Creating Standards for Industry-wide Quality Metrics

RT-313 was tasked with creating a standard metric for quality that can be used to effectively measure, categorize, and benchmark quality performance across the project delivery process. The capital facilities delivery industry recognizes the need to measure quality, but the fact that many projects utilize different execution models makes it difficult to standardize quality metrics. This lack of standardization leads to variability in performance assessment that can negatively affect an organization’s bottom line.

RT-313 developed a quality metrics framework to create industry-wide benchmarks that would be available for internal and external performance assessments, and to deliver a method for evaluating and measuring the effectiveness of new processes or ideas. The analysis of metrics can be used to improve project processes and reduce risks, waste, and errors, resulting in projects that meet desired performance, cost, and schedule targets. A consistent quality metric will lead to uniform improvement in the capital facilities delivery industry.

The RT-313 research determined that the following three enablers allow for measuring quality:

1. A common language allows each organization to use the existing data on unplanned outcomes (e.g., audit findings, observations, inspections, or test results) or unplanned events (e.g., variations to design, defects in products or errors in services requiring correction, and failure to provide a satisfactory deliverable to customer), using common definitions to map and filter them and providing a consistent measurement technique from project to project or between organizations.
2. A common quality metric can be applied throughout the entire capital project delivery life cycle. The metric can be utilized by all parties involved in the capital facilities delivery industry – owners, engineers, constructors, contractors, and suppliers – to benchmark performance in their organizations or within the industry. Since it replicates safety metrics, the common quality metric can be easily understood and adopted within an organization.
3. A defined work process or approach can enable each organization to establish a value case to meet its business plan and to use the metric to benchmark comparisons between projects, as well as to drive continuous improvement.