Professional engineering and project management requires deadlines to be established a met. After all, our work focuses on delivering our expertise to others, for their use. Whether it’s a geotechnical report, a set of high-quality construction plans, or anything in between – the people paying for professional services expect something of value in return.
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When we think about errors, it is easy to remember the ones that caused you headaches. It might have been a contractor’s confusion that resulted in a back charge or an inspector’s stop work order. These errors types of problems can cause anxiety, changes in work schedules, and financial discord, but all errors are not created equally. Let’s examine how different errors can impact and influence your finished product.
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Often the terminology of engineering professionals can be highly technical and confusing. The use of terms like “Quality Assurance” and “Quality Control” is not overly technical. However, misuse can lead to serious impacts on efficient communication and the conveyance of expectations. Clarifying the terms you use is important both in-house and in your relationship with clients.
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I was concerned about where the civil engineering industry in March 2020 as shutdowns and emergency directives from the government sought to limit the spread of COVID-19. My mind reverted to the housing bubble pop of 2008. I remember the lack of development engineering work that was experienced, lasting well after the initial collapse. Yet as we move toward two full years of a pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 800,000 Americans*, the engineering and construction industries are strong and growing. For many, 2021 proved to be a year of challenges to deliver the work on time to clients. Keep in mind, as workload increases, so does the possibility of employee burnout.
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As a professional service firm that creates and provides clients with deliverables, you are more than just a consultant or service firm. You are more than simply an opinion, clients are paying for a product that they will use to make decisions, apply for permits, or construct from among hundreds of other possibilities. Like any purchase we make, you will certainly judge your experience. A positive experience, a GREAT Quality deliverable, will create the opportunity to bring you back for more but a negative experience will make you think twice. A poor experience is two to three times more likely to receive an angry review which would require 12 positive reviews to offset the side effects of one negative review.
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The International Organization for Standardization known as ISO has a family of quality management systems (QMS). The set of standards are known as ISO 9000 series and we are specifically talking about ISO 9001:2015. This standard specifies requirements for an organization’s QMS. Certification requires the candidate company to demonstrate its ability to provide consistent services to meet client requirements and is designed to enhance the customer experience.
ISO 9001 is used by more than one million companies in more than 170 countries around the world. These range from manufacturing, pharmaceutical, construction, and civil engineering firms among many others. Having experience working for civil engineering firms both under the guidelines of ISO 9001 and without it, I offer my take on how your certification may be falling short for you and your clients.
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