Most construction projects often require highly skilled people and competent materials based on quality assurance and control. When handling the materials in construction, it’s better to stay connected with the same experts. Part of the reason the construction industry achieves such high levels of customer satisfaction is all regarded on the quality assurance standards. The best part of these principal quality assurance standards is that they help construction industry firms have a consistent and smart way of measuring quality standards.
But there is always a way to improve! From digital reporting tools to supplier management, there are many ways we can further enhance quality assurance in a better way.
What is Quality Assurance ?
In the construction industry, quality assurance avoids potential mistakes in a construction project by creating ‘” rules” about minimum quality while ensuring all decisions meet these standards. Quality assurance on more technical grounds covers things like:
- Material Used: Are they of the right size, shape, material, and standards?
- Equipment: Will it work in the environment, and is it a safe approach?
- Agreed ways of measuring quality: What does “good” look like?
- Project Management: Timeframes, correct bidding process, agreed budget, etc.
- Certificates and skills: Do you people have the better skills for the construction project carried out?
Somewhere, quality assurance is all about how you better prepare for construction projects. By developing quality into decision-making throughout the process, you can be confident that you are ordering the suitable materials, and it’s better to expect what is a need. Quality assurance is different from quality control. Quality assurance is all about setting standards; quality control, on the other end, is about checking whether structures or elements meet those standards.
Which are the 5 Golden Rules for Quality Assurance in Construction Projects?
Getting closer to achieving quality assurance in construction is a time-consuming and intensive process, which the team taking care of it is responsible for! It’s about hassle-free checking on the decisions and work that meet the quality assurance standards set in a better manner.
Here are five golden rules for how to get down the quality assurance on construction projects:
1. Precise definitions of ‘quality’ aspect: Everyone working on a construction project needs to clearly understand what you mean by ‘quality’ and your expectations. Document the details and explain them to subcontractors, suppliers, and project managers. For example, you might decide you want exceptionally high sound insulation standards (above the legal minimum of 45dB in new builds). Therefore, you’d wish subcontractors to be aware of this when purchasing insulation material.
2. Planning, design, and development plans: Designers and project managers must conduct thorough assessments of programs, check for quality clashes, and avoid cutting the extreme corners. If you can identify and fix issues relating to quality assurance, there is less chance of delays occurring during the build. Recently, BIM technology has been helpful to help with quality in construction by automatically checking how the issue is resolved.
3. Material purchasing: It’s essential to ensure that all materials and equipment purchased meet your fundamental standards. Buying cheaper & lower-quality materials may save money but could result in problems later. Quality assurance when buying also involves verifying whether your suppliers are truly capable of meeting your demand.
4. Continuous interaction during build: All project participants must be able to communicate, discuss issues and verify progress. Quality in construction relies on the site manager constantly monitoring the works, ensuring it meets your pre-agreed definitions of quality.
5. Handover and snagging: Once the structure itself is up, quality assurance also comes into play at the snagging and handover stage. This is about conducting checks to ensure the as-built design meets your expected quality standards.
Final Words
Quality assurance in construction helps boost the industry’s reputation while reducing the risk of mistakes and costly errors. The construction sector meets very high standards, yet it can reach new heights using construction quality management tools and software. It’s also required the right technology to make it faster, easier, and more efficient to achieve the highest quality assurance standards. If you are eying to improve your knowledge of quality assurance, never miss connecting to our official website of Chester Design Group!