Zero Defect Total Quality Management Print E-mail

When construction companies create the goal of "Zero Defects" for their quality programs, the strategy they implement is often one of Total Quality Management (TQM). At LATISTA, we use this as a frame for building the solution needed to enable this process.

TQM is not a new concept, having been proven over several decades in the automated manufacturing industry. It is taught by leading business schools worldwide as a cyclical process of continuous improvement. The steps—Plan, Build, Check, and Action—are simple but require dedicated application from company leadership to produce results (see graphic).

tqm

The prospect of a turnover with zero defects is attainable on the modern construction jobsite. A thorough and continuous Total Quality Management program improves construction at both the corporate and the field level. Following the cycle for each project from Plan to Build to Check to Action helps ensure that quality and efficiency lead to profitability. As with IPD, many of these improvements come wtih a strong automation and document management solution, such as LATISTA Field.

For the construction industry, the Plan phase consists of the designing, budgeting, and scheduling that take place before a project begins. It has evolved to include automation tools such as AutoCAD and Primavera.

The next phase is Build, which is the construction itself and must be tightly integrated with the Check phase as a continuous process where issues and defects are identified and Quality Plans are integrated throughout. Many companies remain ineffective in applying this process and have trouble coordinating work with inspections. They often wait until late in the project to inspect critical components, which leads to a build-up of issues that creates rework, lost time, and lost revenue. Improved planning helps, but the lack of field automation to coordinate the build and inspection processes causes inefficiency and uncertain scheduling.

The final phase, Action, includes the analysis that leads to process changes and improvements, both for the current project and for future ones. This is a continuous cycle in the capital projects industry, and leadership in applying this process is already showing strong results and competitive advantage for the companies applying TQM.

LATISTA Field Management Solutions as Tools for TQM

LATISTA software has been designed around the concept of Total Quality Management and provides the field management tools needed to improve processes in all four phases of TQM. LATISTA Field unites planning, building, and inspections and creates the documentation needed to take corrective actions for future improvements. The application of this tool has already allowed leading companies in the industry to improve operational efficiencies.

Companies in the capital projects industry are evolving and applying these processes rapidly. Automation is coming to the job site and executives need to focus on how they automate their processes and Total Quality Management program.