Optimizing nonconformity management in construction

Quality control and compliance with environmental requirements have become major issues in the construction sector, both for the durability of structures and regulatory compliance and for a company's reputation. Despite well-established processes and rigorous checks, nonconformities can arise at various stages of a project: workmanship defects, non-compliant materials, polluting discharges, and more. In a context where standards-based and contractual requirements are increasingly strict, nonconformity management is now an essential continuous-improvement practice.

Time-consuming and laborious nonconformity tracking

The quality and environment department of a large French construction group contacted BlueKanGo to digitalise its nonconformity management. They had put in place a rigorous field process for nonconformities, requiring a sequential approval chain at each stage of tracking and handling the actions taken. The goal is to be able to track, trace, and measure the effectiveness of the entire nonconformity management process.

However, their in-house tool was not suited to this level of complexity and did not account for the group's business-specific and regional particularities. Each region manages about sixty projects and records around 20 nonconformities per month. QHSE officers spent a lot of time checking, following up with, and tracking each action owner to make sure nonconformities were being handled.

The need was therefore for a modular tool with robust workflows that could adapt to the specifics of each region and each project, while collecting reliable data that could be processed at the group level.

How did BlueKanGo meet this need?

BlueKanGo's QHSE engineers held several meetings with the construction company's quality and environment department to propose a custom solution. It is based on several pre-packaged modules: Project Profile forms, Nonconformity forms, Root Cause Analysis, and Action forms. All of them are linked to one another to avoid re-entering data. These forms are adapted specifically to meet the group's needs:

• The Project forms are connected directly to their ERP to automatically collect project information. A form is opened for each new project and closed once the project is complete.

• The Nonconformity form is shared across the group and is organized to adapt to regional specifics as well as to individual projects.

• Documents from the EDM (Electronic Document Management) system, such as specifications, can be attached to nonconformities so they can be accessed quickly.

• The root-cause-analysis and action data are carried over into the Nonconformity forms. These are generated and sent automatically to stakeholders in a shared document template, customized in the project's colours.

• Stakeholders are given restricted access to the BlueKanGo platform, allowing them to approve and track the various stages.

In addition, a cascading approval chain was built to respect the group's current process, taking into account the specific players in each region and project. Every change is tracked. E-signature is offered internally, while stakeholders are subject to a final sign-off by electronic signature through their usual provider.

What are the benefits in the field?

Information reporting

As soon as a nonconformity is identified, it is entered along with its root cause analysis directly on the BlueKanGo platform, using a tablet or smartphone. Thanks to the associated workflow, it is sent directly to the various players involved, including the project manager and the quality and environment officer. Back-and-forth exchanges between decision-makers can take place if needed, until the choice of remedies and actions is approved collectively.

Action tracking

Action owners are alerted immediately by email and/or directly on the platform. They are followed up with as needed, according to the deadline set beforehand. Once their tasks are complete, the works supervisor and the project manager are notified so they can jointly verify conformity in the field. Supporting evidence is attached for traceability.

As soon as all the actions have been resolved and verified, the quality and environment officer is alerted to close the Nonconformity form. A summary PDF of this form is then sent to the client for electronic signature.

Reporting

Quality and environment officers can filter entries, for example by project or by type of nonconformity, to analyze recurrences. These can be viewed graphically in the dashboard. This data can be extracted to support quality meetings or to be consolidated within the construction group's Power BI reports.

In short, what does it change?

Thanks to the workflow, carrying out the process becomes more seamless. Quality and environment officers save valuable time in tracking and updating forms and in following up with the various action owners. This lets them focus on higher-value tasks.

The short, regular updates to the digital tool ensure business continuity. Changes are archived and evidence is properly managed.

Consolidating data and communicating results become easier. Dashboards are updated in real time, allowing field teams to respond quickly. For its part, the group's quality and environment department relies on a clear view of costs and consequences to make its strategic decisions.

What comes next?

In a second phase, the construction group wants to digitalise its management of deficiencies raised at the end of a project. BlueKanGo will analyze their needs with them to create a custom module that meets those needs.

Certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, they will also find value in the self-assessment frameworks in the BlueKanGo EHS software to best prepare for their ISO audits.