How company culture impacts AEC quality management

Today, quality management in the AEC sector is a shared responsibility that requires an organization-wide cultural shift. Joe Emanuele, Head of AEC at CMap, recently joined Atvero to discuss how AEC firms can strengthen their quality management processes with a change in culture, starting from senior leadership and sustained by active engagement of every staff member within a firm.

Culture requires organization-wide engagement

According to Joe, AEC quality management is not merely about defining and following project standards. Instead, it’s about fostering a culture that values quality at every level of the organization.

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“Quality management really needs a change in culture, and culture requires engagement across the whole firm”, said Joe. This means from team members to project managers, all the way to managing directors, every individual needs to actively engage in quality management processes and adopt best practices to maintain project quality. This shift in culture can lead to improved productivity, enhanced collaboration, and, ultimately, growth and success.

Why are quality processes not adhered to by staff members?

Because they need to be culture-driven to be effective, quality management processes are usually not followed due to lack of visibility. Enforcing standards is only the beginning of quality management; the true challenge lies in whether such standards are effectively communicated to every member of staff within a firm, or if staff members are provided comprehensive training about adherence to quality processes.

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Lack of visibility can lead to significant risks, such as inconsistencies in workflows that deviate from established project standards. For example, when team members have different interpretations of a naming convention, they may potentially make up their own versions that contain non-compliant values. Should staff be made fully aware of the correct standards, they will be more likely to follow the proper practices, thereby upholding project quality.

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“If it’s not visible, it won’t get done. If it’s visible, people will do it, and it will drive the engagement within your practice,” Joe commented.

Who’s responsible for enforcing quality within an AEC firm?

Previously, the responsibility for managing quality has fallen on the shoulders of more junior managing members within a firm due to a perception that quality management was not a critical concern. However, with the introduction of legislative changes such as the Building Safety Act of 2022, this perception must change.

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Ultimately, it’s business managers who should be responsible for driving quality management processes within AEC firms. Quality is not just another box to tick, but rather a significant component that directly influences the management of businesses and their future success. Therefore, it needs to be driven from the top, with senior management leading by example.

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Talking about the impact of quality on business management, Joe stated: “Enforcing quality within a firm is going to be vital to the management of businesses because it’s all about risks. There’s no point in designing an excellent building with strong commercial returns if it’s going to end up in a fee claim.”

Good systems facilitate quality management

To cultivate a quality-focused culture within their organizations, AEC firms can implement intuitive and accessible systems that can be effectively integrated into daily workflows, enabling staff at all levels to participate in quality management process.

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Atvero provides an intelligent document and drawing management system that allows AEC firms to maintain project quality, reduce risks, and improve productivity. Built on SharePoint, Atvero offers a document control solution that is highly familiar for every existing Microsoft 365 user to navigate.

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Being the information gatekeeper, Atvero guarantees that every sent and received file in a project is correctly named, reviewed, and revision controlled, meaning information is always accurate and up to date. With Atvero, firms can ensure their quality management practices can be intuitively adopted company-wide, and project standards are always maintained.