Explore the Agenda
7:00 am Coffee & Registration
7:50 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Empowering Teams with Quality
8:00 am Collaborating with Clients to Prioritize Quality From Day One
- Communicating the value of Quality to clients to justify higher pricing in competitive bids
- Setting clear expectations by educating clients on your firm’s Quality program and protocols
- Integrating clients into key project decisions and non-conformances to build trust and develop a resolution collaboratively
- Identifying the ideal level and frequency of client involvement during the project
9:00 am Case Study: Integrating Quality with Every Department & Initiative to Build It Into Your Firm’s Core Values
- Utilizing real-world case studies to demonstrate the organizational impact of Quality on the bottom line
- Defining and uniting behind a common Quality goal across operations and supporting functions to ensure all departments understand their roles
- Leveraging internal marketing campaigns to help shift perceptions, including posters and press-releases
10:00 am Speed Networking & Morning Refreshments
Track 1: Quality Program Leadership & Evolution
Track 2: Cross-Functional Quality
Track 3: Project Quality Management Tools
Track 4: Lessons Learned: Managing Quality in the Field
Track 1: Quality Program Leadership & Evolution
Data-Driven Decision-Making
10:40 am Evaluating the Most Effective Leading Indicators for Quality to Inform Program-Level Action
Founder, Design & Construction Excellence Exchange
- Surveying the most effective metrics to indicate Quality across projects
- Understanding how existing tools and processes can be used to extract Quality data
- Incorporating Quality metrics into performance reviews and executive level decision-making to foster continuous improvement
11:20 am Analyzing Firm-Wide Quality Trends to Set Projects Up For Success Before Kick-Off
Director, Field Operations, TEEL Construction
- Leveraging shared contractor data across regional offices to detect repeating issues with partners and suppliers
- Monitoring proactive levels of interventions to ensure effectiveness without investing too many resources
- Conducting debrief with preconstruction, field and project management teams to present live lessons learned
Track 2: Cross-Functional Quality
Track 3: Project Quality Management Tools
Track 4: Lessons Learned: Managing Quality in the Field
12:30 pm Lunch Break
Track 1: Quality Program Leadership & Evolution
Track 2: Cross-Functional Quality
Track 3: Project Quality Management Tools
Track 4: Lessons Learned: Managing Quality in the Field
Track 1: Quality Program Leadership & Evolution
Optimizing Quality Oversight
1:30 pm Right-Sizing Quality Oversight Across Projects of Varying Sizes to Maximize Resources
Director, Quality Management, Chandos Construction
- Evaluating the various roles and tiers of responsibility in organizations of different sizes
- Understanding how to balance between lean project staffing and maintaining sufficient Quality oversight
- Monitoring the value-add of program elements to minimize bureaucracy
2:10 pm Case Study: Improving Joint Venture (JV) Contractor Alignment to Achieve Consistent Quality Excellence
Regional Quality Control Manager, Turner Construction
Regional Quality Director, JE Dunn Construction Company
- Assessing potential conflicting approaches between existing programs
- Seamlessly integrating elements of each partner’s Quality plan into the JV arrangement to minimize ambiguity and level up existing processes
- Implementing change management strategies to align field teams with new approaches
Track 2: Cross-Functional Quality
Track 3: Project Quality Management Tools
Track 4: Lessons Learned: Managing Quality in the Field
2:50 pm Afternoon Refreshments & Networking
Track 1: Quality Program Leadership & Evolution
Track 2: Cross-Functional Quality
Track 3: Project Quality Management Tools
Track 4: Lessons Learned: Managing Quality in the Field
Track 1: Quality Program Leadership & Evolution
Strategic Costing & Expansion
3:30 pm Panel: Exploring How Different Organizations Allocate Quality Costs to Reduce Overheads & Manage Project Expenditure
Director, Quality Management, Chandos Construction
Vice President, Quality, Ryan Companies
Director, Quality, Heavy Civil, Walsh Group
- Evaluating what costs are more appropriate as a central vs project cost, to establish consistent standards organization wide
- Ensuring fees are built into bids from the get go to prevent client misalignment and ensure things don’t get missed
- Addressing pushback from project managers for charging time to jobs
- Exploring effective offsets and budget planning approaches to sustain Quality involvement
4:10 pm Audience Discussion: Identifying Key Skills & Attributes for Recruiting Quality Personnel to Overcome the Talent Gap in the Industry
- Determining which skills can be taught versus non-negotiable technical abilities
- Assessing soft skills in interviews, such as flexibility and versatility, to help secure the best candidates
- Creating effective onboarding processes to help address key potential skill gaps early, while new hires are most receptive
Track 2: Cross-Functional Quality
Track 3: Project Quality Management Tools
Track 4: Lessons Learned: Managing Quality in the Field