Conference Day Two: Wednesday, October 9 2024

6:30 am Coffee & Networking

7:00 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

Training & Development

7:10 am Ensuring Commitment to Quality Throughout Every Level of the Organization to Cement a Quality-First Culture

  • Micah Stanton Director of Construction Quality, Fortis Construction Inc

Synopsis

  • Establishing a common Quality language to ensure full alignment across teams and offices
  • Shifting the focus from the cost of implementing measures to the monetary benefits they bring to the company
  • Linking incentives to performance to keep Quality front of mind for all teams

7:50 am The Ultimate Quality Toolkit: Harnessing Procore’s Action Plans, Inspections and Mapping Technology for Successful Project Execution

  • Rob Sloyer Vice President of Innovation & Strategic Services, KAST Construction
  • Carolyn Langford Product Manager, Procore Technologies

Synopsis

• Leave less room for errors: Implement digital plans to set clear expectations, foster alignment, and eliminate confusion.

• Leverage Expertise: Reduce the learning curve and facilitate knowledge transfer from experts to newcomers.

• Boost Efficiency and Accountability: Leverage the latest updates and upcoming features for Action Plans, Inspections and Procore Maps

8:20 am Building Robust Training Programs to Ensure Your Staff Have the Knowledge to Do Quality Work First Time, Every Time

Synopsis

  • Creating a program of sessions that breaks down critical complex topics into smaller subsections to improve uptake of learnings
  • Incorporating technology into the training program to help access different learning styles, and create interaction opportunities outside of the classroom
  • Innovating ways to monitor the effectiveness of training when real-life scenarios arise

9:00 am Case Study: Why Commissioning is an Integral Part of The Quality Process

  • Michael Wisler CxA, Director Life Science Commissioning, FST Technical Services

Synopsis

• Debunking the myth that Commissioning is just testing at the end of construction

• Identifying how proper commissioning can improve Quality without schedule impact

• Illustrating Quality challenges when the commissioning process is not adhered to

9:30 am Morning Refreshments & Networking

After The Morning Break, We Will Break Into 4 Tracks For The Rest Of The Day:

Track 1
Quality Program Management

Improving Quality Skillsets

10:30 am Panel: Retaining the Best: Defining the Attributes of a Successful Quality Manager & How These Develop Through Your Career

Synopsis

  • Shifting the perception of Quality-based roles within the organization to increase the volume of candidates
  • Discussing the characteristics to look out for during recruitment to find future Quality leaders
  • Finding high Quality candidates from non-traditional channels

11:10 am Improving Knowledge Management Through Libraries of Lessons Learned to Inform Institutional Learning & Risk Mitigation Strategies

  • Hannah Franklin Managing Director, Quality, Consigli Construction Co. Inc.

Synopsis

  • Creating easily searchable databases that can be leveraged for potential risk identification during project planning
  • Keeping databases up to date to ensure only the most timely and relevant best practices are informing current projects
  • Finding ways to engage operations teams with regular use of the database to ensure best practices pervade all projects

Track 2
Quality Assurance Best Practice

Managing Risk

10:10 am Developing Informed Work Plans to Mitigate Risk in the Field

Synopsis

  • Revealing the essential criteria that must be included in a high-quality work plan template, taking into account project specific requirements as well as lessons learned
  • Setting parameters around the length and detail required in plans that scale to the size and complexity of the project
  • Ensuring project teams can effectively translate contracting documents into workplans
  • Chunking long work plans into digestible portions for ease of field implementation
  • Exploring Lessons Learned, Hurdles and Best Practices

11:10 am Improving the Quality of Submittals to Verify That Materials & Installation Methods Meet Project Specifications

Synopsis

  • Analyzing the depth required and the components of a robust submittal
  • Ensuring oversight by more experienced Quality or Operations staff to monitor the Quality of submittals
  • Training teams on best practices to enhance autonomy

Track 3
Quality Control Best Practice

Installation Best Practice

10:10 am Completing Reliable Product & Material Inspections to Guarantee the Long-Term Prosperity of the Finished Product

  • Amy Yount Group Quality Manager, Sundt Construction
  • Todd Patterson Industrial Group Quality Manager, Sundt Construction

Synopsis

  • Implementing thorough inspections as soon as materials are delivered to site to ensure they are damage-free: What do you need to look for to catch Quality issues early?
  • Creating checklists for teams to use during initial inspections to ensure nothing gets missed
  • Maintaining detailed documentation for all materials, including specs, test results and supplier information to support warranty

11:10 am Panel: Exploring Best Practices for Effective Pre-Installation Meetings

  • Joe Albrecht Quality Program Manager, Aldridge Electric Inc.
  • Joel Hall Senior Quality Manager, LeChase Construction Services LLC
  • Angelo Trapani Quality Director - Building Group, Walsh Group
  • Doug Myers Regional Quality Manager, Nabholz

Synopsis

  • Deciphering the difference between pre-installation and pre-mobilisation
  • Communicating the purpose and value of pre-installation meetings to all partners to secure their buy in
  • Getting the right people in the room and defining clear responsibilities to ensure zero scope gaps
  • Considering the most efficient ways to utilize mock-ups to inform pre-installation to ensure the final product is fully assembled and accurate

Track 4
Project Quality Lessons Learned

Adhering to Standards

10:10 am Maximizing Construction Quality Through Commissioning

  • Nick Hardy Sr Quality Manager, Mortenson Construction

Synopsis

  • Understanding exactly what’s required of commissioning from project specifications to create a robust, integrated project plan
  • Integrating commissioning agents with project teams as early as possible to maximize alignment
  • Upholding the highest standards at each stage, from factory production to site installation, even when schedules become compressed

11:10 am Panel: Ensuring Attention to Detail During Material & Product Installation to Prevent Warranty Issues

Synopsis

  • Educating teams on the risk of voiding warranties if manufacturer’s installation instructions aren’t followed: What do they need to look out for onsite?
  • Educating teams on how to review manufacturers documentation to inform preinstallation meetings
  • Harnessing reviews and mock-ups as opportunities to get ahead of potential issues and focus the minds of installation crews

12:10 pm Lunch Break

1:10 pm Exploring the Most Effective Features of World-Class Quality Programs From the Insurance Perspective

  • Peter Ukstins Head of Construction & Risk Engineering, AXA Partners, Credit & Lifestyle Protection
  • Matthew Biehl Construction Risk Engineering Consultant, AXA Partners, Credit & Lifestyle Protection

Synopsis

  • Exploring the features of the best client programs that can drive down insurance premiums
  • Discovering lessons learned from commonly occurring claims to help GCs get ahead
  • Evaluating the emerging trends on complex project types that can inform the future evolution of Quality in construction

1:50 pm Panel: Staying Ahead of Industry Trends in 2024 & Beyond to Inform the Evolution of Robust Quality Programs

Synopsis

  • Evaluating how AI can be leveraged from predicting rework costs to processing complex
  • Surveying the evolving landscape of different delivery models and what that means for cross-functional collaboration
  • Analyzing the organizational changes occurring, such as digitalization, and opportunities to better integrate Quality into systems and workflows

2:30 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks

2:40 pm End of Conference