Professional Documents
Culture Documents
What is Quality? Some say it is fitness for use, some other believe that it is conformance to
requirements but the general statement we hear about is that it is the ability of a product or
services to meet the needs and expectations of the customer or client.
Quality can be judged by performance of structure in due course of time. It is most important
aspect that has to be maintained for good construction practice. Every organization has its own
quality policy which is well executed during project construction. Quality gives structure better
factor of safety.
Today is the world of competitive market. We can no longer live with commonly accepted levels
of delays, mistakes, defective workmanship. There is no place for poor quality in construction
industry.
For Example-If we are having better quality control for concrete production we get greater cube
strength and also reduction in standard deviation.
The aim of management is maintaining consistency of quality and productivity. There are
always time constraints in the project and nowadays time-over run and cost-overrun become
major problems during project execution. So sometimes organization would not be able to stick
to the quality plan strictly. But they should try to do stick to their quality plans as much
possible.
Requirement Of Quality
Ensures the quality of the materials and methods used at the site.
Conduct various tests in laboratory on cement,steel,water etc (fineness, consistency,
initial setting time, final setting time etc) , gradation of coarse aggregate and sand, silt
content, bulk and apparent specific gravity etc.
RFI ( Request For Investigation) And QRD( Quality Related Deficiencies).
Organizes and conducts the Management Review Meeting at regular intervals at the
site.
FQP (Field Quality Plan)& FQAP (Field Quality Assurance Plan)
Quality Policy
The quality policy is a statement from management, closely linked to the project construction
and commissioning. The quality policy is understood and followed at all levels and by all
employees. Each employee works towards measurable objectives.
The organization makes decisions about the quality system based on recorded data.
The quality system is regularly audited and evaluated for conformance and
effectiveness..
When constructing new projects, the organization plans the stages of development,
with appropriate testing at each stage. It tests and documents whether the productivity
meets design requirements, regulatory requirements, and user needs.
The organization regularly reviews performance through internal audits and meetings.
The organization determines whether the quality system is working and what
improvements can be made. It has a documented procedure for internal audits.
The organization deals with past potential problems. It keeps records of these activities
and the resulting decisions, and monitors their effectiveness.
The organization has documented procedures for dealing with actual and potential nonconformances.
Quality is always the result of high intension, sincere efforts, intelligent direction and
skillful execution
You seldom increase quality by cutting costs, but you can often cut costs by
improving quality
Some practices to be avoided in order to give Quality Management its desired destination:
Eliminate numerical goals, posters and slogans for the workforce asking for new levels of
productivity without providing methods.
Eliminate work standards that prescribe numerical quotas.
Remove barriers that stand between the hourly worker and his right to pride of
workmanship.
Traditional Approach
Modern Approach shows as we increase the quality of work during execution of work
productivity will also increase proportionally.
Modern Approach
The chain reaction goes like this: whenever quality is improved, Cost decreases because
of less rework, fewer mistakes, fewer delays, snags, better use of machine time and
materials. As a result of it, productivity improves.
Meaningful change can only take place from within focus on the competition will not
ensure survival. Focus on the customer, not the competition. Encourage effective twoway communication and other means to drive out fear throughout the organization so
that everybody may work effectively and more productively for the company.
Fear is a barrier to improvement: wherever there is fear, we get the wrong figures. Fear
in work is opposite to joy in work. Fear of change is a big barrier to be overcome people
dont resist change, they resist being changed! The need is for everybody to be part of
the change, and to own the change process.
Remember that after all it is the self-satisfaction that matters in the end. This comes
with quality and thus the productivity. At individual level, it provides employment
security in a no-job security world. They also help to get more of the things money will
buy and many more of the things that money cant buy. Youve got to be before you can
do and do before you can have.
It helps us to control the cost of quality. As we go further to improve quality avoidable cost
decreases but unavoidable cost increases. Our aim should not be just to increase quality
aimlessly but to consider a point of optimum quality which gives minimum total cost.
Our thinking should be like that everyone is responsible for Quality and Productivity. It should
come from within us. Nobody teaches us to select or purchase the quality goods when we go to
shop, it is our instinct which tells us that we should purchase the best among all existing for the
price we are paying.
Quality can be improved at the designed level but more sophisticated and effective
programmes require initial investment. But once design is fixed it depends on the way we
handle the equipments i.e. regular check, maintenance etc. All these call for Quality
Management Programmes to be followed effectively. Earlier philosophy was to rectify the
problems as they occur. Our aim should not only be to detect the faults and errors but to
prevent them from occurring again. All these changes cannot be realized in a single day or two.
Remember greatness requires time. Management must ensure that immediate action is taken
on reports of inherited defects, maintenance requirements, poor tools, fuzzy operational
definitions, and other conditions detrimental to quality. For long term benefits we will have to
act in short term. Todays short-term measures have long-term impacts.
Quality is a journey and not destination