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8 Steps To Followed While Doing a Construction Project Quality Audit
The Project Quality Plan you have put together is all set. You imagine practically all contingencies are really dealt with. You believe quality assessments are getting carried out effectively. You conclude your quality plan is being adhered to, your client is satisfied, and your project is progressing smoothly, correct?
Maybe not.
That is why you need to carry out a project quality audit. Your audit would reveal to you what is really working and what isn't - so that you will be able to get your project quality on the right track.
1. What is a quality audit?
A quality audit is actually an assessment of just how well (if at all) the important aspects of your project quality plan are getting implemented. And, whether or not it is successful in getting you the quality results you want.
It is in essence a fact-finding quest and really should be part of your standard monthly schedule.
2. How to carry out a quality audit
Generally, you will be doing field observations, speaking to clients and project workers, and looking at QA/QC records and reports.
The audit does not merely include your work. Considering that your quality plan includes all the project participants like suppliers, subcontractors, and several other external providers, your quality audit must cover them too. Remember, many project owners and subcontractors carry out their own assessments, and they will be able to offer you vital data for identifying quality concerns.
3. 8 Steps to follow to conduct your project quality audit
Listed below are the measures you need to adhere to as you carry out your quality audit.
1. Speak with clients
It is very likely that your clients are actually carrying out their own assessments. Speak to them regarding their evaluation results. Request them to walk the project site with you to carry out a field quality assessment. In case that isn't feasible, you will nevertheless wish to ask your clients some basic questions like:
• Are there any quality concerns that they have discovered
• Are their quality expectations getting fulfilled
2. Walk the jobsite - do your field quality review
You are in all probability already walking the project site and seeing the manner workers carry out their work. For your quality audit, pay attention to the following areas:
• Does their workmanship offer the quality you expect to see
• Are workers pursuing the right methods
• Do they demonstrate that they've got the skill sets required to perform the work
• If you are handling lot controlled materials, do you notice the lot identification labeling
3. Review quality records and reports
Next, visit the project field office and take a look at your project QA/QC documents and reports. There are actually 2 purposes for this aspect of the quality audit. Foremost, you would like to understand whether your project management personnel and superintendents are actually completing and properly filing all the required reports and records. Next, you need to assess to find out that they have completed them properly.
4. Reinspect the work tasks
Now, grab a few reports. It's time to see if your inspectors have been doing a good job inspecting (aka inspector qualification). With your sampling of inspection and nonconformance reports in hand, go out and reinspect the work that's already been inspected. Compare what you see on the report with your own observations.
• Is there something they have overlooked
• Have the repairs and the punch items been reported properly
5. Talk to field personnel
The next action would be to speak to your field workers to find out whether they are adequately trained and are adhering to the right practices. You likewise would like to find out about the specifications, standards, and drawings they are utilizing (or in a few instances, not utilizing).
A good way to conduct this part of the audit is to ask simple open-ended questions such as, “How do you know the right way to install an HVAC air handler?”
Here is what you need to learn:
• What training have they been provided
• Do they possess the required certifications if any needed
• Do workers have easy access to project standards, specifications, drawings, and change orders
• Are the workers utilizing up-to-date specs and standards
6. Follow-up on previous audit action plan items
Follow-up to check that progress is actually being made on past audit action items. Every month, you ought to see improvements in your project quality and uncover less inadequacies.
7. Record your audit findings
Create an audit report and document your audit findings.
Maintaining audit records would safeguard your firm should potential issues come up. It would show due diligence and your follow-up would demonstrate that you are taking corrective actions to concerns discovered.
8. Create an action plan
Lastly, develop your action plan. To determine ways to obtain better results, you will have to comprehend exactly why your quality plan is not being implemented fully. Perhaps you have to reinforce the significance of following the quality plan. Could it be that your construction quality control plan is way too complex to adopt? If your quality plan is being implemented, are you actually getting the quality results you had anticipated?
Once you understand the problems, choose a strategy and a plan to carry out the same.
4. Conclusion
Auditing your project quality is really a continual activity. Regardless of whether you pursue a formal, highly structured approach or a more informal, much less structured process, you have to routinely audit the execution and the effectiveness of your project quality plan.
Eventually, pretty much all of your projects would secure the quality results you envision - and with good deal less effort required from all your project personnel.
Maybe not.
That is why you need to carry out a project quality audit. Your audit would reveal to you what is really working and what isn't - so that you will be able to get your project quality on the right track.
1. What is a quality audit?
A quality audit is actually an assessment of just how well (if at all) the important aspects of your project quality plan are getting implemented. And, whether or not it is successful in getting you the quality results you want.
It is in essence a fact-finding quest and really should be part of your standard monthly schedule.
2. How to carry out a quality audit
Generally, you will be doing field observations, speaking to clients and project workers, and looking at QA/QC records and reports.
The audit does not merely include your work. Considering that your quality plan includes all the project participants like suppliers, subcontractors, and several other external providers, your quality audit must cover them too. Remember, many project owners and subcontractors carry out their own assessments, and they will be able to offer you vital data for identifying quality concerns.
3. 8 Steps to follow to conduct your project quality audit
Listed below are the measures you need to adhere to as you carry out your quality audit.
1. Speak with clients
It is very likely that your clients are actually carrying out their own assessments. Speak to them regarding their evaluation results. Request them to walk the project site with you to carry out a field quality assessment. In case that isn't feasible, you will nevertheless wish to ask your clients some basic questions like:
• Are there any quality concerns that they have discovered
• Are their quality expectations getting fulfilled
2. Walk the jobsite - do your field quality review
You are in all probability already walking the project site and seeing the manner workers carry out their work. For your quality audit, pay attention to the following areas:
• Does their workmanship offer the quality you expect to see
• Are workers pursuing the right methods
• Do they demonstrate that they've got the skill sets required to perform the work
• If you are handling lot controlled materials, do you notice the lot identification labeling
3. Review quality records and reports
Next, visit the project field office and take a look at your project QA/QC documents and reports. There are actually 2 purposes for this aspect of the quality audit. Foremost, you would like to understand whether your project management personnel and superintendents are actually completing and properly filing all the required reports and records. Next, you need to assess to find out that they have completed them properly.
4. Reinspect the work tasks
Now, grab a few reports. It's time to see if your inspectors have been doing a good job inspecting (aka inspector qualification). With your sampling of inspection and nonconformance reports in hand, go out and reinspect the work that's already been inspected. Compare what you see on the report with your own observations.
• Is there something they have overlooked
• Have the repairs and the punch items been reported properly
5. Talk to field personnel
The next action would be to speak to your field workers to find out whether they are adequately trained and are adhering to the right practices. You likewise would like to find out about the specifications, standards, and drawings they are utilizing (or in a few instances, not utilizing).
A good way to conduct this part of the audit is to ask simple open-ended questions such as, “How do you know the right way to install an HVAC air handler?”
Here is what you need to learn:
• What training have they been provided
• Do they possess the required certifications if any needed
• Do workers have easy access to project standards, specifications, drawings, and change orders
• Are the workers utilizing up-to-date specs and standards
6. Follow-up on previous audit action plan items
Follow-up to check that progress is actually being made on past audit action items. Every month, you ought to see improvements in your project quality and uncover less inadequacies.
7. Record your audit findings
Create an audit report and document your audit findings.
Maintaining audit records would safeguard your firm should potential issues come up. It would show due diligence and your follow-up would demonstrate that you are taking corrective actions to concerns discovered.
8. Create an action plan
Lastly, develop your action plan. To determine ways to obtain better results, you will have to comprehend exactly why your quality plan is not being implemented fully. Perhaps you have to reinforce the significance of following the quality plan. Could it be that your construction quality control plan is way too complex to adopt? If your quality plan is being implemented, are you actually getting the quality results you had anticipated?
Once you understand the problems, choose a strategy and a plan to carry out the same.
4. Conclusion
Auditing your project quality is really a continual activity. Regardless of whether you pursue a formal, highly structured approach or a more informal, much less structured process, you have to routinely audit the execution and the effectiveness of your project quality plan.
Eventually, pretty much all of your projects would secure the quality results you envision - and with good deal less effort required from all your project personnel.
About the Author:
Ed Caldeira creates quality control plans for general contractors and subcontractors to help them with their bid and contract quality requrements. You can download Construction QA/QC Plan samples from Ed's website.
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