Using Verification and Validation in Construction Projects to Improve Quality Management
The construction business is one of the oldest in the United States, dating back to the creation of the first skyscrapers and railways. Despite its long history, it continues to develop. Every year there are new breakthroughs and systems with brand-new acronyms; in recent years, we’ve seen CAD, BIM, and P3 among
V and V (V & V) is a cutting-edge technology that is growing in popularity. Originally employed in military systems procedures for the military, aerospace, and medical industries, V & V is becoming increasingly incorporated into overall quality management systems outside of its original target audience to capture needs and demonstrate compliance. In the infrastructure design and construction sector, V
WHAT IS V AND V? What is the difference between V and V?
ISVR and V are both components of ISO 9001, the worldwide standard for quality management systems, which has been in use for some time in system engineering. There is value in extending systems engineering to non-technical industries.
Systems engineering is described by the International Council of Systems Engineers (INCOSE) as follows: “An interdisciplinary approach and method for achieving successful systems. It emphasizes the early definition of customer needs and required functionality, recording requirements, then moving on to system synthesis and validation while considering the whole problem.”
In construction projects, being able to precisely record consumer requirements and required functionality, as well as guarantee compliance with them, is particularly important. V and V are paired independent quality review processes that are used to ensure that a product satisfies design specifications and functions as intended.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MEMBERSHIP?
On ordinary construction projects, requirements and scope are delivered ad hoc from a variety of sources. Typically, these criteria arrive at various phases in the project’s lifecycle. These are frequently responsible for numerous last-minute changes, which result in delays and cost escalation. The ability to incorporate such modifications into an output that satisfies the requirements of the customer is reliant
The contractor may have a difficult time demonstrating the product’s quality and compliance since the evidence to work with is limited. Some construction projects have attempted to use V and V, but they did so too late in the process by including it at the very end, during site inspection and acceptance. This causes businesses to attempt to evaluate the quality of a finished good
HOW TO IMPLEMENT V AND V IN CONSTRUCTION
In its most basic sense, it refers to a construction project:
- Verification is used to ensure that an infrastructure structure fulfils a set of criteria.
- Validation is used to ensure that the finished project fulfils the operational needs of the user. In other words, ensuring that
V and V are two methods of project management. A team and system must be developed to allow project requirements to be collected, understood, and sent out to all personnel. The procedure must be incorporated into the design and construction processes. Establishing a V and V team in a different location with separate documentation that is never used provides no benefit. Communication
The V and V processes, once established, provide evidence, usually at the conclusion of the design stage and after completion, that all requirements have been met. A small team is needed to assist with the process’s implementation and overall management, but normal operations are unaffected.
Plan Ahead
A strategy for implementing the processes must be prepared before beginning V and V implementation. The what, when, how, and who are outlined so that the process may be understood early on, avoiding reactive actions to unforeseen events as the project progresses. Benjamin Franklin added, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Capturing Requirements
This is the most important stage in the procedure: Establish a single repository for all project demands from the start. This motivates V and V to enter into day-to-day design and construction processes.
The process of documenting requirements is typically done in specialized computer software, allowing users to connect the needs and determine their applicability. Using widely available basic quality management solutions, it may also be completed with ease. It’s critical to develop a list of good technical criteria.
Design Stage
It may be used throughout the design and construction process in a variety of ways, such as the ones listed below.
The results may be sorted by requirements that are important to the project and/or organization. Designers can use filtering to find out which criteria are relevant for their design package. Having a comprehensive list of large infrastructure projects where design needs might be hundreds of pages long makes this process much easier.
Reviews are completed by expert film critics who use the list, with supporting evidence, to conduct their reviews. The project manager may simply identify any changes to the project’s scope.
As the design develops, designers must preserve any documentation that demonstrates adherence to each requirement in the list.
Verification
The requirements list is submitted to the client before construction begins to show that all demands have been satisfied. This is generally done by using links to the correct design drawing, report, or authorized papers.
Construction Stage
This is where the requirements list comes in. It’s similar to the design phase, as it allows monitoring of progress against standards and criteria. It gives site engineers a mechanism to assess changes while also providing a baseline against which they may compare them.
The site engineers document the emerging evidence that confirms compliance with the criteria. This is accomplished through on-site inspections, test reports, measurements and pictures.
Validation
Validation demonstrates that the requirements have been met—or will be when the finished, completed product is assessed. The list of requirements is again submitted to the customer with links to, as appropriate, the necessary evidence.
BENEFITS OF V AND V IN CONSTRUCTION
V and V processes are not limited to other sectors. There are a number of advantages for contractors to adopt a V and V approach. The following are some of the benefits for the contractor.
- All necessary standards will be recognized, removing rework due to missing crucial criteria.
- Changes to requirements are easy to track and can be agreed upon, minimizing the risk of litigation.
- Demob and mobilise on to the following project, which is completed more quickly.
- It also provides a certificate of ISO9001 accreditation, which demonstrates to clients that the firm takes quality seriously and enhances its brand.
The following are some of the advantages for the customer.
- The contractor must deliver a product that satisfies the needs of the customer. The contractor’s methodical approach has lowered the likelihood of making a mistake.
- It’s time to have some fun again and create something new
- External auditing should be simple and straightforward. Revise the processes and build infrastructure in a way that meets regulations, standards, and best practices.
The V and V process is a method that helps respond to changes in project requirements and delays, as well as cost overruns. Despite its origins in the systems field, it’s apparent that the V and V process can help solve numerous problems. To get the most out of it, adequate planning and implementation of the V and V process into the overall infrastructure.
Do you want to know more about remodelling or building a new facility? Are you concerned about hidden expenses and unforeseen charges? Continue reading to learn how the most experienced businesses mitigate this risk by using a Mechanical and Electrical Validation Survey. We recommend visiting ECS Commissioning for more information.