Submitted by admin on
As a builder, it’s vital to monitor quality control. Your reputation depends on the quality of the work – plus you want to avoid having to return to a client to fix work
Quality Management (QM) is a management technique to help determine quality policy, objectives, and responsibilities. Its core components include:
- Quality planning
- Quality control
- Quality assurance
- Quality improvement
A Quality Management System is a structure of organisation, procedures, processes, and resources geared to maintaining quality standards. One key element is the Quality Management Plan (QMP) which details specific quality practices, resources, and activities to help ensure quality.
If you’re a large organisation, you may wish to set up an expansive and extensive set of quality assurance guidelines. If you’re a smaller builder, simply following a set of customized checklists can help to ensure you maintain high quality standards. A large company will have a quality manual plus a quality certification procedure. A smaller builder can use checklists with sub-contractors to keep their work on time and on schedule.
In the construction industry, quality management can help with:
- Project management
- A higher level of customer service
- Constant improvement
- A structured approach to quality management for consistent performance.
Many clients will require the builder to have a full quality control system in place. Larger builders will have a quality control department trained in quality control procedures. This department will create and update the company’s Quality Management Plan. It’s an important document that will also include inspection and test plans.
Some construction companies follow ISO 9001, which is an internationally-recognised standard for Quality Management Systems. Many clients will want the construction company to be ISO 9001 compliant.
Whether you’re a large construction company or a smaller company, having a proven system for quality control is an important part of being successful. Blueprint CPD can assist by allowing you to gain CPD points by testing your knowledge of quality management.