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Using QC Inspection Checklist for As-built Verification and Mechanical Completion
A checklist is a structured form or questionnaire for collecting and analyzing data. This is a generic tool that can be adapted for a wide variety of purposes. Collecting and analyzing data is important for identifying and understanding problems and thus making appropriate changes to solve these problems.
Inspection checklists are useful on construction projects that wants to improve quality and productivity, reduce defect rates, and reduce re-work.
- Increasing or high frequency of product faults.
- High rates of defective products requiring repair or re-work.
- High levels of waste materials.
- Low productivity.
- Verification documentation for as-building of the project for project turnover.
This practice requires line managers and quality control staff to collect information about the number and sources of defects in the construction process. Information about the number, causes and frequency of the defects are recorded in the checklists and tallied to show totals. These totals can then be analyzed to see the times most defects are made, the types of defects and the most common causes of defects. This information can then be used to reduce defects.
Steps in implementation
- Decide what construction activity will be observed or inspected.
- Identify the period to be observed or inspected. This period should be relevant to the problem.
- Develop a standard table or form for each type of construction activity based on criticality.
- Name the columns and rows in the table.
- The checklist form is usually an A4 sheet with a table with rows indicating types of defects and columns indicating the time the mistakes are detected. The QC inspector fills in the number of defects of each type in the cell of the relevant defect and time period. This checklist helps to identify the major types of defects.
- Make standard format check sheets available each construction activity.
- Discuss the results and draw conclusions.
- Discuss possible actions for improvement.
- The inspection checklists should be stored in a safe place.
- The summary the inspection check sheet can be used as input for a quality improvement program. The checklist totals can be used to identify which errors are most common, and to try to prevent these errors in the future. Workers may need additional training or guidance in order to avoid making such errors.
- Line managers and QC quality inspectors' involvement.
- Check sheets.
- Document controller
Challenges and pitfalls
- Staff may feel they have more work to do.
- Difficulty in maintaining efforts to collect information.
- Helps to record all faults and sources of faults.
- Saves money by helping to eliminate major sources of defects.
- Bench mark best practices for quality improvement.
- Transparent and honest reporting
Indicators for monitoring
- QC Check sheets form created and made available.
- QC Check sheets filled, summarized and discussed.