A Quality Management System (QMS) can help improve a business’ operational efficiency, saving time and resources as well avoiding any nasty surprises.
Improving processes not only focuses a practice’s activities, but it engages and motivates staff, promoting continual development.
Every RIBA Chartered Practice is required to have a QMS in place. It is seen as a part of the professional service that clients can expect and is a demonstration that a practice is run effectively.
However, there is a good case for all practices, whether Chartered or not, to develop their own QMS from the word go.
Large Chartered Practices (with over 51 staff) must adopt an externally certified QMS satisfying the almost universal quality assurance standard: ISO 9001. For some clients, particularly those in public sector, having ISO 9001 in place is a prerequisite of bidding for work.
Small Chartered Practices (up to ten staff) are only required to prepare a Project Quality Plan (PQP) for each project to satisfy the minimum RIBA requirement for Chartered Status.
Medium Chartered Practices must use PQPs, but are also required to have a QMS management system in place.
"I think every practice can benefit from working in a methodical way, as required by a QMS, because it leads to better efficiency and a better quality of service," states architect Asif Malik.
Malik helped put together a new, revised version of the RIBA CP Quality Management System . This toolkit, which is based on ISO 9001, offers a template for a Project Quality Plan, a worked example of a QMS system and associated office procedures, and standard forms.
"If you set up standards, you will streamline your practice and be able to work in a much more efficient way," Malik counsels. "The important thing is that a QMS should not be regarded as a bolt-on, but as the basis of the practice methodology."
These RIBA documents are all that most practices will need to set up their own QMS, he suggests. For small practices just starting on the road to quality assurance, the process is relatively simple.
"It is a creative process, as every practice needs to assess its own systems and way of working before deciding what to do."
He believes it might take about six months for a medium-sized practice to become confident in its use of a QMS; though he has recently helped project managers at a small practice achieve full ISO 9001 accreditation in eight months.
For practices seeking ISO accreditation the biggest obstacle is, Malik often finds, top-level commitment. "A practice will typically appoint a suitable Quality Manager. But you need a good Quality Director too," he maintains.
"There should be committed support at board level. And everyone, all the way down the line, should be aware of quality and its benefits."
"There is a bit of work in setting up a QMS, but then it’s a case of just keeping it ticking over," he states. "Quality management might require a day per week at setting-up stage but, once it’s set up, only half a day or less: activities such as audits, making sure paperwork up-to-date and keeping everyone in the firm in the loop."
Thanks to Asif Malik, Architectural Practice Management Consultant.
Text by Neal Morris. This is a Professional Feature edited by the RIBA Practice team. Send us your feedback and ideas
RIBA Core Curriculum Topic: Business, clients and services.
As part of the flexible RIBA CPD programme, Professional Features count as microlearning. See further information on the updated RIBA CPD Core Curriculum and on fulfilling your CPD requirements as an RIBA Chartered Member.
Posted on 28 March 2019.
