Quantifying Quality – What Does It All Mean?
What is quality? How is it measured? Fine furniture is easy to judge – just look at the craftsmanship. Sit on it. Is it sturdy? Comfortable?
Quality in engineering seems less tangible. At first. But, peel back the layers of a successfully engineered mega project, like the award-winning reconstruction of Chicago’s Skyway Interchange, and the underlying quality is as substantial as the three million pounds of structural steel used to construct its four new bridges. If CTE’s quality mechanisms were not in place, or not sturdy enough, during the project’s intense construction schedule, the structure could, literally, collapse.
“It all begins with a work plan,” explains CTE Vice President and Quality Improvement Officer Jim Klug. “Project managers and clients develop this work plan at the very beginning of each and every project. It’s custom made, involves the entire project team, and encompasses everything from deliverables to budget to communications.”
This is the foundation of quality at CTE, and only one in a series of checks and balances that led to ISO9001:2000 certification – the prestigious, international standard for quality management that CTE received in 2005.
“The percentage of engineering firms that are ISO certified in the U.S. is probably less than five percent,” Klug says. “It’s a rigorous process, and many firms simply cannot, and do not, do it.”
CTE’s approach to quality relies heavily on processes of understanding the job requirements, proper planning and scheduling of the work, effective communication with the project team and the client, applying professional levels of care in producing the work, and implementing skillful means of checking and review. And, CTE is not afraid to take an introspective look to evaluate what can and should be done better.
“Client satisfaction is the whole focus – creating it, maintaining it, and improving it,” Klug explains. “Toward that end, we formally measure client satisfaction.”
The ISO certification process is three-phased: build and document your system; perform in accordance with the plan; and, pass a series of audits. In layman’s terms, that means: say what you do; do what you say; and, prove it. CTE has been doing this – providing quality – since its founding in 1919. Now it’s formalized with the ISO seal of approval.
The tangibility of ISO certification translates into a successful finished product for our client. It means the Skyway Interchange reconstruction, designed by CTE, has resulted in a functional, safe, and durable roadway used by hundreds of thousands of drivers each year. Sometimes, quality is measured in peace of mind.
