The construction industry’s commitment to quality, ensuring that the final product meets or exceeds specifications, codes, and standards, has grown significantly over the last 25 years. Today, quality departments, like safety, can be found in most large commercial construction companies. These companies employ full-time individuals dedicated to training others in quality processes and continue to experience a reduction in rework and construction defect claims, resulting in increased profits, higher client satisfaction, and an industry reputation as premier contractors. A well-defined construction quality program provides a framework for continual learning. It encompasses both Quality Assurance (QA), a process-oriented approach (planning) that prevents defects, and Quality Control (QC), a product-oriented approach (inspection, testing, and validation) focused on verifying for compliance. This paper will review key steps in developing and implementing a construction quality program, with its overarching strategy following the work of W. Edward Deming’s Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) model.

1. Internal Team Meeting: Defining Scope and Quality Objectives

Understanding the project’s objectives, expectations, and requirements is critical for success. For the construction manager, an initial internal team meeting is crucial for establishing this common ground. The primary goal of this meeting is to ensure a thorough understanding of the project's scope and design intent. The meeting should include representatives from pre-construction, project management, senior leadership, safety, quality, VDC, lean, and the project superintendent. This collaborative review of the project ensures that the construction manager's internal team is aligned on the project's requirements and any overarching concerns or goals for the project. The project team should discuss any unique activities, roles, and responsibilities of their team members, potential problems with trade partners, plans for handling high-risk activities and scopes, lessons learned from similar projects, concerns regarding the design team, and how they will work with the owners. Finally, the plan should address and clearly define when and how the quality team will assist the project team throughout the project.

2. Specification Reviews: Establishing the Quality Baseline

A detailed review of the project specifications is critical to understanding the specific requirements for all aspects of the construction project. The internal team meeting should have defined the roles and responsibilities of the construction manager’s team, including how the various scopes of work will be allocated among the different team members.  The quality team should then assist the project engineers and/or managers in reviewing the specifications for requirements and anomalies, as well as the development of the project’s Inspection and Testing Plan (ITP). The ITP should clearly outline what will be inspected, when the inspections will occur (e.g., pre-pour concrete inspection, in-wall inspection), the acceptance criteria for completed work, who is responsible for performing the inspections (e.g., contractor QC personnel, third-party inspectors), required testing protocols/standards, and frequencies of tests or inspections. The ITP should also include any requirements for first-in-place reviews and mockups/mockup testing. 

3. Detail Reviews: Ensuring Constructability and Quality Integration

Reviewing architectural and engineering details is crucial in preventing quality issues that arise from design ambiguities or unintended constructability challenges. The quality team should assist the project team with the review, and the project team should compile a list of questions and concerns to present to the architect. Third-party consultants might be hired to assist with complex details and ensure constructability. The specifications sometimes require the hiring of third-party consultants, which can be done by the owner, architect, or construction manager, depending on the contract terms. Some construction managers include Third-party consultants on all their projects to reduce their chances of issues during construction and litigation after construction.

Internal Detail Review. Image courtesy of author.

4. Construction Team Architect Meeting: Addressing Specification and Detail Concerns

Following the internal document reviews, a meeting involving the construction manager team and the architect is essential to discuss any concerns or clarifications regarding the specifications and details. This collaboration enables open communication and facilitates the resolution of potential concerns before they escalate into issues during construction in the field. The meeting should include the project manager, project engineer, quality team, third-party consultant, and architect. This proactive engagement typically results in the architect revising details, plans, or specifications to improve clarity and constructability, thereby enhancing the project's overall success. The construction manager should track the items to ensure that all questions are answered. Unanswered concerns could lead to expensive changes later in the project.

5. Pre-Construction Meeting: Setting Expectations and Establishing Communication Protocols

The pre-construction meeting is a pivotal event that brings together all key stakeholders for that stage of work. The meeting should include the owner, architect, construction manager, trade partners for that stage, potential manufacturers (especially for high-risk work), and the commissioning team (if they are part of the project). The primary goal of this meeting is to identify the expectations of all parties and foster a collaborative team environment. Topics to be addressed include the project schedule (a review of sequence of work), review of the details with multiple trade involvement, discussing hand-off requirements from trade to trade, defining who is responsible for Requests For Information (FRIs) and appropriate time to receive an answer, the submittal procedures, required inspections and testing, safety protocols, and the overall owner's performance expectations. Typically, there are four pre-construction meetings, one for each of the significant phases of work: site & structural, enclosure, rough-in, and finishes. However, some projects may require more meetings depending on their complexity and size.

6. Mockups: Establishing Quality Benchmarks and Validating Performance

Mockups, physical constructions, or sophisticated virtual models are invaluable tools. Virtual models can assist in creating 3-dimensional details, providing additional insights into constructability and material sequencing. They can also be used to run thermal simulations for concerns like insulation requirements and potential condensation. Physical mockups consist of either visual mockups, which focus on aesthetics, including colors and textures, or performance mockups, which are used for functional testing, validation of system performance, and aesthetic evaluation. Physical mockups should utilize the actual details and materials that will be used in the construction or installation of the actual building. The tradespeople who install the materials on the mockup should also be the individuals working on the project. It is recommended that all physical mockups be tested to ensure the materials and systems can achieve the project's required performance criteria (such as concrete flatness or air and water tightness for the building enclosure). 

Testing also provides tradesperson buy-in and information for site-specific training, validates the construction sequence, and provides a better understanding of high-risk, multi-trade details. It is reported that over 90% of performance mockups fail at some point if tested for air, water, structural movement, and thermal cycling. Mockups should be built and tested before the construction of the actual building. There have been instances where the original products, upon testing, were deemed unacceptable, necessitating the finding of a different manufacturer or product.  The construction and testing of mockups should be carefully planned and thoroughly documented. It is recommended that any failures undergo root-cause analysis, including potentially deconstructing the area, reconstructing it, and retesting it until the mockup passes entirely. The construction of the mockup, testing, root cause analysis, reinstallation of products, and retesting should be closely tracked to develop lessons learned and site-specific training for each trade involved. 

7. Pre-Installation Meetings: Focusing on Specific Trade Work

Before a trade partner starts its work, a pre-installation meeting should be conducted. This meeting is between the construction manager’s project manager, superintendent, and quality team and that specific trade partner's project manager and superintendent. These focused meetings should review site safety, project logistics (crane time, hours of operation, overtime, etc.), and discuss the specific installation requirements for that trade. Discussions to include manufacturer's installation requirements, site storage of materials, self-quality validation from the trade partner on installed materials, required quality/performance standards, required testing and inspection from the specifications, potential challenges associated with that scope of work, and lessons learned from previous projects (both good and bad) and the project mockup. The submittals and shop drawings should also be reviewed.  The goal of the meeting is to ensure the trade partner fully understands all expectations of their contracted work before they start working on the project.  

8. Site-Specific Tradespersons Training: Ensuring Education for Installers

Providing site-specific quality training to tradespersons is crucial for ensuring that the work to be installed meets the required expectations. This training is typically a shortened version of the pre-installation meeting, focusing primarily on material installation. It should cover the project's performance requirements, critical trade-specific details, specified required tests and inspections, proper installation requirements, and lessons learned from mockups/first-run studies and previous projects. High-risk systems, such as the building enclosure, should also address intricate details and the proper sequencing of assemblies, especially when multiple trades are involved. Finally, this meeting is where tradespeople are instructed on and encouraged to “stop work” should anything in the field be incorrect, from substrate preparation to missing details.

9. First Look In Place Reviews: Early Identification of Issues

As construction progresses, conducting a "first look" review of the trade's first completed work is essential to ensure the material (on the actual project) is installed correctly. These proactive reviews are typically conducted by the construction manager’s project engineer, superintendent, quality lead, trade partner superintendent, architect, and any relevant third-party consultant. The intent is to ensure that the tradespeople involved with the installation have installed the material/system correctly.  This review/process minimizes rework and potentially more significant issues later in the project. For instance, in-wall inspections for proper electrical outlet placement can prevent the later removal of drywall to install a detailed outlet that may have been missed.

10. Project Testing: Verifying Performance and Compliance

Various tests could be specified for various aspects of construction. These tests are to verify that the installed materials and systems meet the specified performance criteria and comply with relevant codes and standards. The tests may include material testing (e.g., concrete strength testing), performance testing (e.g., air and water infiltration testing for the building enclosure), and functional testing of mechanical and electrical systems. The Inspection and Testing Plan should detail the specific testing requirements, acceptance criteria, and procedures. Witnessing the tests by the owner, architect, or commissioning agent may also be required.

11. Documenting Issues and Responses: Maintaining a Quality Record

A system for documenting identified quality issues or non-conformance (NCRs) and the corresponding corrective actions is essential for effective quality management. Today, several software applications are available to the public to assist with this process. Deficiencies found by anyone, including the foreman, architect, quality leads, authorities having jurisdiction, or anyone reviewing installations, should be documented and tracked to ensure they are corrected. Maintaining accurate records of inspections, tests, and corrective actions provides a valuable project history and can be crucial in addressing future warranty claims or legal disputes.

12. Close Out of Project: Ensuring Final Quality and Documentation

The project close-out phase includes several quality-related activities to ensure that the completed project meets all requirements and that all necessary documentation is provided to the owner. This process involves a final review of the completed work, resolution of any outstanding punch-list items, and compilation of close-out documents, including warranties, operation and maintenance manuals (O&M), as-built drawings, and commissioning reports. The format of close-out materials and warranty requirements should be discussed and agreed upon early in the project with the owner and architect.

Bonus: Lessons Learned Development and Sharing: Continuous Improvement

A crucial step in the quality program is conducting a comprehensive review(s) of the entire project (this is more easily done periodically throughout the project rather than at the end) to identify lessons learned. This review(s) should involve the project team and key trade partners. It should focus on what went well, what could have been done better, and any recommendations for improving processes in future projects. Documenting and sharing these lessons creates a culture of continuous improvement within the organization and enhances the effectiveness of their quality programs.

Conclusion

Prioritizing quality management on construction projects and incorporating it into your daily activities will reduce overall costs. A well-run quality program is an integral part of the entire project lifecycle. It mitigates risks, reduces costs associated with errors and rework, decreases the likelihood of future litigation, enhances client satisfaction, and builds a reputation for excellence in the industry.