Quality is not by chance; it is always an outcome of the intention of sincere effort in an intelligent direction. It begins with the intent, which is fixed by management.
Managing quality includes making wise choices of many alternatives. There is no point in making sound and logical decisions or actions without maintaining the standard.
The success or failure of a plan involves many factors. Without proper planning, leadership, and management, no quality system can function correctly.
Certain factors affect the quality of a construction site which has to be handled accurately. All such aspects will be discussed hereafter.
Fundamental factors affecting construction Quality Management
Quality can be upgraded or degraded by various factors that need to be taken care of during the project life cycle. Stating the most common analogy of a coin having two faces, there can be negative or positive impacts of factors involved in construction projects.
A few fundamental factors affect quality and all the other sub-tasks in any construction project. These basic factors that can affect quality on the construction site are as follows:
All the above-stated factors affect a construction project and significantly impact the quality of that project. Precisely discuss ten factors that are mainly affecting the quality management in construction are discussed in the subsequent section.
Ten factors that affect construction quality management
In any project, every stakeholder intends to have the best quality to minimize rework. But a few hurdles come up during the tenure of a project that can compromise the quality if not handled wisely. Ten such factors are discussed hereafter.
1. Complex Design
Superfluous complexity is the adversary of great work. Designers should limit complex strategies and surprising highlights at whatever point conceivable. Although advanced designs in infrastructure and commercial projects might be a little complexity noted; it should not be excessive. Anything in excess is harmful.
2. Supplier and Vendor Failures
Sometimes due to a lack of ethics, the suppliers and vendors swap the material to be delivered for a lower quality version to gain more profits. This has to be handled carefully by regularly checking that the material supplied is of the same type as the approved and that the suppliers adhere to the contract. Clear expectations have to be set and conveyed to all suppliers, and random checks should be carried out to avoid such happenings.
3. Low-Quality Materials
Under-quality material has a large impact on quality and can compromise the structure's safety to a great extent. Material is the core of any construction element, and degrading the material will lead to structural failures and building collapse. Such situations will further incur the cost of rework and severe penalties.
4. Poor Project Management
Even if everything is in place, including the material, workforce, funds, etc., if the management fails to cater the quality control and quality assurance, the entire idea of quality management goes to waste. Therefore, it is essential to manage the quality aspects of the construction project closely. Implementing a quality management system based on mobile apps is a flexible and fast way to bring current projects under control.
5. Miscommunication Between Teams
The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. The construction manager's most important role is to communicate the quality requirements to the project team. Miscommunications lead to misapplications of techniques that can further lead to poor quality of work.
6. Failure to Document Changes and Practices
All the substitutions and replacements should be recorded, which can otherwise lead to confusion and lack of information in the project team. Using a digital file management system reduces paperwork and simplifies the process of updating documents and ensures ease of access at all times.
7. Subcontractor Mishandling
Human error is another reason for the poor quality of work. Procuring the contractors and subcontractors have rightful skills and quality workmanship is essential to ensure the overall quality of the project. Screening of subcontractors based on their past work and experience plays a significant role in avoiding situations.
8. Scope Creep
Scope creep is an unplanned expansion. And failing to plan can lead to some serious quality issues. It is natural to have scope changes in any construction project but should be handled wisely with planning. Managing the scope of a construction project ensures the contractors can maintain the same quality over the entirety of the work.
9. Ignored Audits and Testing
Ignorance is a voluntary misfortune. Often testing is done regularly on construction sites, but the results are ignored. This can be due to weak organizational strength where the quality control reports are bounced from the project manager to the engineer without an exact address or workflow. Defining responsibilities and abiding by them is the work ethic that must be in place in the construction sector to avoid compromising on any aspect of the construction project, including quality management.
10. Last-Minute Changes
At the point when essential highlights are as yet being designed or talked about at late stages in the development cycle, these very late changes frequently lead to genuine quality issues. Set cut-off times by which plans can't be modified any longer or make courses of action to broaden the cut-off times and put in a safe spot a lot of time for confirming and testing any progressions to the current plans.
Conclusion
To summarize, handling all such factors wisely will ensure the expected quality of a construction project. All these factors can be tackled digitally by DigiQC, which will make your work simple and easy. In the era of digital evolution, upgrade yourself and your project to DigiQC and optimize the quality of your construction project. Always remember, 'Quality management is the best business mantra.'
Learn more about it in the detailed blog listicle that covers A-Z about quality management. Click here: Quality management in construction—An Overview
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