Quality in Construction

Code:

EC0067

Acronym:

QCON

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Building Construction

Instance: 2018/2019 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Building Division
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Civil Engineering

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIEC	49	Syllabus since 2006/2007	5	-	5	60	133

Teaching language

Portuguese and english

Objectives

JUSTIFICATION:

The concepts of quality management, originally developed in an environment of classic industrial production series, expanded to the field of construction industry. However, the production and operational context in which they must be understood and applied is completely different, so it makes sense to address the various techniques and strategies that can also lead to production systems with a high level of quality control but directed to the product characteristics not repetitive, which contributes to an array of professional and components in very large numbers and very distinct profiles.

 OBJECTIVES:

- To provide a wide comprehension of the specifics of the civil construction production environment; 
- To test the established student's knowledge in different and less common situations; 
- To demonstrate the importance of non-technical factors for the work of a Civil Engineer; 
- To present the framework and application of TQM and other Quality issues in the civil construction environment; 
- To define criteria for quality assessment depending on the position of the person involved; 
- To be critic upon one's own work; 
- To analyse and explore methodologies for increased efficiency in individual and collective work; 
- To develop just good common sense.

Learning outcomes and competences

SKILLS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Knowledge: To describe the main concepts of quality systems and standards and identify the fields where they can be applied in the specific areas of design, site control and production of construction works. To list the parameters involved in the diverse scopes of company activity.

Understanding: To interpret and manipulate the written and drawn elements which are part of construction design documents. Identify the characteristics of construction elements and associate them to parameters describing its performance in terms of functional and economic efficiency. To select operational and company information suitable to be used as KPIs Key Performance Indicators.

Application: To establish procedures for mapping the several conceptual and constructive options available in order to identify the most efficient according to the required perspectives. To calculate and organize statistical information aiming at the identification of good practices.

Analysis: To arrange the results of the application of evaluation methodologies in order to enable the choice of the best cost/efficiency solutions. To relate the results of several indicators so that tendencies and cross-influences can be identified.

Synthesis: To propose new solutions to improve construction quality and short/long term sustainability. To formulate proposals for changes in operational procedures or company strategy.

Evaluation: To scrutinize the methodologies and concepts presented and foresee the evolution they may follow.

Engineering design: To deal with real-life design elements and attempt to develop more efficient solutions in what concerns functionality/cost/benefit.

Engineering research: To identify the several technical and scientific sources available in the web (mainly through FEUP’s Library Portal) and its applicability in each national context.

Engineering practice: To know and contact with the information provided by actual companies and reflect on its meaning regarding the future sustainability of the construction business, both nationally and internationally.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

General background at Bachelor level, followed by courses at MSc level spanning the various areas of Civil Engineering.

Program

1 INTRODUCTION - Presentation of the Module and its procedures. Motivation of the students to assume a position of pre-professionals and not just graduating pupils. Emphasis for the open discussion planned for the classes.

2. THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY - Detailed description of the activity sequence needed to achieve a building end the functions performed by each actor. Specific stressing for the relationships between these activities in order to obtain a complete and real image of the operating way for the industry. The building as "current good" perspective.

3. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PORTUGUESE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY - Procedures to evaluate productivity and performance. The british KPI. Global information and by operation/project. Benchmarking and the approaches from other industries. Performance indicators possible to use in Portugal. The icBench platform.

4. LEAN CONSTRUCTION - The Lean Production philosophy and its transposition for the construction industry. Notion of waste in production. Lean Construction techniques and approaches and areas for its application in the CI. Lean Design and Value Engineering.

5. DESIGN QUALITY EVALUATION METHODS - Demonstration of the advantages of a logical analysis of the activities sequence and design options. Understanding the existence of a wide database of sucesses and failures and how to use it to increase the quality of the final product. Use of MC/FEUP Method for the establishment of a conscience upon the different influence of all factors contributing for the development of a specific design.

6. RISK ANALYSIS IN CONSTRUCTION - How to appraise risk in the development of any construction activity. The FMEA – Failure Modes and Effects Analysis approach applied to construction. Risk levels and contingency plans. Defining Severity according to the mesuarable conditions of a construction work.

7. DEFINITION OF QUALITY - Presentation of the Quality lexicon and explanation of its diverse frames. The ISO 9000:2000 and ISO 9001:2008 standards. The new ISO 9001:2015 standard. Explanation, in current words and with easy examples, of quality assurance procedures. Common questions and wrong ideas existing in current public opinion.

8. PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY - Conscience of the wide diversity of technical and cultural profiles existing in this environment. Importance of hierarqy and aspects to be looked after while dealing with the different levels of competence and action.

9. THE ORGANISATION OF THE WORK OF THE CIVIL CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONAL - To orientate the students in their first professional investments. How to mainatin a weel organised activity. How to develop documents adjusted to its technical purpose and recipients.

10. THE PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVES FOR THE FUTURE CIVIL ENGINEER - To describe to the students the various professional areas and their contours – both technical and economic – in particular concerning new graduates. The effort for developing quality work and strains to be dealt with in this trend.

Scientific content – 40%
Technologic content – 60%

DEMONSTRATION OF THE SYLLABUS COHERENCE WITH THE CURRICULAR UNIT'S OBJECTIVES:
The concepts of quality management, originally developed in an environment of classic industrial production series, expanded to the field of construction industry. However, the production and operational context in which they must be understood and applied is completely different, so it makes sense to address the various techniques and strategies that can also lead to production systems with a high level of quality control but directed to the product characteristics not repetitive, which contributes to an array of professional and components in very large numbers and very distinct profiles.

Mandatory literature

Ver Obs.; Ver Obs. (All references will be made available in digital format and placed in the "Contents" folder of the course unit's web page.)

Comments from the literature

All references will be made available in digital format and placed in the "Contents" folder of the course unit's web page.

Teaching methods and learning activities

- 1 session for Lectures and Application Classes, with 4 hours per week and per class.
- The class in which all foreign students will be enrolled will be taught in English.
- Introduction of the themes by stages, mixed with small courseworks to be developed during the class period; application courseworks to be developed individually between classes, connected with the theme under analysis.
- Individual Coursework with scope to be presented in the first week of November.2018. To be delivered until the end of the classes' period (21.12.2018).

DEMONSTRATION OF THE COHERENCE BETWEEN THE TEACHING METHODOLOGIES AND THE LEARNING OUTCOMES: To establish the mapping process and various conceptual constructive solutions in order to identify the most efficient from the desired point of view. Calculate and organize statistical information orientated to the identification of good practices. Rank the results from the application of assessment methodologies to enable the selection of the best cost/efficiency. To relate the results of several indicators to identify trends and mutual influences. Propose new solutions for enhancing the build quality and sustainability in the short and long term. Formulate proposals for changes in procedures or business strategies.

keywords

Technological sciences > Engineering > Civil engineering

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	25,00
Trabalho escrito	75,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	36,00
Frequência das aulas	44,00
Trabalho de campo	48,00
Trabalho de investigação	24,00
Total:	152,00

Eligibility for exams

Achieving final classification requires compliance with attendance at the course unit, according to the MIEC assessment rules. It is considered that students meet the attendance requirements if, having been regularly enrolled, the number of absences of 25% for each of the classes’ types is not exceeded. In the case of this course, 12 of these are planned, therefore the absence limit will be 3.

Calculation formula of final grade

A. Distributed evaluation

1. Courseworks to be developed and presented in class = Groups of 3-4 students. 25%

2. Application courseworks = Individual courseworks to be delivered by e-mail. 25%

3. Individual coursework = To be delivered until 21.Dec.2018. 25%

B. Final Exam

4. Exam = Time allowed 1h00, no access to references. 8 multiple choice questions and an open answer question. 25%

C. Final grade = (1.)*25%+(2.)*25%+(3.)*25%+(4.)*25%


NOTE: in what concerns the previous items, the lowest grades of 2 Class Courseworks (item 1) and 1 Application Coursework (item 2) wil be discarded (not delivered = 0).

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not applicable.

Internship work/project

Not applicable.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Not applicable for mobility students.

Classification improvement

Items (1.) and (2.) - no improvement possible, as they are developed during classes. Item (3.) - possibility of improving the coursework, to be delivered until the date of the resit examination. Item (4.) - improvement in resit examination

Observations

Prior knowledge: ideally all course units of the Building Construction scientific area of the course. Failure in the Project Management or Construction Management units of the course can lead to higher difficulty.

Knowledge of Excel or similar spreadsheet applications highly reccomended.