'Cradle To Grave' Approach For Quality Management Systems

An innovative "cradle to grave" approach in quality management is set to fire up the entire building industry into a rethink.

While quality management systems, such as WicketWork’s ACCEDE, have traditionally been used in the defecting and handover phases of a project, technology now enables such a product to benefit all phases of the project lifecycle. It just needs the industry to step back a little and rethink the potential of these systems.

Much like the early adoption of Design and Construct contracts which has proven a successful model in recent years, early adoption of a quality management system would prove beneficial not only to builders and owners, but further down the track to include property funds/owners and property managers. This approach could potentially see a management system such as ACCEDE enjoy a lifelong association with a development and smooth out its journey.

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Brian McKillop, WicketWorks Development and Support Director said, “ACCEDE has enormous scope to track issues in all phases of the lifecycle and needs to be considered more than just a tool managing construction defects. It can be used from project inception through design, construction, operation and beyond. For instance, whether it be an issue during the design phase, a blocked floor waste during construction, a tenant reporting a maintenance problem, or a property management inspection, ACCEDE efficiently tracks any item or issue that needs follow-up and closure. It really is a cradle to grave proposition.”

ACCEDE is a tablet-based on-site quality management system that enables the quick capture of inspection-related data in the field. Functionality includes the mark up and annotation of photos taken in the field using the tablet or iPad’s integrated camera. Data is easily uploaded from the field to the cloud-based back end to generate project punch lists/snag lists.

ACCEDE offers flexible project structure configuration and item categorisation to suit a wide variety of projects. Lists of new, updated and overdue items are automatically emailed to responsible parties according to a schedule determined by the project, removing the need for error-prone manual dissemination of notifications. Distribution of management reports and analytical charts may also be automated. ACCEDE facilitates a closed feedback loop regarding item status via responsible parties marking items as rectified prompting the originator to reinspect and close if appropriate.

ACCEDE can realise this quality control and reduce time and cost pressures across the board.