“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” - Helen Keller

I have spent the majority of my professional career in the Transportation Infrastructure industry and worked on many complex projects for my clients, mostly in the public sector. The success of these construction projects is mostly defined in terms of three objectives; delivery, cost, and quality of work.

Managing a complex project is not easy – there are too many variables that can go wrong and fail any or all three of the key objectives. Besides the primary stakeholders (designer, contractor, owner), such projects can be significantly affected by others as well, including the materials providers and suppliers from the fabrication industry, all of whom can become significant in terms of their impact on the projects’ key objectives of on-time, on-budget, and on quality. The biggest challenge for a complex construction project is collaboration and the making of one team out of the several performing organizations that come together on the project but are traditional adversaries who usually have conflicting objectives. One of the most practical ways to achieve collaboration is to get all stakeholders to agree to the same definition of quality, and work together to deliver the project on time and within budget. The projects that align the objectives of all stakeholders tend to achieve most of their goals.

Realizing that the fundamental challenge to the success of Construction Projects is collaboration, we at ASQ’s Design and Construction division (DCD) are taking a holistic view of construction for its complete lifecycle. We believe that introducing the concept of holistic quality to the construction industry will take it forward in quality excellence. I am the current Treasurer as well as the Chairperson for DCD’s subcommittee on Buildings & Construction. I feel honored that I was invited to become one of the lead people to work on this initiative.

We have created a new professional certification called the Certified Construction Quality Manager (CCQM). This is a new certification for ASQ which is planned for release in the first quarter of 2025. It proposes that the quality of the Construction project is determined not just during the Construction phase but is, in fact, a factor of the quality of seven phases of the Construction project’s lifecycle which include (1) Pre-Contract Phase, (2) Planning Phase, (3) Design Phase, (4) Procurement Phase, (5) Construction Phase, (6) Closeout Phase, and (7) the Operations & Maintenance Phase. This framework suggests that quality of construction cannot be achieved unless it is planned and executed for all the phases of its lifecycle. As one of the three co-authors of the reference guidebook for this certification, I am writing it after collaborating with a diverse team of industry experts who represent various verticals in the construction industry.

Separately, in my efforts to promote quality thinking across the construction industry, I am also collaborating with other construction industry associations and technical bodies and with the federal, state, and local governments and private sector owners. All of these are major stakeholders in the improvement of quality in the construction industry. In addition, I am bringing in the suppliers of materials, components, and manufactured assemblies to review and contribute to the certification handbook and the body of knowledge for the new ASQ certification.

One of the leading organizations in the industry is the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA). This organization is dedicated to the practice of construction management and represents more than 17,000 members which include federal/state/local government and private sector owners, construction consultants, and technology supplier organizations. CMAA has many goals and objectives that are common to those of ASQ’s design and construction division. It makes business sense for ASQ to collaborate with them towards achieving quality excellence. Recently, I presented a continuing education webinar on Construction Quality at the CMAA which was very well attended by the industry. I have been accepted to present again, this time to a wider audience at the annual conference of CMAA later this year to talk about the implementation of risk-based thinking for the quality management of Construction projects.

Further, as part of the extended quality community, I have worked with Quality for The Quality Show in Chicago and the South. These shows offer extensive networking opportunities to reach out to quality engineers, fabricators, and manufacturers of components and assemblies, all of whom are key suppliers of the construction industry. I have presented twice at The Quality Show to broaden the reach of ASQ’s design and construction division to the fabrication companies as well. In the coming year, I intend to reach out to two other construction industry associations including the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), and the Construction Industry Institute (CII), both of which are also similarly dedicated to improving the nation’s infrastructure and heavily involved in the construction industry.

Internally within the ASQ, there are 26 Technical Communities that serve different industries. Since June 2023, we at the Design & Construction division have worked together with the Government division and the Energy & Environment division to offer a monthly webinar series for continued learning to open to members who belong to different but related industries. This webinar series called “EDGe” offers cross-cultural pollination between the three cultures as well as shares the best practices, many of which are compatible and easily adaptable to all industries. I intend to extend this collaboration to the ASQ’s Risk division in the coming year.

The mission of ASQ is to achieve excellence through quality. Achieving this mission requires a systems approach that considers cross-sector leadership, resources, and resolve. I am collaborating with the internal communities of ASQ that have common goals, and also engaging with external associations that serve similar objectives. There is value in diverse opinions, they help create the strongest solutions. I am trying to expand the reach of ASQ’s Design & Construction division and enhance our communications channels. Leveraging our message, driving engagement, tapping into newer markets, and living up to the adage: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”