Which is more important, the Schedule or Quality?

Many man hours are devoted to quality and the schedule.  As one encounters problems with each more man hours are required to handle the problems.  As more time is spent in retroactive approach on quality and the schedule, the proactive work is left behind.  Soon more and more man hours are devoted till production cost soar.  How to fix it?  That is the purpose of this discussion.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?  In a similar vein which begets which, the schedule or quality?  Does quality allow the schedule to run smoothly or does the smooth running schedule add to quality?

Are the mutually exclusive?  It is true that as the quality of the work increases it is easier to maintain the schedule, but it is also true as the schedule is practical and maintained the quality of work is improved.

So where does one start?  Step one is a practical schedule.  Many times the push is to get it done as fast as possible and force the quality to happen.  This means any little hiccup will send a large ripple through the schedule.  When doing large subdivisions, using the same subcontractors throughout, one problematic home can cause the schedules of multiple homes to suffer.

The knee jerk reaction in this instance is to make up the lost time by condensing the schedules.  What this does is to suddenly shove a “spike”  down the pipe line, causing the subcontractors to bring additional crew or even “scab crews” to handle the increased short term load.  This then leads to a lower quality because those other crews do not have the same skin in the game.

A practical schedule not based on a perfect minimal dates would be able to handle this.  Having a few sluff days to use when small hiccups happen or removing the home completely from the flow to deal with the larger problems then putting it back where it fits, would help negate this need.

The next step is a need for reciprocity, a little give and take.  The Subcontractors deserve to know that what is scheduled will happen when it is scheduled.  That when they show up to work on a home it is 100% ready for them and theirs alone.  In creating this atmosphere, one can then expect that the subcontractor will fulfill there obligations completely and with the highest quality, leaving the site ready for the next subcontractor.

When multiple subcontractors find themselves in the small confines of a tract home, things will get missed, thus lowering the quality.  Then the next trade to follow will not be able to complete their job fully and it continues.  Once again the spiraling trend to reactive management is established.

On must allow the subcontractors their time and space, this falls back to having a practical schedule without any “spikes.” 

The Subcontractor's duty then would be to complete the work with utmost quality.  This is their part of the reciprocity. 

How do you get this happen?  The worst that one could do is to follow directly behind the subcontractor making detailed list of all the problems or missed items.  This will teach the subcontractors one thing; “don’t worry about our own quality control the superintendent will do it for us.”  This is what one pays the subcontractors for.  It is their job to ensure the quality of their own work.  They are the professionals and know their products and services better than any superintendent does or should.

So how does one get the subcontractors to perform?  To answer that question, one must know their subcontractors as well as they know their inner circle of friends.  There are some that require a regular tongue lashing, while other a simple reminder will suffice.

I had one subcontractor that every three months like clock work we would need to bring into the office and yell at him.  He would improve immediately and the quality would be back to where it should.  Then over the next three months quality would slowly decline.  When it was getting close to unacceptable we would repeat the process.

Another subcontractor was totally different.  If I ever walked into a home and found more than two things wrong all I had to do was walk out and call him.  He would have his lead foreman there by the end of the day walking the home with a fine tooth comb.  The next day the items were complete, and I would be pressed to find any problems.

Every subcontractor need to be treated differently.  Some need to have their egos stroked on a regular basis while others need to have their behinds handed to them.  The point is that one’s ego should not matter only the maintaining of the schedule and quality.  If this means that one subcontractor is treated like a god and another a dog, do it.  Find how they respond best and use it.

It is through a practical schedule, one that can be met without “scab labor” and absorb the minor problems, as well as a little give and take that quality and schedule are maintained.