Construction Management: 5 Quality Assurance Steps for any Project

Whether it’s a house, office building or highway, construction managers need to bring the highest-level of quality assurance to every project they take on. There’s a large amount of expertise involved in successfully executing new construction – you need to know know that every step is being implemented exactly as planned.

The cost of employing a top-notch quality assurance program is minuscule in comparison with the potential costs of the negative effects of work lapses, material defects and planning flaws. It’s your duty to conduct the appropriate quality checks to make your project successful.

So, if you need some help with quality assurance, use these five steps to make every project flawless!

1) Define the Construction Plan

This should always be the first step in any construction project. As a construction manager, you should be taking interviews with prospective clients to understand what their needs and goals are. Determine what your customer truly wants by listening carefully to what they say. Repeat their ideas back to them so both parties can understand what’s being communicated. Whichever design the client has in mind, it’s the contractor’s duty to make sure all terms are talked about upfront.

You won’t be able to do a quality assurance check if both parties haven’t agreed to the terms you put forth. When the project is all done and the client happens to dislike the result, you will have no legal ground to stand on without a final sign-off from the customer.

2) Choosing Materials

Once you and your client have agreed on the project plans, it’s time to hunt down all the materials and supplies that are required to get the job done. In your report to the customer, include brand names, material specifications, and material certifications. It’s important that you find materials that fit within the designated budget. At the end of the day, a construction manager needs to ensure the structure being built is safe from any risky materials, while also providing the client with plenty of pricing options.

 

Being upfront about the quality and price of the materials that you’re choosing for a construction project will help cover your business should an accident happen in the future. You don’t want to go the cheap route and then end up paying the consequences later, unless there’s a liability waiver signed.

3) Testing Materials

As a construction manager, it’s your duty to ensure that your materials are properly tested before installing them. This process entails external parties or internal departments testing the composition and quality of the chosen materials. Whether an outside team or internal team performs the test, a set of quality assurance checkpoints will need to be completed before they can be used.

Problems can occur that are outside of your control, such as the compression strength of a common brick or the tensile strength of a steel beam. The results of those tests will let you know which materials are suitable for using and which ones need to be sent back to the manufacturer.

4) During Construction

Once managers meet all obligations in the above steps and show complete competence and control over a construction site, the execution phase begins. Throughout the duration of the project, quality assurance checks should be conducted at regular intervals.

Beyond the constant checking and re-checking of the craftsmanship and progress of the work being done by their employees, construction managers need to have knowledge of OSHA requirements, permits and codes in the area they’re servicing. Without that, you have no way to backup your quality assurance efforts.

5) Follow-Up

The final step to providing top-notch quality assurance is to follow up with the project after you’ve finished. This helps preserve your reputation with the client – whether something is wrong or not. As a contractor, it’s your job to be there every step of the way and beyond to ensure that the quality lasts for years to come.

Excelling in Quality Assurance

Because the effort and cost of re-doing a project is monumental, quality assurance is incredibly important. You need a trusted contractor that will work with you to ensure the job gets done correctly. Contact Treasured Spaces today to see how we can help you.