Quality Control in Construction
Construction projects are rarely completed without deficiencies, mishaps, and setbacks.
We’re all human and mistakes happen, so it’s understandable.
But the construction industry doesn’t have to continue on this way.
By implementing the steps to improve quality control in construction, construction businesses can thrive. Not only will projects run smoother, but:
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Your construction company will become more reputable.
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Customer satisfaction will greatly increase.
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You’ll waste less time and money reworking components of a project.
Cloud-based project management software has become game-changing for the construction industry and it can help you take control over quality in your construction business.
- CM Fusion: Cloud-Based Construction Management Software That Helps With Quality Control in Construction
- Quality Control in the Construction Industry
- Quality Assurance vs. Quality Control in Construction
- CM Fusion’s Cloud-Based Construction Management Software Can Help Improve Quality Control in the Construction Industry
CM Fusion: Cloud-Based Construction Management Software That Helps With Quality Control in Construction
CM Fusion is a cloud-based construction management software meant for general contractors to use to have more control over their construction projects.
CM Fusion offers features that allow users to:
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Track projects
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Change deadlines or tasks
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Manage documents
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Track timelines
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Upload and share images
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Collaborate and communicate
To help better manage quality control in construction, CM Fusion’s change orders feature, as well as many others, keep general contractors and all responsible parties on task, within budget, and working with minimal issues.
Quality Control in the Construction Industry
Quality control in the construction industry is incredibly important. It helps to ensure:
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Projects are done correctly
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Budgets are not blown
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Job sites are safe and to code
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Everything stays on task
Inspection and quality control in construction are mostly mandatory pieces of a construction project. Without performing inspections and staying on top of quality control, you increase the chances of not meeting the specifications of drawings and expectations of customers.
Here is a quality control example in construction:
Your construction company is working on building a home for a client. The drawings have specifications of a frame in which the shower will be installed.
The contractor moves forward with building the shower frame without double-checking the drawings. No one ever checks on the contractor's work.
When the frame is built, the shower is to now be installed. Because the frame was built too small, the shower does not fit.
Now instead of moving forward with the project, the frame must be rebuilt.
Not only does this cause a project delay, but it likely interferes with the budget.
However, even with the best quality control management, there can still be deficiencies. Superintendents, inspectors, and contractors are all human and make mistakes.
By recognizing that mistakes can happen and taking note of the possible errors of a project beforehand, general contractors can better plan for:
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How to avoid those mistakes
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How to fix them if they do occur; and
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Budgeting for them correctly.
5 Factors That Determine Quality Control in Construction
As previously mentioned, quality control in the construction industry is incredibly important. Not only does it ensure a job is run smoothly, but it gives the construction company a good reputation for future business as well.
If you’re hoping to improve quality control in your construction business, CM Fusion’s cloud-based project management software can help.
The many features of CM Fusion help general contractors communicate, collaborate, and so much more.
How can you tell if you have good or bad quality control in your construction business?
These 5 factors can be a jumping-off point to help you determine where quality control stands in your construction company:
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Did the project get completed on schedule or within an agreed scheduled time frame?
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Did you meet all of the client’s requirements during the project?
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Did you fulfill the contract’s specifications?
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Were you able to avoid major disputes?
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Does the completed project serve its purpose?
#1: Completing the Project on Schedule
Meeting the project’s deadline is important.
However, if the project is completed all wrong, meeting the deadline doesn’t matter at all.
One goal of quality control in construction is to complete the project on schedule but to do it correctly.
By implementing good quality control management in the construction industry, not only can construction businesses hope to complete more projects on schedule, but those projects will be done the right way the first time.
#2: Meeting the Owner’s Requirements
Implementing good quality control habits in construction can help construction businesses meet their client or owner’s requirements.
When quality control is done right, all of the specifications and requirements of a project are noted, communicated, checked, and checked again.
Examples of owner’s requirements could be:
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Staying on schedule
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Staying within budget
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Meeting the drawing’s specifications
With some of the features offered by CM Fusion, like …
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Time tracking
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Change orders
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Image sharing
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Document management
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Budget tracking
… construction businesses have a much higher chance of meeting the client or owner’s requirements the first time around.
#3: Fulfilling the Specifications of the Contract
Similar to meeting the client’s requirements is fulfilling the specifications of the contract.
This could mean:
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Completing the work discussed
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Using the chosen and approved materials
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Installing everything that has been required
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Doing quality work
#4: Avoiding Disputes
Disputes can cause major setbacks in a construction project, so by using good quality control management processes, many disputes can be avoided or minimized.
Some common disputes in the construction industry are:
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Excusable/inexcusable delays
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General damage
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Damages for delay or acceleration
#5: Ensuring the Final Project Meets Its Purpose
When a project is complete, you want to be sure your construction business has met all of the goals of the project. If not, you want to know exactly where things went wrong.
Quality control management can:
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Help you to stay on track with your construction project to give you the highest chances of meeting the project’s goals; and
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Allow you to clearly see where things went wrong if/when they do.
If your project plan is clear from the start and quality control is implemented, reviewing the goals and double-checking that a project meets its final purpose should be clear and easy to do.
CM Fusion and all of the features offered in the software can help make this final task even easier.
Why Is Quality Control Important in Construction?
Quality control in construction mostly ensures that a project runs smoothly from beginning to end. By staying on top of the many moving parts of a project, general contractors can minimize the mishaps and mistakes that inevitably come with construction projects.
However, conducting great quality control management can prove to have many large benefits when done correctly, like:
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Improved customer satisfaction
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Reduced costs for things that might be to be reworked
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Better chances at winning future bids because of reputability
Improves Customer Satisfaction
Good quality control limits the chances that things will go wrong or that something will need to be reworked throughout a project.
With limited mistakes, the client's project is more likely to be done correctly and on time.
Many construction businesses are recommended through word-of-mouth, so a happy customer can make a huge impact on the future of your business.
Satisfied customers make for good recommendations throughout the industry, increasing your chances to gain more project opportunities.
Reduces Costs for Potential Reworks
When a project needs to be reworked due to errors, you end up wasting more time and money.
Although there is typically a cushion in contracts for this reason, construction businesses still strive to complete a project as close to the deadline and within budget as possible.
However, good quality control management does recognize that some things are out of your control, and reworks may have to happen.
Because of this, general contractors usually account for a little more time on a project deadline and a bit more money in the budget when possible.
Quality control does help to reduce project errors and in turn, reduces the potential for parts of a project to be reworked, extending deadlines and spending more money.
Increases Opportunities to Win Future Bids
We’ve learned that good quality control management in the construction industry means:
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Fewer mistakes are made
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Deficiencies are accounted for from the beginning
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Projects are completed closer to their timeline
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Projects stay within budget
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Customers are happy
All of this makes your construction company look good.
Future potential clients want to hire a construction company that credits themselves on quality control and completing great work.
By implementing good quality control practices, you are building a good reputation and putting your construction business in a great position to win potential future bids.
Who Is Responsible for Quality Control in Construction?
When it comes to how a project is run and completed, who is in charge? Ultimately, who is responsible for quality control in construction?
Primarily, the project manager or site manager, or the general contractor is who takes care of quality control management. They are running the project from start to finish, making decisions, and delegating work.
However, inspectors also carry some of the weight of responsibility for quality control in construction. They are inspecting and approving job sites and buildings to ensure that they are safe to use and to code.
Although most of the burden of quality control falls on these people, responsibility trickles down to all of the workers who have a hand in a construction project. This could include:
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Supervisors
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Architects
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Subcontractors
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Builders
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And more
When a project is complete, every person who played a part in the process holds some responsibility for quality control.
Quality Assurance vs. Quality Control in Construction
Quality assurance and quality control are both significant parts of quality management in construction. One cannot fully function without the other.
Quality assurance is the set of activities in a system that fill quality requirements. Essentially looking at a plan and meeting the requirements.
Quality control is how quality assurance works. Quality control is the assurance of quality in products. Essentially making sure to fulfill the requirements of a final project without defects and mistakes.
CM Fusion’s Cloud-Based Construction Management Software Can Help Improve Quality Control in the Construction Industry
Is your construction business struggling to make it through a project without many mistakes, having to rework parts of projects, miscommunications, and more?
You’re likely having issues with quality control management.
Quality control in construction is a major important piece to running a construction project smoothly and effectively.
By taking advantage of the features offered in CM Fusion’s cloud-based project management software, you can improve your quality control and make your construction business more reputable.
Try out CM Fusion for free for 30 days to see how it works before you commit.
Try CM Fusion, risk free for 30 Days – Your first project is FREE!
If you are trying to figure out where to look now, our company CM Fusion offers a free version of Construction Project Management Software. Not to mention, our customers brag about it’s ease of use, so you should be able to sign up and start managing your projects in minutes.