The 14 Possible Sources of Quality Issues and Defects in Construction – Part 2

The 14 possible sources of quality issues and defects in construction – part 1

8. Poor availability of required resources

Before starting any construction project, one must ask themselves if the required resources are available. Building materials such as concrete and cement should always available. To ensure that your construction work is successful not only in meeting the construction deadline but also expected quality, building resources should never lack.

Other resources include a highly skilled workforce and enough capital. These resources should be available and in abundance. The number of construction workers should be directly proportional to the size of the construction project. It is highly likely for defects to occur in a large building built by a small group of construction workers. If you have difficulties acquiring any of the mentioned resources then construction defects are inevitable.

9. No quality department

In the construction industry, quality is gold. Contractors want to be associated with quality work. In order to pride oneself with quality, any construction project should have a quality department. The quality department not only ensures that the building conforms to the set ISO: 9001 standard but also the construction standards.

It is the job of the department to ensure that quality building materials and tools are used. They also make sure that the right procedures are followed and properly documented. If the construction project lacks a quality department, nonconformities could probably arise. Nonconformance leads to construction defects and the quality department deals with the matter until they get the cause of the nonconformity.

10. No quality systems

Having a well-planned quality system reduces the risk of construction defects from occurring. The ISO: 9001 lays out the policies that a construction project should have which in turn helps bring up quality management systems. Quality systems assist in adhering to the construction procedures. Lack of quality systems leads to a lot of disasters in the construction of the project at hand.  When constructing a building, take time to plan for the quality system. A quality system plan should accommodate everything from the objectives to the actual construction

11. Poor performance/ lack of quality tool and techniques

Quality management systems are not only put in place to assure the quality of the building but also to help monitor the construction process. ISO: 9001 is one of the many quality management systems used in construction and it requires that the construction process be monitored at all times. As such, there are several tools used to achieve the desired results. However, there are seven basic and commonly used tools. These include control chart, histogram, Pareto chart, stratification, scatter diagram, checklist and cause and effect diagram. These tools give detailed analysis which provides opportunities for improvements in the different phases of construction.

The tools can help project some possible causes of defects before they occur. Using flow charts as an example, the construction team can clearly get a clear picture of all the steps involved before the completion of the building. Apart from projecting possible defects, these tools also helps solve cost and time deadline issues.

12. Late design concept

The design concept is a stage in construction that is very crucial. The design concept helps the consultant team to come up with the cost plan, planning strategy, procurement option, buildability and construction logistics and the outline specifications. Before construction begins, the design concept stage must be dealt with first.

It also helps the consultant team understand the structural and architecture design. A contractor is picked at the end of this stage which is why late design concept can lead to the wrong choice of contractor and other mistakes such as a poor cost planning. Such errors contribute to most of the construction defects.

13. No quality policies

Policies and objectives form the basis of an organized construction workforce. Every construction company must abide by its policies to avoid construction defects. Quality policies ensure the safety of the building and the workers. Some policies are put in place in accordance with the ISO: 9001 while others are formed by the construction company. These policies help prevent defects and help to oversee the quality of the building.

14. Objectives

On the other hand, objectives are the goals of the construction project. Every construction work should have clearly stated objectives. Apart from ensuring quality and preventing defects, the objectives also ensure that the construction process runs smoothly. Objectives also help to meet the construction deadline.

All these sources of defects in construction lead to loss of materials, money, and work hours trying to correct the defects once they occur. Now that you know of the sources of defects act fast before they occur. Prevention is really better than cure. Create a quality system, ensure there is proper supervision, do an audit, provide your construction workers with quality tools and you will surely avoid construction defects.