act’ stage involves analyzing the variances to determine their cause and the required changes. At this stage, the actions can be taken against the employee who is responsible for variance if it was as a result of negligence. If the cause of the variations was as a result of poor quality materials, then the contractor must avoid using materials from the supplier to avoid any future losses. The necessary changes must be done so that the variations can be avoided in future (Henson 1997). Methods used to reduce variations Various methods are used to make sure that variations are as minimal as possible so that the quality of the entire project can be high. The methods include; the use of numerical data, the use of non-numerical data as well as the use of audits. Numerical data involves statistically evaluating and controlling the process capability using process control charts provided by ‘statistical process control’ (SPC). In non-numerical data, systematic methods are instituted and the process is known as systemizing or procedurizing (Harrison 2005). However, these procedures have to be managed properly or else they will be of no value. Document control is carried out to make sure that the employees have the right procedures and that the procedures are maintained according to the policy requirement. Audits are the verifications done to make sure that the quality procedures put in place are being followed by the employees who are carrying out the job. Non –conformance tracking is done to monitor quality issues so that any complaints on the quality are documented, and will be used in future planning to ensure that the customers are not dissatisfied again. ‘Corrective action and preventive action’ (CAPA) is used to correct any variance from the set standards. The last method used is management review which is used to go through the quality system data to determine whether the system’s quality is working as per the plan and if not to take any corrective measures (Henson 1997). The applicacation of quality assurance The aim of quality assurance levels is to reflect the need for managing the risk associated with projects as well as the ability of the construction industry to incorporate the standards in to their business (The Chatterer Institute of Building 2002). The quality assurance is used to periodically review the elements of the quality system and adding some elements so as to conform to the changing needs of the industry as well as the needs of the government. The risk managers apply the quality assurance requirements in projects and determine the application of the expected quality assurance standard (Abemathy & Utterback 1978). The benefits of quality assurance The quality assurance programs have many benefits to both the owners of the building as well as the contractors. The building owners can make use of quality assurance to appraise the aptitude of construction corporations. This can be done by ensuring that the quality system audits are carried out by quality assurance professionals who are qualified (Alkin 1090). Use of unqualified persons reduces the value of the quality assurance program as the project will not be different from the other projects done without the QA programs. The use of jobsites Audits by building owners will ensure that risks are not accumulated in the construction works and this will save them from liabilities associated with such risks (Henson 1997). For instance, an incident of a building under construction collapsing can cost the owner of the building and the contractor because they will be required to pay for the injuries sustained by workers or any third parties. The construction companies will benefit by using the contractor Quality System Checklist (CQSC) to evaluate the strength of the quality system they are using so as to know whether they are better or worse relative to the average standards in the industry (Armstrong 1991). If they are exceeding the industry average, then the standards must be maintained and the employees who contributed to the high standards should be rewarded so that their moral can be boosted. Conversely, if the standards are below the industry average corrective measures should be taken to improve the standards and if the low standards are as a result of employees’ negligence, the responsible employees should be punished according to the company’s policies (Henson 1997). By doing this the construction company will continue keeping high standards in its operations therefore having a competitive edge over the other companies in the industry and as a result attracting more clients. The construction company can also benefit by saving liability costs and as a result increasing its profits. This is because profit refers to the difference between costs and revenues and if the costs will be reduced, then profits will increase. Conclusion There are various quality assurance standards used in the construction industry with the one mainly used being the ISO 9000 standard. We have also seen how the QA process uses the Deming cycle to maintain high quality standards. There are various gains accruing to both the building owners and the construction companies. Some of the benefits are; the use of QA programs enables the building owners to evaluate and chose the construction companies that effectively use the quality assurance programs and save on the costs of liability accruing due to the risks involved in the construction industry. The contactors also benefits as they are able to evaluate their performance and make the necessary actions so as to continue operating at high standards. Nevertheless, the construction industry has not fully embraced the use of quality assurance in its operations. Due to the benefits associated with the use of the quality assurance in the construction industry, I support the statement that the use of quality assurance standards in the construction industry is the best way of ensuring high quality standards are maintained in the industry. Bibliography Abemathy R. & Utterback G. 1978, ‘Patterns of Industrial Innovation’, Technology Review, vol. 2, no 4, pp. 40-47. Alkin, M. 1990, Debate on Evaluation, Sage, Newbury Park. Armstrong, J. 1991, Quality Assurance in the Construction Industry, University of Leeds, Leeds. Harrison, J. 2005, Construction Quality Assurance, viewed 13th May, 2009, Henson, K. C. Y & Pheng, S. L 1997, ‘ISO 9000 Quality Assurance in Singapore’s Construction Industry: An update’, Structure Survey, vol.15, no. 3, pp. 113-117. The Chartered Institute of Building 2002, Code of Practice for Project Management for Construction and Development, HUP, New York. Read More