The 5 challenges of quality management in AEC

The AEC industry is facing a dramatic overhaul in terms of quality management and the new legislation that surrounds it. 

As many AEC practices are aiming to obtain ISO 9001 certifications, quality management is more important than ever before—but it also comes with its own host of potential challenges and pitfalls.

The solution therein lies in robust management of project information and standards. But how can it be utilized to solve some of the common hurdles facing architects and engineers today?

Let’s take a closer look:

1. File management

One of the first hurdles in quality management is the filing of information—and how quickly it can dissolve into uncontrolled filing.

With multiple people uploading files, guaranteeing a unified practice is in place manually can disintegrate as the years go by. Ensuring that these documents, e.g. architectural drawings, are correctly named, stored in the right place, and easily discoverable can become a challenge, particularly with multiple revisions. 

This challenge is highlighted when looking at firms who are using old fashioned folder structures  to organize information. This system becomes difficult to use as even when the documents are in the right place, people struggle to understand how to manage them or where to put documents themselves.

By making sure people are utilizing a good quality management system, there’s a reassurance that people are gathering the related information for a project in the correct filing spaces. It also allows for other communications outside of documents and files to be captured, such as emails, which is now essential for companies to consider in the long term.

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2. Revision control

The challenge of file management can also be seen in the revision control of AEC documents and drawings as it’s imperative that everyone is working on the most up-to-date version, and have access to a full version history of documents.  

Consider Windows’ File Explorer as an example. This system allows easy and simple access to a singular current  version of a file to the primary user. However, it neglects to offer an all-encompassing solution that is necessary for AEC businesses. The system can make it difficult to access historic versions of files with no clear folder structure—leaving it up to each individual user to organize how they file. 

A few issues are likely to arise from this as there will be no long term clarity on labeling files, with name, version, status, date, and time needing to be correct on each account in order for them to be considered good quality management. This is then followed with storage queries —where these files will be stored permanently is a whole other challenge.

By ensuring that you have a great quality management system that allows for ease of access to the current edition of your work with a system for storing historic files, maintaining the timeline of documents becomes a much simpler feat.

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3. Enforcing project standards

When looking at maintaining standards to keep projects in line with standards like ISO 19650, there can be a difference in how they are interpreted, particularly in regards to file naming. 

Due to this variation of understanding, ensuring that people correctly follow the predefined project standards can be a great challenge for AEC firms. For example, when team members apply incorrect metadata in naming conventions, projects may be exposed to fines or penalties caused by information errors. Moreover, if metadata is incorrectly tagged, the searchability of files within document management systems is also greatly reduced.

When considering the challenge of implementing unified project standards as part of the wider document management system, the future of the files must also be considered. Practices may need to retrieve project data post-completion for future disputes or development. In this case, it is essential that information is named and described in a standardized way for ease of tracking.

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4. Professional requirements 

Good quality management is no longer just an ‘ideal’ but instead a professional requirement within the AEC industry, which can be a challenge if you don’t already have a suitable cohesive system in place.

The Architect Registration Board now requires all architectural practices to have an adequate quality management system up and running to protect client interests and to also protect their files and data securely—whether in digital or physical form. This is great as it sets a common standard across the architectural industry that people need to adhere to. 

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) have also stated on their registration board that practices over a certain size need to have a quality management system in place, something that is now standardized under ISO 9001. 

When considering the legal path AEC industries are taking towards quality management systems, businesses that are still working across a variety of different platforms and systems may struggle to meet future requirements or fall short of current ones. This challenge can be easily alleviated by integrating a one document management system approach that works to encompass all elements of the business—unifying them in one place.

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5. Quiz time

If you believe that you have a successful quality management system in place, you should be able to answer the next 5 questions with ease—if not, then it may be time to consider a successful document management system to aid you in overcoming some of the challenges you may be facing.  

Marcus Roberts, head of Atvero, outlines these questions as some of the key hurdles AEC companies face when considering individual projects. 

When considering your project: 

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Q1. Can you find every revision of a drawing or document that is related with ease?

Q2. Can you find every piece of communication related to a project? (e.g. email, team chats)

Q3. Can you say which version of the document or drawing was the latest to be sent out?

Q4. Can you show the information that was issued out relating to the project over certain time periods?

Q5. If you have a quality management process defined through ISO 9001—can you demonstrate through audit and checks that you are following your own quality management process?

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These questions are imperative to the functionality of a successful quality management system and highlight some of the essential issues that businesses within the AEC industry need to consider. 

It is crucial that these questions are not only considered in the present day but also in the scope of the future—as AEC projects demand this information be readily available not only today but over the next 30 years.