Welding Procedures

QAQC Lessons learnt to avoid just in time crisis management & the loss of the customers confidence.

(The reasons why projects fail?)

PROJECT EXPECTATIONS

Customers
Employees
Owners
Subsuppliers
Society
spacer Product Quality
Career/Work Satisfaction
Investment Performance
Continuing Business Opportunities
Responsible Stewardship

BID STAGE

  • Are your subcontractors ISO certified?
  • Have your subcontractors designated a quality managers and QC inspectors?
  • Have all the specified requirements of the contract been passed down to your subcontractors?
  • Are there clear and defined lines of communication with the customer and approved Sub contractors?
  • Do subcontractors understand the minimum requirements of the contract?
  • Can subcontractors control the quality of their vendor supplied products?
  • Project Audits defined in the subcontractors organisation?

DESIGN

  • Are there clear design briefs?
  • Are design changes incorporated into design briefs?
  • Are there different revisions of design drawings in circulation?
  • Contract design specifications are not approved or not current?

PROCURMENT

  • Is there a procurement quality plan in place?
  • Has the procurement QC Plan been approved by the client?
  • Is their a procurement and QC system in place to control off site inspections?
  • Does the client require to verify off site inspection on key equipment?
  • Is there a means to record and control QC documentation?
  • Dose the client require to approve procured material or equipment prior to purchase?
  • Have all the specified requirements of the contract been passed down to your vendors. Has it been verified for conformance?
  • Is there a requirement to verify vendor product release certificates?
  • Do you inspect incoming material upon receipt?
  • Have all weld maps been verified and completed?
  • Is there a designated area for material receipt and storage?
  • Is there a designated area for control of critical equipment?
  • Has a Project Audits schedule been identified?
  • Inspection at vendors Facilities?
  • Is there a system for controlling installation manuals?
  • Is there a designated nonconforming area for rejected incoming materials?
  • Is there a list of approved suppliers?

DOCUMENTATION APPROVALS

  • Are your subcontractors aware of your clients requirements to approve QC documentation i.e. Welding Procedures, Design Mixes, Test certificates?
  • Has the companies QA Manual QA/QC procedures.QC Plan been submitted for customer review?
  • Are there quality circle meetings with the site subcontractors?
  • Location for RT bunker. On-site been approved?
  • Radiographic NDT procedures in place and approved?
  • Has customer notification for RT safety been coordinated?
  • Has the nonconformance tracking system been identified and verified for each subcontractor?
  • Is there an overall subcontractor and vendor plan being utilized?
  • Is there trade operating procedures in place, painting, welding and civil testing etc?

IN PROGRESS CONSTRUCTION

  • Have all customer approvals been completed?
  • Has QC been identified and been coordinated with the planning and scheduling department for phased turnover?
  • Are QC organisation charts in place for the prime contractor and subcontractors?
  • Are there job descriptions in place for QC Site Inspectors?
  • Have all inspection check sheets been passed down to subcontractors?
  • Site weekly QC meeting in progress verified and distributed.
  • System Application for inspections coordinated with the client and subcontractors in accordance with the QC Plan?
  • Project Audits and Surveillances been coordinated?
  • Weekly welding statistical reports being completed?
  • Preventative maintenance completion reports ongoing?
  • Punchlist reporting system implementation?
  • Calibration procedures and traceability?
  • Do you complete continuous quality training seminars?
  • Safety awareness being implemented?
  • Review of manufactured off site equipment Quality Plans?
  • Is there a way of providing your subcontractors with clear site instructions?
  • Is there a system for controlling and expediting formal design concessions?
  • Is there a system for review and documenting hydrostatic test packages?

DOCUMENTATION TURNOVER

  • Planning scheduling coordination completed for phased handover?
  • Full scope of areas identified for turnover identified?
  • As built mark up for weld joints and civil locations on drawings completed and verified?
  • Change orders identified and incorporated?
  • Nonconformance reports identified and cleared?
  • Outstanding nonconformance reports agreed with client for further action?
  • Turnover documentation completed to meet Mile Stone and commissioning scheduling?
  • Identification of numbering systems and copies required for distribution?

PROJECT QA/QC RECONCILIATION

  • Project retention period identified?
  • Collection of site QA/QC correspondence NCR’s, vendor assessments and literature for archiving?
  • Hand over to company representative?
  • Hand over of inspection equipment and technical data?

PROJECT CLOSE OUT REPORT

  • Recommendation for improvements.
  • Critical reasons for project delay and penalty clauses.
  • Quality evaluation of sub contractors and vendors.
  • Non Destructive Testing evaluation.
  • Lessons learnt file reviewed.

PROJECT QUESTIONNAIRE

    1. What is the project completion date?
    2. Does your client approve or review your QA/QC system?
    3. Does your contract state an ISO 9000 requirement?
    4. Has construction work commenced?
    5. What is the contract price?
    6. Is the contract EPC, reimbursable or lump sum?
    7. Are your providing all materials for site installation?
    8. How many on site and off site subcontractors are you using?
    9. Who is your customers representative?
    10. Does your client have their own inspection team?
    11. What is your quality budget?
    12. Who is going to do your in-house inspection?
    13. What vendor inspection systems do you have in place?
    14. Do you have contract penalty clauses in place?
    15. Attendance for QA at all sub contractors kick off meetings?
    16. Are your subcontractors ISO 9OOO approved?
    17. If your subcontractors do not have their own QA/QC systems are you proving them with yours?
    18. Have all you client specifications been forwarded to your company and are they complete?
    19. What standards and codes are you working to?
    20. Is there a requirement to complete turnover documentation with project milestones?
    21. Do you implement constructability into the design phase?
    22. Does your head office complete 2nd party Audits on your projects?
    23. Do you conduct site Quality circle meetings?.

PROJECT QUESTIONNAIRE CONCLUSIONS

Count the number of times you said no. Less than( ) you are a typical organisation that operates a sound quality system and require Relatively little change to your existing methods of working to meet your customer’s requirements.

( ) And above proving you have commitment and the project has not started it should not be too difficult to implement a quality system.

More than ( ) you have a real problem and will require to change your way of working if you intend to meet your customers requirements.

ORGANISATION FOR PROJECT SUCCESS

CONSTRUCTION ORGANISATION

Uncertainty appears to be a fundamental problem for complex organisations.

COORDINATION TOOLS

Communicating problems.

  • Project execution plan
  • A within design basis
  • The contract documents
  • Policy and procedure manuals
  • A pre bid or preconstruction meetings
  • Written objectives and priorities
  • Constructability reviews

PROJECT CONTROL

  • Weekly progress meetings
  • Executive reviews
  • Expediting reports
  • Project instructions
  • Project team layout
  • Toolbox safety meetings
  • The tone of correspondence

EXAMPLES OF PROBLEM AREAS

  • Poorly defined design basis
  • Inconsistent design basis
  • Poorly designed project communication system
  • Lack of experience
  • Dominant external objectives
  • Lack of project controls
  • Poor operational planning
  • Inappropriate staffing levels
  • Key individuals unavailable for decision making at the project.
    Note Design changes after the design has been set, can create havoc on the project dramatically adding to the cost of design and construction.

PROJECT STRATEGY

  • A contracting strategy
  • Logistics and support
  • A project schedule
  • A listing of roles and responsibilities

PROJECT SCHEDULING

The project schedule defines the logic and expected durations for the project activities a valid project schedule must be developed with agreement and approval of the customer.
Designer vendors and the contractor. Changes to a developed schedule should be approved by all parties.
Definition of roles and responsibilities is required.
Work managers monitor performance by measuring the quantity and quality of work accomplished as compared to the work plan.
Late information can delay a project and create serious difficulties.
Assort term nature of a project requires a rapid assembly of all resources necessary to complete the job.
The risks associated with the uncertainty of actions can be enormous.
Assembling a group of individuals does not make a team.
Team members should be leaders with a strong close out drive and an ability to work as integrated members of a team with a common goal.