What Great Inspection Looks Like
A beautiful day in Southern California and I walk inside for another conference. I was looking forward to this one…the speakers are from an owner company and an inspection company and the topic to be discussed is one that burns in my heart,
“What Great Inspection Looks Like”
WHAT THEY SHARED
The inspectors are assigned based upon the needs of the project. They understand the overall goal is to ensure the project gets built per the requirements, provide documentation of how it was built, and a smooth hand off to operations.
5 foundational building blocks of great inspection:
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Safety and Quality- customized to the client’s needs, alignment of cultures, provided in real time with a focus on accountability.
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Constructability and efficiencies- researching the plans and specs, looking for areas of risk, anticipating and helping to mitigate these risks with consistent and timely communication. Assign inspectors to their areas of expertise, provided with consistent teams, driving company work list. This “driving” is done while working closely with client representative.
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Available Service lines- one person having the ability to provide multiple services (many of the following; scheduling, line location, GPS/mapping, QA welding, coating, utility, environmental, safety, non- destructive examination) to the client, with the right equipment, adds to the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the inspection service.
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Communication and documentation- adapting to the client’s requirements providing real time info through the chain of command.
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Training and talent management- hiring the people with the right characteristics (experience, certifications, personality, attitude) training both informal and formal, seeking and reacting to feedback for improvement.
Have the right values –much of which you cannot teach.
DO WHAT YOU SAY DO THE RIGHT THING COMMUNICATE PROFESSIONALLY DOCUMENT COMPLETELY LEAD BY EXAMPLE
As I exited to the glorious sunshine, I felt like I just added to my understanding of what is really important to our clients. This further reinforces my belief that it all starts with finding the right person. One who is built to be a great inspector! Keeping this in mind and continuous learning– we can achieve “Great Inspection”!