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Job Readiness and Cycle Time Key to Profits
As builders look for ways to decrease their cycle time and increase the efficiency of their business to improve their bottom line, the National Housing Quality program of the NAHB Research Center is including in its best practices a time-saving, documented quality assurance plan that reinforces job-ready conditions.
Job readiness starts with open, two-way communication, according to the center’s Quality Matters E-Newsletter.
“The key to reducing cycle time and getting the job done right the first time includes breaking down the barriers to communication and reinforcing the terms up front,” according to the publication. “How can a trade contractor know what is expected if it hasn’t been addressed? Since most trades do work for more than one builder, there are varying practices that can become habit. What works for one builder might not apply to others, and vice versa. Beyond a builder communicating his expectations, the trade contractor should also indicate his terms and what is needed from the builder to do the job well.”
Builders and their trade partners should discuss the terms at the start of the job and then document the requirements for job readiness before work can begin at each major stage, the newsletter advises. The scope of work should also include procedures for dealing with partially ready jobs, including appropriate communications with home owners as needed.
“When these conditions are not met, communication breaks down and progress comes to a halt. Field managers should reinforce these requirements to prevent trade contractor overlap and improve safety as much as possible. If several work crews are hovering over the same site waiting for their turn, it’s safe to assume that everyone involved is losing money. Hiring trades with a formal quality assurance process in place helps to ensure that job-ready conditions are met consistently,” the newsletter says.
By addressing job readiness as a process rather than a problem, builders and trades can identify and resolve issues that keep cropping up. The following model is suggested as a guide for remedying recurring problems at their source:
- PLAN — Plan how to meet expectations.
- DO — Perform the work accordingly.
- CHECK — Measure performance; confirm that the plan is being carried out properly.
- ACT— Act on findings to continuously improve the plan and process.
To learn more about the National Housing Quality program, visit the NHQ Web pages, or e-mail Don Carr, the NHQ Certified Builder program manager, or call him at the Research Center at 800-638-8556.
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