QUALITY CONTROL IN CONSTRUCTION WORKS

A successful construction is a completed project that being delivered to client by contractor which fulfil the contract specification and requirement, the stipulated time frame given as per contract, economic and of course meet the contractor profit margin.

The key to the successful project is lies in the ability of all parties to execute a good project management which requires all parties to have a practical and effective project organisation, effective project planning and tracking, effective procurement team, effective physical construction team and effective quality control team.

As the subject of this article, "Quality control in construction work", there is a few area  that need to be emphasised in order to assure all parties that the quality management is practical and effective. To begin with this quality control, it is always being a good practice to set-up a quality control organisation which need to be documented and understood by all all relevant personnel. in other words, the "Project quality plan".

All thing that required in order to have a good and well plan quality control shall be documented and compile in a manual name as "project quality plan". Among those items are namely as the following list.

1. Project brief,
2. Project locality and site utilisation plan,
3. Work program
4. Quality control Organisation Chart
5. Job Description
6. Inspection and test plan
7. Procedure and method of Inspection and testing
8. Quality assurance and quality control forms
9. Construction method statement

However the content of the "Project Quality Plan" is not limited to those listed items. The "Quality Control" in principal is divided into three stages that is planning stage, Executions and monitoring and the last stage is to analysed the outcome of the plan to ensure the effectiveness.  

Document control in construction management

Document control is part and parcel of the important area for construction personnel to look into. The important of this are to help every party involved in a particular construction work get the right information at the right time and it help protecting interest of every party.

Due to the heavy work load personnel tend to be distracted from performing a proper document control. For example, there is important documentation that already being distributed to respective personnel, however the sender had overlook on the acknowledge receipt of the document. Thus if there will be an issue arise mentioned that the document was not received or the sender have not do the submission yet, then the sender will having problem to proof that he actually had distribute that particular document.

Looking at the scenario above, this can indirectly affecting the smooth progress of the project. The document might be needed for the purposed of material approval, notice, application of extension of time or progress claim or design change. When this issue of document control become so critical it will start affecting the completion of the construction work. Some of the issue might have to be solved at arbitration level.

For the sake of a well manage construction works and meeting the goal of any construction project, document control should not be taken lightly. I have to be part of the construction procedure. Regardless how it supposed to be carried out, whether by incorporate any document control software or conventional method, Document Control Have To Be Executed in such a manner which will have a positive impact on the project or construction works.