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IAS News

BDA Hot Topic—Quality Systems for Building Departments
Part One in a Special Series

By Kellee Lostaunau, Project Coordinator, Building Department Accreditation

An Introduction to Quality Management Systems

In the days before quality systems were better developed and defined, the sole method of quality control was inspection. Items were inspected at the end of the line and, if found to be defective, were scrapped or reworked. As quality management techniques evolved, the emphasis was diverted from catching mistakes to preventing them.

In order to prevent mistakes, companies began to seek input from customers and cooperation from staff in designing a better system. Consumers’ needs and preferences were considered by product-development and marketing staff when creating or reinventing products and services. Skilled labor cooperated with engineers to point out potential pitfalls in the way manufacturing processes were designed. Management attention shifted to quality and customer satisfaction, instead of remaining narrowly focused on quantity. New tools and processes, such as benchmarking, statistical analysis, standardized procedures and document control, became commonplace. Consumer demand for quality products and services increased and quality organizations began to establish standards for the creation and maintenance of effective quality management systems.

Building Departments and Quality Systems

Building departments are no strangers to quality management systems. In fact, building code enforcement, in essence, is a type of quality system. Many building departments are probably more familiar with quality control than are some of the manufacturers of top-rated products. Look at how, in the following table, code enforcement activities might compare, side by side, to some of the features of a manufacturer’s quality system:

MANUFACTURING	BUILDING CODE ENFORCEMENT
Goal is to produce a product that meets the needs and desires of its customers.	Goal is to ensure a built environment that meets the needs and desires of its citizens (i.e., public health, safety and general welfare).
Operating under ISO 9001 Quality Assurance Standards.	Operating under International Building Code.
Customer feedback.	Code hearings.
Standard Operating Procedures.	Construction Codes and Standards.
Internal Audits.	Plan Review and Inspections.
Management Review.	Re-review of plans and follow-up inspections.
Corrective and Preventive Action.	Corrections cited in plans and inspection reports.
Document and Data Control.	Retention of Construction Documents.
Quality Systems Training for Staff.	Certifications.

What Is a Quality Management System?

A quality management system is simply the policies and procedures an organization puts in place to ensure it produces goods or services that meet the expectations and requirements of its customers (both internal and external).

As demonstrated by the table above, code enforcement can be thought of as one type of quality system. Building code enforcement programs are put in place by jurisdictions to ensure that the built environment meets the expectations and requirements of its citizens and elected and appointed officials (internal customers) and builders, contractors, and other industry representatives (external customers).

When a building department adopts a quality management system in an effort to improve the code enforcement services it provides, the challenge often comes in focusing on internal quality management while remaining focused on managing the quality of the entire built environment within its jurisdiction—all without confusing the two functions. The remainder of this article is aimed at eliminating some of that confusion.

Quality Management System Documents

A building department is familiar with the documents and procedures they rely on to control the quality of the built environment in their jurisdiction: they rely on codes and standards and follow the procedures—such as plan review, inspections, permitting processes and record keeping—as prescribed by the codes. But, when it comes to internal quality management systems, building departments need to have their own set of policies and procedures on which they rely to control the quality of the services they provide to their community.

Typical hierarchy of documents in a quality system.

Quality Policy

The quality policy, as you can see in the pyramid above, is high-level and concise.

A quality policy should include a general quality goal for the building department (for example, some building departments model this after a portion of Section 101.3 of the International Building Code, “…to safeguard the public health, safety and general welfare through structural strength, means of egress facilities, stability, sanitation…[etc.]”).

In addition, a building department should solicit feedback from its stakeholders (citizens, appointed and elected officials, contractors, builders, architects, engineers, etc.) in developing specific goals for each area of service provided by the department.

The International Accreditation Service (IAS) requires, as part of its criteria for the accreditation of building departments, that code enforcement agencies adopt service goals in consultation with stakeholders which specify three separate components: quality, timeliness, and professionalism. In addition, each one of the three sub-goals would need to be expressed numerically (e.g., 100 surveys collected must average a staff-professionalism rating of 4.5 or higher on a scale of 1 to 5). Specific service goals must be set for each service offered by the department, such as permitting, plan check, and/or inspections.

Standard Operating Procedures

The collection of standard operating procedures, as demonstrated by the above pyramid, expands beyond the quality policy to support the goals contained within.

Standard operating procedures (or SOPs) should contain simple, to-the-point descriptions of the What, When, Where, How and By Whom for all of the services for which the department is responsible. For example, one SOP may list the steps in the process to review a permit. Another SOP might describe the standard method for reviewing a set of plans.

In addition, the department’s set of operating procedures must also include SOPs for managing the quality system. At least the following six activities should be included as individual SOPs: (1) Writing or revising a standard operating procedure; (2) Internal audits; (3) Handling of nonconformities; (4) Corrective and preventive action; (5) Management review; and (6) Document and data control.

Work Instructions, Forms, Reports, Etc.

The lowest level and broadest section of the pyramid above is a collection of documents. These documents support and assist staff in following the department’s standard operating procedures. Documents in this category include forms, checklists and detailed work instructions. These items are part of the quality system and should be controlled. There should be some indication of the dates or versions of forms or checklists so that staff will not use outdated ones. Changes to these forms should be controlled so that staff are not using multiple or incorrect versions. The method used to control documents should be covered in one of the department’s SOPs.

Conclusion

This is the first piece in a series of articles aimed at increasing familiarity with what can sometimes be an intimidating topic: quality management systems. There is no question that internal quality management is work, but the result is well worth the effort. After all, quality management is what a building department is really all about.

To learn more about quality management systems or other topics, visit the IAS newsroom online to view articles and back issues of IAS eNews.

For information on the IAS Building Department Accreditation program, please visit our website or call 1-866-427-4422.