Why you want a Best-In-Class Approach to Quality Assurance.

Great organizations measure everything. It’s easy to talk of quality, but the real measure is found in it’s delivery. The best-in-class team is acutely in tune with adjusting its processes in order to maintain the highest standards of quality.  For Facilities Management, this is no different.

You need a quality assurance program that includes processes, audits, quality control, continuous reviews, analysis and action plans. Having someone in charge of this program is imperative. Your staff and service providers need to be trained.

A proactive approach to quality assurance includes a process review. This is about achieving the expected results. It’s about delivering the level and quality of service that’s required by the organization and departments you serve. There’s no sense over delivering when it’s not needed. You’re simply wasting resources. Remember to differentiate control functions from assurance.

• Quality Control makes sure the results of what you’ve done are what you expected.

• Quality Assurance makes sure you are doing the right things, the right way.

If you’re already doing inspections and using checklists, you are only doing Quality Control. It’s also only half of the job. Inspections are important. But taking a proactive approach to quality assurance means these inspections are more likely to achieve your established KPI’s or benchmarks. 

Quality Assurance helps you establish leadership in your Facilities role. It means you are being proactive about service standards and implementing leading practices for your organization. You and your suppliers will be aligned in providing your organization with quality, consistent service.

It doesn’t have to be difficult . Learn the principles and get some tools you can use whether you are a large organization or a 1 person FM department. If you don’t have a formal process for managing quality in your service delivery, whether in-house or subcontracted, you need to start.

Here’s what you need to consider when developing a best-in-class quality assurance program. QA for buildings goes well beyond just doing the inspections and collecting data:

• Doing inspections proactively needs to be simple. The data has to be stored consistently and electronically so that patterns can be identified, and preventative actions taken. Take action before a machine breaks down rather than react after it does.

• Simplify the inspection process by giving your personnel tools that can be used in the field.  For instance, put QR codes on every space or piece of equipment that you need to QA.  Your maintenance people can scan the QR Code, and pull up the QA inspection form on their smartphone or tablet. They can record their inspection and create any service requests while doing the inspection. They can even add photos to the report and/or service request that shows the issue.

• Analyzing the inspection data allows you to see what assets in the building may be deteriorating to the point of preventative action required.  This could be looking at energy consumption data on the equipment, or visual inspections of filters with perhaps some measurement scale on the inspection form, etc.

Here’s why QA is so important. Higher quality building, regardless of what class building it is, translates into:

• Higher tenant satisfaction and retention
• Ultimately lower costs – preventative maintenance has proven to be lower cost approach over reactive.
• Longer life of building and its assets.
• Higher resale value of the building, particularly with digital records of QC and QA programs
• Higher satisfaction and greater pride by FM personnel.
• Less stress for FM team
• Fewer surprises.

Best-in-class organizations know the value of being proactive rather than reactive. You are in control, instead of being controlled. BuiltSpace simplifies your QA process. It’s easy to collect  QC information that can be analyzed and used to drive your QA program. The BuiltSpace solution provides a simple technology and QR Code functionality that you need to establish a solid QA program within any building. It’s a low cost innovative way to use the tools that the FM people already most have – their smartphone or tablet.