Three Phases of Quality: Preparatory Phase

Quality is defined as “conformance to requirements”. At Keeley Construction, we believe in taking that one step further by creating a culture around quality. This Quality culture influences every Keeley’n, every action, every time. Our goal is to set the benchmark for quality on every project and hold our sub-partners to our quality expectations. Our Quality Program is structured to help our team and sub-partners identify the appropriate requirements to ensure compliance, avoid rework, and exceed our client’s expectations. We follow a three-step process that helps guide every decision through the lifecycle of a project.

The first of the three phases of quality, the Preparatory Phase, is often viewed as the most important and impactful if managed properly. Just like any project, the foundation is critical. If we get the foundation wrong, all subsequent steps can suffer. The preparatory phase sets the base for the project’s quality and if the team properly prepares and manages this step, they are setting the project and the team up for success.

The Preparatory Phase includes buyout coordination, constructability reviews, submittal review / coordination, and pre-activity meetings. At this point in the project, everything is still “on paper”. Identifying issues at this stage almost always costs less than if the issue is identified once the construction process is underway.

1. Buyout coordination helps us avoid the possibility of selecting subcontractors that are inexpensive but unable to deliver quality work that is expected. Subcontractors should be selected based on their ability to meet contract requirements, including requirements regarding the quality of their product or service. Their proposed scopes will be compared against the project requirements to ensure no gaps exist.

2. Constructability reviews are completed for all projects, regardless of size or scope. Design documents (drawings / specs) will be reviewed for coordination, completeness, and constructability by the Keeley Construction Quality and Project teams. This process helps identify potential scope gaps and incomplete or missing details, which can cause issues during buyout and possible delays during the construction process.

3. The submittal review process confirms potential products or services to meet requirements and occurs during the procurement stage before delivery to the project site.

4. Submittals are required for each definable feature of work and / or specification section. Each submittal will be coordinated with the sequencing of work so that construction activities are not delayed. All submittals will be available to appropriate team members (office and field) via project management software. One of the fundamental rules of our Quality Program is that no materials will be installed on the project prior to review and approval of proper submittals.

5. The Pre-Activity Meetings are one of the most valuable tools in our Quality Program. When managed correctly, they allow the entire team to discuss the scope of work and confirm everyone, from the top down, is on the same page. This meeting allows us to establish the project’s quality expectations, ensuring complete alignment. A scope specific agenda will be generated, using the Keeley Construction Templates, for each meeting and will include topics to ensure all specified requirements are covered and no scope gaps exist. Typical issues and challenges, related to the scope, will also be reviewed in detail to reduce the possibility of construction challenges.

A little bit of time, coordination, and effort at the beginning of the project can have big impacts on the quality and success of the project for all parties involved.

Remember, Quality Matters!