QA / QC — Quality Assurance & Control

Quality is non-negotiable on every contract. The QA/QC module gives quality engineers, inspectors, and PMs a single workspace for inspection planning, NCR management, punch lists, material testing, and calibration tracking — with dashboards that let project leadership see quality health at a glance.

Overview

The module covers the full quality lifecycle:

• Plan: ITPs (Inspection & Test Plans) per discipline / activity.
• Execute: Inspections (RFI / WIR), checklist items, witness points.
• Identify: NCRs (Non-Conformance Reports) and punch list items.
• Resolve: rework, re-inspect, close.
• Verify: material test reports, calibration certificates.
• Report: quality dashboards, KPIs, regulatory submissions.

Screenshot: QA/QC dashboard with NCR aging, punch-list closure rate, and ITP coverage

Key concepts

ITP — Inspection & Test Plan. A pre-defined sequence of inspections required for a specific activity (e.g., "Concrete pour ≤ 50 m³"). ITPs are templates linked to BOQ items.

Inspection. A single instance of an ITP item — INS-2026-0042. Has a scheduled date, an inspector, witness points (client, consultant), checklist items, photos, and a final disposition.

Checklist item. A boolean (Pass/Fail/NA) or measurement (with target + tolerance) within an inspection. Each item can attach evidence (photo, document).

NCR — Non-Conformance Report. A formal record that work does not meet specification. Has severity, root cause, corrective action, re-inspection, and closure.

Punch list. A list of remaining defects at handover or milestone. Items have a status (open / in-progress / closed / verified) and a target close date.

Material test report. Lab results for cube tests, soil tests, asphalt cores, etc. Stored with the test certificate and linked to the BOQ line.

Calibration certificate. Periodic calibration record for site instruments (level, total station, slump cone). Expiry tracked with alerts.

Step-by-step: schedule and run an inspection

1. Quality → Inspections → New.
2. Pick the BOQ line / activity, ITP template, and scheduled date.
3. Add witness points (client, consultant).
4. Assign the inspector.
5. On the scheduled date, the inspector opens the inspection on mobile, runs through checklist items, captures photos, and submits the disposition.
6. If accepted, the BOQ line becomes claimable on the next IPC. If rejected, an NCR is auto-created.

Step-by-step: raise an NCR

1. Quality → NCRs → New (or auto-created from a failed inspection).
2. Describe the non-conformance, attach evidence, set severity.
3. Assign root cause and corrective action.
4. Assign responsible person and target close date.
5. Once the corrective action is complete, the NCR is submitted for re-inspection.
6. After successful re-inspection, the NCR is closed.

Step-by-step: manage punch list

1. Quality → Punch list → New item during handover or commissioning walk.
2. Geo-tag the item, photograph, describe the defect, assign owner.
3. As items are fixed, contractors mark Ready for verification.
4. The QA engineer verifies and closes.
5. Punch list status feeds the substantial completion dashboard.

Common tasks

• Find inspections by date: Quality → Calendar view.
• Bulk schedule: import ITP from BOQ — every BOQ line with a matching template gets a scheduled inspection.
• Export NCR register: PDF or Excel.
• Set up calibration alerts: 30 / 14 / 7 days before expiry.
• Material test trends: Quality → Reports → Material tests → Trends for cube strength over time, etc.

Troubleshooting

• "Inspector got the inspection but can't sign off." — Witness points may be required and not yet signed. Check the witness column.
• "NCR keeps re-opening after I close it." — Re-inspection failed. The closure rule is "close only after a passing re-inspection".
• "Punch list item is closed but appears as open on dashboard." — Dashboard refreshes hourly.
• "Calibration alert never fired." — Check the instrument's calibration_due_date field is populated.

Permissions reference

Permission	Who needs it
QC_INSPECTION_CREATE	QA/QC engineers
QC_INSPECTION_SIGN	Inspectors
QC_NCR_CREATE	QA/QC engineers
QC_NCR_CLOSE	Senior QA/QC
QC_PUNCH_VERIFY	QA/QC engineers
QC_MATERIAL_TEST_UPLOAD	Lab coordinators
QC_CALIBRATION_MANAGE	QA/QC engineers

See also: HSE, BOQ, IPC, DMS.