Independent Data for Quality-Management Design

Abstract

As designers, engineers provide the basis for the life-cycle quality of constructed facilities and serve as uniquely qualified master builders. For effective performance among the life-cycle stages, it is necessary to design quality-management systems or programs to be accomplished through specifications or special conditions. Materials engineers working on highways have developed objective programs that serve as examples and templates for the development of quality-management specifications. Programs being developed in workmanship expand the engineer’s ability to cover most quality issues and to establish general design practices. Similar programs are emerging in buildings. True values of conformance and performance must be determined through independent data programs. Independent data allow the engineer to serve the owner by connecting all life-cycle stages and optimizing performance among them. This paper demonstrates five material-testing and two workmanship-inspection programs that run independent evaluations; the resulting data interact to help engineers manage projects, programs, and systems.