Quality assurance is the key to success in the construction business. It should be part of the strategy and planning of your business from the very beginning. This would entail evaluating the needs of your customers, identifying and meeting their needs, implementing a strategy for quality improvement, and continuously monitoring the performance and quality of your work. However, quality assurance is often done in isolation without the context of the other key factors in building construction. Quality assurance in the construction industry is a key element of quality management.
Quality assurance is an evaluation of a construction project’s characteristics, systems, and processes. Quality Assurance in the construction business is performed during the feasibility study stage of a project, when the basic project plan is developed and submitted to the customer for review and negotiation. The primary focus of quality assurance in the construction industry is process improvement. This is done by identifying and documenting the existing failures of the process, analyzing and addressing those failures, developing improved processes, and testing them to assure that they are operating safely and efficiently.
As the project progresses toward its completion, quality improvement becomes an important focus. Process improvement can also include the process of incorporating new knowledge into the general design of the project so that it meets the expectations of the customer. In addition, quality improvement involves the revision of all specifications, documentation, drawings, and photos to bring them up to current standards. This is performed to satisfy both the requirements of the customer and the current design of the project.
Quality assurance in the construction industry is performed through various techniques. Some of these techniques are formal, while others are informal and rely upon the skills, knowledge, and experience of individual employees. These techniques are used throughout the life of a project, from the conception of the project, through its inception and throughout its course. These techniques include controlling quality through the control of quality control, defining quality according to the needs of the customer, analyzing the status of quality, developing a quality plan, and producing quality controlled materials and products. Quality assurance includes a continual monitoring of quality to assure that it meets or exceeds the customer’s satisfaction. Quality assurance requires that management examine whether changes are required to accommodate changes to the requirements of the project.
Control and Quality Control The primary objective of quality control is to define, evaluate, analyze, establish, and improve the capability of production, handling, distribution, and storage of material, supplies, and devices. Methods used for quality control include analysis, data gathering, statistical analysis, and experimentation. Quality control includes processes such as the identification of problems and solutions, the measurement of quality according to agreed upon criteria, and control of processing, manufacturing, selling, and service. Control involves methods used for quality assurance of performance, as well as methods used for correcting and maintaining quality.
Inspection Quality inspection is an important method of quality control, controlling quality according to the requirements of the consumer. Inspectors verify that manufactured goods and services meeting specifications are produced, distributed, and serviced to the satisfaction of the consumers. Quality inspection includes random testing, selective testing, and special tests.
Control Techniques Used for Control The goals of control are to make production as good as or better than the best available. Control techniques used for control range from physically, chemically, and mechanically, including bonding, painting, sealing, and finishing techniques. Physical control techniques include: checking for excess build-up of moisture, heavy metals, and bad conditions such as uneven floorboards, sharp edges, and defective fixtures. Chemical control techniques include: using batch chemicals, filling defects, and following specified production procedures.
Control and inspection are two of the most important factors to quality assurance in the construction industry. An effective control process can make the difference between obtaining and exceeding standards, which leads to satisfying customers and improving profitability. Proper control techniques used in the production, quality inspection, and control process to improve quality and add value to the production process. They also reduce waste and lead to less frequent and costly repairs. These techniques used by a company can determine the cost effectiveness and profitability of their operations and help them meet regulatory compliance.