Quality Assurance (QA) is the process of providing confidence that an item, service, or process meets specified requirements. QA is an ongoing process that provides confidence that all products and services meet customer needs and expectations.
QA is important because it helps ensure the safety of our buildings – and if you have ever been in a house or building that was not built well, you know how scary it can feel when there are cracks in walls or floors that let cold air into your home during winter months.
Good QA practices help make sure buildings don’t fall down on us while we’re in them…it’s not a small responsibility!
There are many different types of QA programs but the most common type involves three steps:
- planning
- implementing new processes/procedures to improve quality standards (also known as verification) while using existing ones (verification)
- continuous improvement activities designed around these new processes/procedures (evaluation)
Quality Assurance Programs also provide benefits such as:
- reducing waste due to poor material decisions/usage
- providing consistent results over time by preventing defects in our processes
- improving product performance through increased efficiencies
- reducing costs associated with repairs needed after poorly produced products have been sold onto consumers without them knowing their true condition beforehand.
QA refers specifically to monitoring processes in order to ensure they’re functioning as intended so that customers receive a quality product or service both during the whole process and at the end!
Without it, there’s no way for BCA’s to know whether or not their services are functioning properly, which can be quickly identified with a good customer complaints process!
So how can we ensure that the process of QA is being done properly within your BCA?
Continuous Improvement says there are always more to be identified but some basic and universal ways are:
- Create a standard operating procedure (SOP) for each step in your processes to be used for training and then as reference documents once individuals are fully trained.
- Set the standards for what “good” means, so that everyone knows exactly what it is they’re looking to achieve. It also helps eliminate discrepancies between individual’s ideas of ‘good’
- Use checklists so people can ensure they’re doing their job correctly, as well as make sure that all of the steps in each process are being followed properly. This will also contribute to elements being missed or mistakes being made when you’re short on resource/staff.
- Get feedback from customers and actually use it. Lots of customer feedback gets ignored however it’s a crucial part of enabling us to effectively implement continuous improvement plans. What we think is priority internally is not necessarily something that will help the customer.
The world of building is vast and complex. Building projects are a massive undertaking, and they must adhere to strict standards. QA will help you ensure that your project adheres to the highest standards.