Quality Leadership For Field Engineers (How To Prevent Defects In Construction)

Quality Leadership for Field Engineers (How to Prevent Defects in Construction)

I am excited about this topic because the other day, I had a very well-respected executive-level leader message me through Voxer, and I love this guy, and he was like, “Hey, my quality guy was teasing that you don’t have very many videos on quality control, and you don’t have enough videos on safety.” And my response to him was awesome. In fact, I was sitting next to Kate, and she was like, “Oh, no.” And I was like, “No, no, no. It’s going to be good.” And so, I sent a message that he loved.

Quality Assurance vs Quality Control: Cease Dependence on Inspection

I said this: when I read The Essential Deming that talks about the work of W. Edwards Deming and went to Japan, there was an interesting concept where they cease dependence on inspection. We know that the terms quality assurance are that you’re building quality from the start, that you have assurance programs, or you have built-in quality like poka-yoke, or the machines produce a quality product from the start, or the teams are trained to focus on it and will not let a defect down the line.

Quality control is inspection, checking it after the fact, and there could be rework, and you can find defects. I prefer quality assurance. I prefer quality at the source.

Safety and Quality Are Not Secondary They’re What We Do

And so, if you go to Japan and learn about Lean principles, safety and quality are a part of what we do. It’s not some secondary program, it’s not some other position, it’s the first thing that we do. In fact, Japanese companies are not goal- and finance-focused. They are quality-focused. Like, it is what we’re doing.

If it’s not safe and it’s not quality, we stop the line immediately. When I’m running my projects, when I was a superintendent or a field director or a project director, I will not do anything unless it’s beautifully safe. And if somebody’s not being safe, I do not tolerate it. I will escort them to a safe place just like I was taught at Intel, but in a very nice way.

The Bioscience Research Laboratory: Stop the Work, Rip It Out

And if it’s not quality, we don’t move any farther down the line. Anybody sees it, you push the button, pull the andon, metaphorically pull the cord, you stop the work, and we rip it out. That’s the project. It was called the Bioscience Research Laboratory. I said, “We’re not going to accept anything. So, if you think you’re going to leave it and we’re going to accept it, I will not ask the architect to accept it. If it’s a column that’s out of plumb, I’m ripping it out.”

And we held to that consistently. And so, I have it as a base, as a quality assurance-type thing, not as a post-inspection-type thing. And so that is the philosophy here.

Field Engineers Are Frontline: Prevent Quality Problems Before They Happen

And when it comes to field engineers, field engineers are frontline with crews to make sure that we don’t have quality problems after the fact. Do we do some after-the-fact checking? Sure. But a field engineer can get ahead of it, especially with checklists, because there’s not much difference between concrete getting hard and gray and us covering a wall with drywall. They’re getting covered.

But if we use our checklist before they’re covered, we won’t have to rip out concrete or drywall later. So there’s a couple of checklists that I want to really advocate for.

Placement Check Cards: Lift Drawing Plus Checklist

The lift drawing. Let me just use a wall. I love using wall examples. Let’s say that you have a wall form, and you have your walk plank with your handrail on the side, and you’re about to place concrete, and you got rebar coming up, and you’re jamming out, right? And it’s on a footing. You know, you got your stuff, and you’re going to climb up the ladder that’s extended 3 feet above, and it’s secured top and bottom, and it’s at a 4:1, and you’re going to go up there, and you’re going to inspect, right?

You’re going to take two things. You’re going to take the lift drawing, and you’re going to take your placement check card. I call it placement because concrete fanatics do not like the word “pour,” and I love them, and I’m a concrete human. I grew up doing concrete. We don’t pour it. We place it and vibrate it where it goes.

So the lift drawing will check the components, and you’re going to two-tape everything. You’re going to check elevations. You’re going to check plumb. You’re going to check line. But your placement check card is a checklist where you will check the normal requirements like spacing, proper ties. You’re going to have proper distance or clearance from the reinforcing to the formwork or to the earth, right? Do you have proper projection on the dowels? You know, just everything. You’re going to go through each of these one by one.

If We Get in a Hurry, Checklists Are First to Go Don’t Let Them

If we get in a hurry, this is the first thing to go, and it’s the last thing. You do not place that until we know it’s right because it’s going to get hard and gray. It’s going to be 10 times minimum the original cost, 12 times the original cost to rip it out and fix it than it would be to just get it right in the first place.

And I do want to say, for new field engineers, you got to have your super, your assistant super, out there helping you when you’re doing this. You can’t just throw a new field engineer out there to do this. So, you’re going to use your placement check card. So concrete placements and masonry grouting are going in properly. So that’s your placement check.

Feature-of-Work Boards: Visual Standards for Every Trade

Your feature-of-work boards. This is beautiful. When we go for any type of scope, let’s say that on your time-by-location format, your Takt plan, you’re about to start a scope working through the different zones 1, 2, 3, 4. And that trade is going to work from zone to zone to zone. Before they get to the first one and as a part of your installation work package, I want a visual. And it’s going to have pictures and some bullets on here.

Let me give you an example. One time we did this with flooring, and we had pictures of what the different steps were for flooring, just like Paul Akers’ cleaning-the-bathroom visuals, and it had some very specific bullet points, just what the crew needed, not a lot of text, not a lot of confusion, exactly what we were looking for, and every crew had it in their hand, laminated.

This goes back to you don’t just use field engineers for self-perform. So, the placement check is for concrete and masonry. The feature-of-work board is for everything else.

Why Bury It in Procore? Create Installation Work Packages

I want one of these for every new trade starting on the site. Why not? Why would I come to a pre-construction meeting or a preparatory meeting and just bury that in Procore meeting minutes? Why would I not just have an installation work package? And why would I not have it be visual? Something that we can use for the first-in-place, follow-up, and final inspections. I would.

Here’s how field engineers ensure quality assurance:

• Quality assurance not quality control: cease dependence on inspection – When read The Essential Deming about W. Edwards Deming and went to Japan, interesting concept: cease dependence on inspection. Quality assurance: building quality from start, have assurance programs, built-in quality like poka-yoke, machines produce quality product from start, teams trained to focus on it and will not let defect down line. Quality control is inspection, checking after fact, rework, find defects. Prefer quality assurance. Prefer quality at source.
• Safety and quality are what we do, not secondary programs – In Japan, learn about Lean principles, safety and quality are part of what we do. Not secondary program, not other position, first thing we do. Japanese companies not goal- and finance-focused. They are quality-focused. If it’s not safe and it’s not quality, we stop line immediately. Will not do anything unless beautifully safe. If somebody not being safe, do not tolerate it. Will escort them to safe place just like taught at Intel. If it’s not quality, don’t move any farther down line. Push button, pull andon, stop work, rip it out.
• Placement check cards: lift drawing plus checklist before concrete gets hard and gray – Take two things: lift drawing and placement check card. Call it placement because concrete fanatics do not like word “pour.” We don’t pour it. We place it and vibrate it where it goes. Lift drawing will check components, two-tape everything, check elevations, check plumb, check line. Placement check card is checklist: check normal requirements like spacing, proper ties, proper distance or clearance from reinforcing to formwork or to earth, proper projection on dowels. Go through each one by one. Do not place until we know it’s right because going to get hard and gray. 10 times minimum original cost, 12 times original cost to rip out and fix than just get it right in first place.
• Feature-of-work boards: visual standards for every trade, not just self-perform – On Takt plan, about to start scope working through different zones 1, 2, 3, 4. Trade going to work zone to zone. Before get to first one and as part of installation work package, want visual. Pictures and bullets. Example: did this with flooring, had pictures of different steps, just like Paul Akers’ cleaning-the-bathroom visuals, very specific bullet points, just what crew needed, not lot of text, not lot of confusion, exactly what looking for, every crew had it in hand, laminated. Placement check for concrete and masonry. Feature-of-work board for everything else.
• Use AI to condense meeting minutes into checklists – At minimum, have checklist that’s distilled down. Not asking AI to create these things from scratch. Asking AI to take all of our meeting minutes notes and AI meeting minutes notes and condense them. At least use checklist for crew to use in that zone to install that work package on that Takt time.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

The Checklist Manifesto: Live and Die by Checklists

The other thing is checklist. If you don’t have visuals, at a minimum, we used BIM 360 Field for this. I know that Procore and other software can do it, but a standard even if you don’t get to the visuals at a minimum, have a checklist that’s distilled down. And, by the way, we are not asking AI to create these things from scratch. We’re asking AI to take all of our meeting minutes notes and our AI meeting minutes notes and condense them. At least use a checklist for the crew to use in that zone to install that work package on that Takt time.

And then the last thing I want you to know is you should read The Checklist Manifesto. Anything that needs to be done right on your project, whether it’s a safety inspection or checking the porta-potties or having standard work for our pre-kit area in our logistics queuing area to checking traffic control, we should live and die by checklists.

Your Brain Cannot Keep All of This: Pilots and Doctors Use Checklists

And so, I just want you to know that field engineers love checklists, and checklists love field engineers. The human brain cannot keep all of this up in their head. And in fact, if you look at great doctors and pilots and any other, like, really professional position, you’ll notice they use checklists.

I was with a pilot flying over Canada, and I was like, “Tell me the truth about checklists.” And he’s like, “Oh my, you do not want to be up here without one of those.” They have checklists for takeoff, for landing, for emergencies. Your brain will go into panic mode, and you’ve got lizard brain. You need checklists if you want to do it right.

How would you feel if your pilot didn’t use the checklist? How would you like it if your surgeon didn’t use a checklist? You wouldn’t. Why are we any different? We’re not. Checklists are our friend.

A Challenge for Field Engineers

Here’s what I want you to do this week. Stop depending on inspection. Start building quality from the start. Quality assurance not quality control. If it’s not safe and it’s not quality, stop the line immediately. If somebody’s not being safe, escort them to a safe place. If it’s not quality, don’t move any farther down line. Push the button, pull the andon, stop the work, rip it out.

Use placement check cards. Take lift drawing and placement check card. Two-tape everything. Check elevations. Check plumb. Check line. Check spacing, proper ties, proper distance or clearance from reinforcing to formwork or to earth, proper projection on dowels. Go through each one by one. Do not place until you know it’s right. 10 times minimum original cost to rip out and fix than just get it right in first place.

Create feature-of-work boards for every new trade starting on site. Visual with pictures and bullets. Just what crew needs. Not lot of text. Not lot of confusion. Exactly what looking for. Every crew has it in hand, laminated. Use for first-in-place, follow-up, and final inspections.

Use AI to condense meeting minutes into checklists. At least use checklist for crew to use in that zone to install that work package on that Takt time. Read The Checklist Manifesto. Live and die by checklists. Human brain cannot keep all of this up in head. Pilots have checklists for takeoff, landing, emergencies. Surgeons use checklists. Why are we any different? We’re not. As we say at Elevate, quality assurance not quality control: cease dependence on inspection. Field engineers use placement check cards, feature-of-work boards, checklists upfront.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between quality assurance and quality control?

Quality assurance: building quality from start, have assurance programs, built-in quality like poka-yoke, machines produce quality product from start, teams trained to focus on it and will not let defect down line. Quality control is inspection, checking after fact, rework, find defects. Prefer quality assurance. Prefer quality at source.

What are placement check cards?

Take lift drawing and placement check card. Lift drawing checks components, two-tape everything, check elevations, plumb, line. Placement check card is checklist: spacing, proper ties, proper distance or clearance from reinforcing to formwork or earth, proper projection on dowels. Do not place until know it’s right. 10-12 times original cost to rip out and fix.

What are feature-of-work boards?

Visual with pictures and bullets for every trade. Example: flooring had pictures of different steps, just like Paul Akers’ cleaning-the-bathroom visuals, very specific bullet points, just what crew needed, not lot of text, every crew had it in hand, laminated. Placement check for concrete and masonry. Feature-of-work board for everything else.

Why should field engineers use checklists?

Human brain cannot keep all of this up in head. Great doctors and pilots and any really professional position use checklists. Pilots have checklists for takeoff, landing, emergencies. Brain will go into panic mode, got lizard brain. Need checklists if want to do it right.

How does AI help with quality checklists?

Not asking AI to create these things from scratch. Asking AI to take all of meeting minutes notes and AI meeting minutes notes and condense them. At least use checklist for crew to use in that zone to install that work package on that Takt time.