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Quality Management Guidelines is one of the Guidelines to Practice publications from the American Council of Engineering Companies. This publication encourages you and others in your organization to identify and address critical business issues important to customer satisfaction and retention, effective and efficient operations, and a healthy bottom line. These guidelines follow an outline of components that should be part of an overall quality management plan. By following the guidelines and completing the statements, a firm will have developed or enhanced the comprehensive elements of a quality management program. These principles form a solid backbone for any firm’s quality plan or quality management system. This book comes with a CD so you can customize your own quality management procedures.
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The way that engineering firms have addressed the issue of quality within their organizations has evolved during the last 20 years. Firms have transitioned from a narrow focus on quality "control" or final checking of documents, to a broader emphasis on quality "management" by adopting policies and implementing procedures as part of a more systematic process.
As firms experience an increase in competitive pressure and clients continue to be encouraged to procure professional services through a qualifications based selection (QBS) process, firms will need to improve the quality of the services they provide if they want to succeed. Quality Management Guidelines is one of the Guidelines to Practice publications from the American Council of Engineering Companies. This publication encourages you and others in your organization to identify and address critical business issues important to customer satisfaction and retention, effective and efficient operations, and a healthy bottom line.
ACEC’s Quality Management and Peer Review (QMPR) Committee has developed Ten Principles of Quality Management that are considered to be a key to quality for member firms. These principles started with the core principles of ISO 9001:2000 as a foundation and have been expanded and modified to better fit the engineering profession and industry.
These guidelines follow an outline of components that should be part of an overall quality management plan. By following the guidelines and completing the statements, a firm will have developed or enhanced the comprehensive elements of a quality management program. Depending on a firm’s practice, organizational structure and procedures, it may not be necessary to include every statement in these guidelines. But rather, each firm should decide what statements pertain to it and select accordingly. Through this comprehensive list of statements, however, firms can gain appreciation of the many factors of business that should be considered when developing or improving their own quality management system. These principles form a solid backbone for any firm’s quality plan or quality management system.
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Chapter 1 – General management
Purposes, Goals and Long-range plans
Organizational Structure
Facilities, Equipment and Information Resources
Design Standards
Chapter 2 – Human Resources/Professional Development
Recruitment and Orientation of New Employees
Administration of the Personnel Function
Communication with Employees
Professional Development
Recommended Reference
Chapter 3 – Project Management
Negotiating and Contracting
Project Planning and Management
Subcontracting and Purchases
Project Communications and Records
Construction Phase Services
Project Closeout
Chapter 4 – Quality Management
Quality Assurance
Quality Control
Client Service
Continuous Improvement
Chapter 5 – Computer Systems Management
Policy Development
Software and Software Licenses
Staffing
Hardware
Data Management
Chapter 6 – Financial Management
Measures of Financial Performance
Overhead Control
Billing Procedures
Management of Expenses, Cash and Security
Project Financial Control
Purchasing
Chapter 7 – Business Development
Developing a Business Development Plan
New Services, New Clients, New Markets
The Marketing Process
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