Pre-Conference Workshop Day: Monday, September 25 2023

8:45 am Coffee & Badge Collection


Workshop A

Monday 25th September 2023

Workshop D

Monday 25th September 2023

Workshop G

Monday 25th September 2023

Series 1: Optimizing Your Quality Program

10:00 am Establishing a Robust Quality Program to Reinforce the Implementation of Quality at Every Level Within Your Organization

  • Jeff Cumpston Corporate Quality Director, Nabholz Construction
  • Bart Butler Director of Quality Management, Nabholz Construction

Synopsis

The lack of consistent industry standards makes it challenging to establish a repeatable, robust Quality program. This workshop will explore the fundamentals of an effective Quality program and provide an actionable playbook for how you can build and maintain your program to cater to your organization’s needs. Join this workshop to:

  • Discuss and dissect the requirements of a good Quality program
  • Create a cohesive program that consistently meets the needs of all your clients
  • Integrate your organization’s core values into the program to obtain senior management buy-in to your program
  • Discover how you can develop a program that is easily trained to and implemented to increase engagement and application of the program

Series 2: Upgrading Quality Documentation

10:00 am Creating Checklist Templates That Ensure No Detail is Overlooked

Synopsis

The most effective way to guarantee Quality during construction is through checklists. But how do you create checklists for every definable feature of work? How do you standardize this from project to project? Join this workshop to discover how to:

  • Build a checklist template for every definable feature of work, and ensure they are clear, accessible and easy to use
  • Assess when a templated checklist is not fit for purpose for a definable feature of work and a different approach to planning needs to be taken before installation
  • Educate field teams on the need to think beyond the checklist and reframe checklists as a touchpoint
  • Reframe checklists as a touchpoint and educate field teams on the need to think beyond the checklist
  • Understand how checklist data be utilized to determine opportunities for organizational improvement

Series 3: Enhancing Quality in
Design

10:00 am Ensuring Effective Coordination in the Design of the Building Enclosure to Increase Durability & Minimize Constructability Issues

  • Derek Dizon Quality Control & Quality Assurance Manager, Merriman Anderson Architects

Synopsis

Collaboration between contractors and designers is essential to ensure that the building enclosure is of high-quality. So how can contractors and designers work together to minimize constructability issues? What decisions can be made during schematic design to ensure durability of the building enclosure? This workshop will allow you to:

  • Discuss how Quality teams can best provide support in the design process to match intent with the constructability of the building enclosure
  • Enhance collaboration between contractors and designers to align on the expectations of the building enclosure end result
  • Analyze how both parties can collaboratively select materials to increase the durability of the building enclosure

12:00 pm Lunch Break


Workshop B

Monday 25th September 2023

Workshop E

Monday 25th September 2023

Workshop H

Monday 25th September 2023

Series 1: Optimizing Your Quality Program

1:00 pm Driving Continuous Improvement of Your Quality Program to Maintain Firmwide Engagement

Synopsis

Continually improving and updating your Quality program allows you to ensure it remains timely, applicable and robust. However, it is important to understand how to get reluctant workers bought into an ever-changing program. This workshop will allow you to:

  • Rethink how to positively frame mistakes and errors so that field teams understand the value in documenting what went wrong
  • Learn how to conduct meetings with Operations Teams to understand lessons learned in the field with regards to the applicability of your program, and what changes need to be made to improve this
  • Identify the areas of a Quality program that are likely to change the most often as buildings and materials become more sophisticated
  • Analyze best practices for introducing and implementing changes to the program while maintaining engagement

Series 2: Upgrading Quality Documentation

1:00 pm Building an Inspection & Test Plan (ITP) That Meets Your Project’s Technical Requirements & Goals for Quality Excellence

Synopsis

A rigorous Inspection & Testing Plan is salient for achieving the desired QC standards on your project. But how do you decide how many inspections to conduct on any one project? How do you decide what to test in each inspection? This workshop will uncover how to:

  • Incorporate client specifications, contract documents and any jurisdictional requirements as critical components of your ITP to ensure every expectation for Quality is met
  • Determine the optimal frequency of inspections throughout construction, and who should be conducting them
  • Integrate inspections into the schedule and allow time for any subsequent rectifications
  • Assess the best practices for carrying out inspections and explore the availability of inspection tools and technology Discuss the dif

Series 3: Enhancing Quality in
Design

1:00 pm Conducting Robust Constructability Reviews to Improve Ease & Efficiency of Construction

  • Lori Chandler Vice President & Senior Technical Architect, Epstein
  • Steve Black Senior Quality Support Manager, Power Construction Company

Synopsis

Robust constructability reviews are key to aligning design intent with constructability. So, which issues should you focus on to ensure constructability of the design? How much time should be committed to conducting these reviews? Join this workshop to better understand how to:

  • Build the business case for constructability reviews by demonstrating the direct effect that it has on Quality
  • Identify potential issues with the design intent so that adjustments can be made to the construction plan
  • Map the process of conducting an effective constructability review: Who should do them and when, and what are the most critical items to address?

3:00 pm Afternoon Refreshments


Workshop C

Monday 25th September 2023

Workshop F

Monday 25th September 2023

Workshop I

Monday 25th September 2023

Series 1: Optimizing Your Quality Program

3:30 pm Improving the Tracking of Rework to Address Common Causes & Drive Profitability Across All Projects

  • Ben Dykstra Director - Quality Management, Pepper Construction
  • Jon Clausen Quality Director, Hoffman Construction
  • Brian Stroik Performance Excellence and Quality Consultant, American Contractors Insurance Group

Synopsis

Quantifying rework is perhaps the greatest challenge faced by Quality personnel in construction. Not only does the sheer volume of information present a challenge, but a lack of engagement in reporting from Operations Teams can also cause problems. Join this workshop to discover how to:

  • Understand how to quantify rework when the cost of rework is not clear cut
  • Utilize this data to identify the most common causes of rework
  • Incentivize Operations Teams to perform Quality audits to consolidate the collection of data and information
  • Establish a knowledge cycle for the Operations Teams on these areas

Series 2: Upgrading Quality Documentation

3:30 pm Developing a Project-Specific Quality Plan to Ensure Every Member of the Team Understands & Upholds Quality Standards From Day One

  • Angelo Trapani Quality Director - Building Division, The Walsh Group

Synopsis

The key to maintaining a robust project-specific Quality plan is remaining flexible and making continuous updates and improvements based on its applicability to projects. Striking the balance between a plan that is specific in its requirements yet applicable to a wide range of projects can be a challenge. Therefore, this workshop will enable you to:

  • Identify the essential criteria to include in a cohesive but flexible project-specific Quality plan
  • Understand the guidance a robust project-specific Quality plan can provide for teams to aid the implementation of Quality in the field
  • Use a project-specific Quality plan to highlight the roles and responsibilities of each individual when it comes to performing QA/QC tasks • Treat the Quality plan as a living document that is brought out at set meetings and continually revised

Series 3: Enhancing Quality in
Design

3:30 pm Better Interpreting Quality Specifications to Ensure You Are Meeting the Client’s Expectations From Day One

  • Amy Yount Group Quality Manager, Sundt Construction

Synopsis

Interpreting lengthy specifications from clients and dissecting the areas that relate to Quality is no easy feat. Then, aligning the specification with your organization’s own Quality program presents a similar challenge. Join this workshop to understand best ways to:

  • Utilize the client’s specification to understand their definition of Quality and how you can work with them collaboratively to reach the desired end-goal
  • Combine the client’s definitions of QA/QC with your own to ensure your standards and their expectations are met
  • Collaborate with clients on the optimal solution when their specification is not compliant with your organization’s standards

5:00 pm Early Badge Collection Hour

5:30 pm End Of Workshop Day