![]() One of the major causes of rework in construction is workers in the field not having the information they need to do the job correctly the first time. If the goal of QA is to prevent problems in the first place, then one of the major objectives of a construction quality assurance program is to eliminate the rework that is so prevalent in the industry. In general, though, we do not do as good a job focusing on QA as we do focusing on QC, and that’s partly because many people in the industry don’t understand the difference. ![]() We certainly do it in the supply chain at the materials level where quality assurance programs are in place to ensure that the materials and components we use in the course of building a project are free from defects. Where the goal of QC is to find any defects so they can be corrected before owner handoff, the goal of QA is to prevent these defects in the first place. “Average rework on projects can cost between 7.25% and 10.89% of total construction cost (when both direct and indirect costs are included) and can cause an increase in the schedule (project delay) of approximately 9.8% of the planned project time.” One widely cited study by the Navigant Construction Forum states: Many reports, including this PDF from XL Catlin, put the total cost of construction at about five percent of total construction costs. If there is any doubt, there are many studies out there that back this statement. The real problem in construction is not that we hand over defective projects, it’s that before handoff we find so much that needs to be fixed! This is the rework problem that we see cited so often in the media and in the numerous studies out there that identify rework as a big issue in construction, and a major contributor to our industry’s productivity problem. We tend to find our problems early and get them fixed so the client is happy and satisfied with the project. I think we are good at QC in construction. We have building inspectors, third-party inspectors, testing labs, and an army of people walking the job site to identify any required corrective action, which may take the form of a dreaded punch list that is often generated in the final stages of a project as the pace becomes frenzied and we all work to finish, fix, and ultimately, hand over to operations and maintenance. QA is a management tool that can incorporate everyone on the team through planned and systematic activities that aim to prevent defects before they occur. As a tool, QC can be thought of as a corrective tool, typically carried out by a specific group of individuals on a job site the inspectors and project engineers who walk and document items that need corrective action. ![]() Quality Control (QC) simply refers to the process of inspecting the product to identify and correct defects. Quality Assurance (QA), refers to the implementation of proactive processes that aim to prevent defects. Although both work towards the delivery of a final product that meets the project’s specifications and customer’s expectations, they arrive at the outcome in two very different ways. “Quality Assurance” and “Quality Control” are often times mistakenly used as interchangeable terms when discussing the broad issue of quality in construction however, these two terms actually describe very different activities.
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