Construction Quality Assurance Course for Directors: Plans, Approvals and Audits

Programme Summary

Construction quality assurance is the subject of this one-week training course for quality directors, project directors and heads of construction, ending in a construction quality assurance plan for one project. Many projects write a quality plan to win the work, then find that approvals, workmanship checks and audits run to different rules, so defects surface at handover. The programme moves from the quality system and plan to approvals, workmanship control, non-conformance and rework cost, and audit, then applies them in one plan. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this programme on construction quality assurance to mixed-organisation cohorts.

The Business Case

Contractors, developers and public owners pay for poor quality twice: once to build it and again to correct it. A quality system that is agreed at the start and tested by audit lets directors see problems while they are still cheap to fix and gives owners evidence that the work meets the specification. Early evidence also shortens disputes at close-out and acceptance.

• Rework Cost: Falls when non-conformances are recorded, costed and traced to their causes.
• Handover Quality: Improves when approvals and workmanship checks are completed before work is covered.
• Contract Risk: Reduces when quality records can answer an owner's or lender's challenge.

Principles and Evidence Base

• ISO 9001: Sets requirements for a quality management system, applied in Session 1 to the structure of a project quality system.
• ISO 10005: Gives guidelines for quality plans, applied in Sessions 1 and 2 to the project quality plan and method statement review.
• ISO 19011: Gives guidelines for auditing management systems, applied in Session 4 to the project audit programme.

Intended Participants

• Quality directors who own the quality system across a portfolio of projects.
• Project directors who answer for programme, cost and defects on one project.
• Heads of construction who direct site teams and subcontractors.
• Owner representatives who must accept the work and the records behind it.

Typical settings include building contractors, infrastructure developers, public works agencies and real estate owners.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to evaluate a project quality system against the requirements of a recognised standard.
2. Participants will be able to construct a project quality plan that assigns checks, records and owners.
3. Participants will be able to diagnose weaknesses in method statements and material approvals.
4. Participants will be able to prioritise non-conformances by cost, risk and cause.
5. Participants will be able to design an audit programme that tests the quality system on site.
6. Participants will be able to justify a construction quality assurance plan to a project board.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Construction Quality Assurance Foundations

What must a project quality system contain, and who owns each part?

• Quality System Structure Map
• ISO 9001 Requirement Review
• Project Quality Plan Outline
• Quality Responsibility Matrix
• Contract Quality Clause Register

Day 2: Approvals Before Work Starts

How are methods, materials and suppliers approved before work is covered?

• Method Statement Review Sheet
• ISO 10005 Plan Check
• Material Approval Log
• Supplier Qualification Checklist
• Hold Point Schedule

Day 3: Workmanship Control and Non-Conformance

How are defects found, recorded and costed before they spread?

• Workmanship Standard Sheet
• Site Inspection Round
• Non-Conformance Report Format
• Rework Cost Ledger
• Root Cause Chart

Day 4: Auditing the Quality System

How does a director know the system works on site and not only on paper?

• ISO 19011 Audit Programme Outline
• Site Audit Checklist
• Finding Grading Guide
• Corrective Action Tracker
• Handover Quality Review

Day 5: Construction Quality Assurance Plan for One Project

Do the earlier tools combine into one plan a project board can approve?

• Applying the Session 1 Quality Responsibility Matrix
• Testing the Session 2 Hold Point Schedule
• Checking the Session 3 Rework Cost Ledger
• Rehearsing the Session 4 Audit Programme Outline
• Completing the Construction Quality Assurance Plan

Methodology

The programme uses structured exercises built on prepared case material for two projects, one a mid-rise building and one a road bridge, each with a quality plan extract, method statements, approval logs, inspection records and non-conformance reports. Participants work in groups, challenge each other's plans and defend their choices to a peer board.

• Suggested activity: Reviewing a method statement and listing the hold points it lacks.
• Suggested activity: Costing a month of rework and tracing it to its causes.
• Suggested activity: Briefing a project board on an audit finding that delays handover.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a construction quality assurance plan for one project. It holds a quality system map, an approval schedule, a non-conformance and rework cost method, an audit programme and an owner plan. The plan is used at work to brief a project board, to set rules with subcontractors and to explain to site teams which records must exist before work is covered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a training programme on construction quality assurance suitable for directors who have not written a quality plan?

Yes. Construction quality assurance is taught through prepared cases. It assumes responsibility for quality, projects or site delivery, but no earlier work writing quality plans or leading audits.

Which standards does construction quality assurance rest on?

Construction quality assurance rests on ISO 9001 for quality management systems, ISO 10005 for quality plans and ISO 19011 for auditing management systems, each applied to prepared project cases.

How is the plan from construction quality assurance used at work?

You use the construction quality assurance plan to brief your project board, set quality rules with subcontractors, and show owners which records exist before work is covered.

How does construction quality assurance differ from a programme on inspection and test plans?

Construction quality assurance concentrates on the whole quality system, approvals, rework cost and audit, while a programme on inspection and test plans concentrates on planning individual inspections and hold points.