Beyond the Blueprint - Quality Control in Construction

A quality control (QC) program is a critical aspect of construction and serves as a quality assurance gatekeeper throughout the construction supply chain. It verifies the work by contractors and subcontractors and keeps a check on imported machinery, equipment and materials used in the construction project. When implemented well, it can boost the success of a project by meeting the specified standards with reduced costs and high efficiency, ensuring the overall satisfaction of all the stakeholders involved.

What is Quality Control in Construction?

Quality control in construction is an organised process of checking, identifying, thwarting and amending defects in the construction process. It ensures that the final outcome of a project meets or even exceeds the specified quality standards. Some of its key aspects include -

• Developing a comprehensive plan on quality - This includes planning and preparing a continuous and comprehensive plan for the whole duration of the project with specific goals, tasks, procedures and guidelines to ensure an excellent project outcome.
• Continuous inspections - Regular inspections of the materials being used and the components and workmanship involved in the project help put a check on anticipated defects that may arise in due course of the assignment.
• Ensuring prompt action - Quality control in construction makes sure that once a defect is identified, prompt action is taken to stop, correct it using standardised procedures and prevent it from recurring.
• Documenting records - Quality control in construction helps maintain a detailed record of inspections, tests and corrective actions, regarding issues that may have occurred during the project to keep all stakeholders on the same page.

Common Procedures Used for Quality Control in Construction

You cannot afford to make mistakes in the construction business. It’s a matter of life and death at times. Every equipment, instrument, material and component needs to go through a quality and functionality check before a project begins. Quality control procedures involve the steps followed by a construction firm to ensure high-quality work and an error-free outcome. Management of quality control in construction can be achieved by adhering to certain standards that are recognised worldwide -

ISO 9001 - The International Organisation for Standardisation is a globally recognised standard that has set QMS (Quality Management Systems). It ensures that the products and services of the construction firm meet the quality standards, customer expectations and regulatory requirements.

Six Sigma - Six Sigma is a data-driven methodology that uses statistical techniques to inspect and improve construction processes. It has a very structured procedure for quality control in construction. It eliminates discrepancies and shortcomings and maintains a standardised level of high-quality workflow throughout a given project.

Construction Quality Control Plan - This document enlists pointers that need to be followed during the construction of a project to achieve a high-value outcome. It provides a roadmap to all stakeholders involved to ensure high standards and quality of the project. The document includes set procedures and strategies.

How to Achieve Quality Control in Construction?

1. Quality Management Systems (QMS)
It provides a framework to be adhered to and ensures the overall quality of the project until its completion.

2. Building Information Modeling (BIM)
BIM helps foresee elements in the project that may lead to errors and quality issues.

3. Statistical Process Control (SPC)
SPC uses statistical techniques to assess and examine a construction process. It recognises discrepancies and prevents defects.

4. Quality assurance plans
These are documents that provide an outline of quality objectives and standard procedures. It also includes a list of responsibilities for the project.

5. Inspection & testing at regular intervals
This detects irregularities by conducting continuous inspections and tests of materials, parts and workmanship.

6. Employee training and development
This involves training all employees to ensure they are aware of QC procedures and standards.

7. Continuous improvement
Adopting this philosophy keeps a check on the overall quality of the project.

8. Supplier management
Efficient supplier management ensures materials and components meet all quality standards.

9. Performance measurement
Keeping track of an ongoing project and its step-by-step performance identifies loopholes and allows timely intervention to improve upon them.

10. Technology integration
Integrating technology like drones and apps for effective inspection and monitoring.

Why is Quality Control in Construction Important?

Quality control in construction is important because nobody wants a house to crumble like a Jenga when you sneeze. On a serious note, quality control is crucial for various reasons in any construction venture-

1. Resource Efficiency - Quality control in construction assists in pinpointing defects early on during a project and helps save efforts on unnecessary rework and delays.

2. Optimised Expenses - Preventing rework by locating faults in the project early minimises waste and keeps a check on the finances and budget. Quality control in construction ensures that the project remains within the budget.

3. Strengthened Credibility - Delivering high-quality projects on time amplifies the reputation of a construction firm, attracting more clients and opportunities. Quality control in construction makes sure that the project stays on schedule.

4. Safety Assurance - Quality control in construction ensures that projects comply with safety regulations and building codes. This reduces the risk of damage or accidents as well as legal issues.

5. Stakeholders’ Satisfaction - The main stakeholders in a project are the clients, contractors and subcontractors. A high-value project that meets the pre-decided budget with timely completion and complying with the safety rules is a win-win for all.

6. Durability - Quality control in construction ensures that the stakeholders invest in high-quality materials and workmanship, which in turn makes the final project last longer and better with minimal maintenance efforts over time.

7. Increased Worth - A high-quality project will naturally have higher property values. Quality control in construction ensures that the property is built to the highest standards. This also helps maintain or increase the property’s value over time.

What are the Challenges in Quality Control in Construction?

Regional Factors - In some regions, especially in a diverse country like ours, cultural factors come into play when it comes to attitudes towards what is quality control in construction. It is a challenge to get all stakeholders in the organisation board to be on the same page to maintain a unified level of QC during the entire duration of the project.

Adoption of Technology - There is always a debate between modern and traditional methods of quality control. Adopting technologies like BIM and drones can help a business achieve better data and insights. While it may take some time to convince a business to adopt new technology, it is only a matter of time before they will get used to their advantages and get comfortable with them.

Continuous Improvement - Quality control should be an ongoing process. It might be a challenge to convince all stakeholders to abide by the QC standards at every step of the way. To ensure continuous improvement and maintain high standards, regular reviews are mandatory.

Optimising Cost-Quality Performance - What is quality control in construction all about? It’s about balancing cost and quality. Thus, another challenge is to incorporate the highest level of quality in the project while keeping the project cost within budget.

Quality Control in Construction - The Final Word

Between June and July 2024, an Indian State witnessed the collapse of 12 bridges in 14 days, which included small bridges and causeways. This could have been prevented if the construction companies had adhered to the norms of quality control in construction. Thus, Quality control is not just about ensuring the completion of a high-value project, it is also about the safety of people’s lives, their safety and well-being in the long run. The project should be safe, environment-friendly, and sustainable, and should be able to withstand harsh weather conditions over time. It also requires minimum maintenance efforts and should give a boost to the construction company’s reputation to attract future projects for them.

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