Quality control

As workloads increase, how do you ensure you continue to provide top quality work? 

Firm: BackCountry Builders
Principal: Tom Storey
Location: Whakatane
Staff: 3 staff

I think the best approach is to never have too much on your plate at once. It’s better to do one job perfectly than complete three jobs in a substandard way.

I have three staff at the moment and, while only one is an LBP, the other two are very experienced, and all three always carry out high-level workmanship. This is very important, as I’m not on the tools much myself, though I still make sure I sign off on all our work. This means time management is important. I’ve had to make a few sacrifices with my time outside of work to make sure I’m on top of everything, but that’s just the reality of running your own business.

I think the skills maintenance programme has been really good for maintaining work quality across the industry, as it requires you to stay up to date on new products and methods. However, I would like to see more suppliers offering practical training courses, as more and more homes are being architecturally designed with different specifications. I believe there’s real value in having someone show you how something should be done, and why it will fail if you don’t do it correctly.

 

Firm: Calley Homes
Principals: Johnny Calley
Location: Mount Maunganui 
Staff: 10 staff

The short answer is “don’t bite off more than you can chew, even if it means turning down work.” Internally, our strategy is coupling good management with quality staff.

I have three teams, and each is led by a site manager. I’m not on the tools myself anymore, but I run weekly meetings with them to ensure everyone knows what’s going on and that the information filters down to the guys on site.

We work in high-end residential, which involves a lot of multi-storey concreting and steel work. To speed up our processes, we use engineers and surveyors to sign off technical work. I also work collaboratively with my site managers as we move through project milestones.

In terms of staff, I have three apprentices. This helps the overall quality of our work because it means that, right from the start, we can teach them good habits. I’m also really proactive about getting the guys along to local Master Builders meetings to make sure they’re constantly upskilling.

I believe the new health and safety legislation has also had a positive effect on our workmanship. The guys turning up on site are thinking more carefully about how they perform tasks, and working in a cleaner, safer environment just makes everything easier.

 

Firm: Peter Vossen Builders
Principal: Peter Vossen
Location: Matamata
Staff: 8 staff

This year is our 30th anniversary and, in anticipation of the increasing workload, we’ve recently rebranded our entire company. I believe it’s a great way to freshen things up and remind everyone what we’re about before we head into busy times.

I have six builders and, to ensure we continue to provide top quality workmanship, I make sure they’re constantly upskilling and training, as well as staying up to speed with the latest regulations and legislation, because it’s a constantly moving target. The local Master Builders’ association, BRANZ and PlaceMakers all put on training and courses, which are very useful and help us stay on top of the changes.

I’m the project manager, so I make sure we never take on too much work on and carry out our sign-off process. Because we have a small team at the moment, I try to limit our workload to no more than three jobs at a time. We won’t start another until one is complete, and clients respect that.

I’m also very big on training staff myself, as it means we can instill good work practices in them early and ensure they meet the standards we set. With a few exceptions, almost all of our staff have been trained here.

 

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