In-house Design Reviews & Quality Assurance
In-house Design Reviews & Quality Assurance
(OP)
A question has come up about what is 'typical' in the industry regarding Civil/Structural and other engineering discipline internal reviews of designs. In my former days with Bechtel every set of design calculations and sketches was checked by another engineer within the group and signed off on. But that is my only experience with this. What is the standard practice in most private firms (I now work for a state agency) for in-house quality assurance and checking before the sealed drawings go out the door? Are there any 'industry' guidelines about this? Is there a difference between practice in big shops like Bechtel and smaller firms? Thanks for any input.
/jc
/jc






RE: In-house Design Reviews & Quality Assurance
RE: In-house Design Reviews & Quality Assurance
I have worked in small, medium, and large firms. The QA process was similar in each, though certainly more formalized in the large firm. I am currently in a medium size firm and we are in the process of formalizing these procedures as we feel it is necessary for "protected" growth.
The small firm I worked in was my own, starting out alone and building a staff. I had come from a large firm before starting out. One of the things I missed most about the large firm was the ability to "bounce things" off other engineers. I ultimately developed enough staff to do this internally, but it took a while. When I sold out to a large firm, I was immediately placed back in that large "comfort zone" of a formalized QA program and review of everything.
I have been one of those "technical reviewers" for close to 20 years and I am a firm believer in that "second set of eyes" looking at everything...calcs, written reports, drawings, contracts, file documentation, etc. I am amazed at some of the things I have had to change or redirect from experience engineers over the years.
Ron
RE: In-house Design Reviews & Quality Assurance
RE: In-house Design Reviews & Quality Assurance
/jc
RE: In-house Design Reviews & Quality Assurance
I believe that the last post of yours refers to peer review and I don't have any experience with that other than to know it exist.
RE: In-house Design Reviews & Quality Assurance
There are peer review programs with which firms can become involved (American Council of Engineering Companies-ACEC and others). You can also set up a peer review network locally. Either would be beneficial. In general, peer reviews do not include any responsibility by the reviewer for the work that is reviewed, just an opinion as to its QA issues.
RE: In-house Design Reviews & Quality Assurance
Furthermore the intrusion (for as performed so can be many times) can be used and is a non despicable number of times used to further agendas not precisely on account of the good engineering, but to removal of the standing engineering team by another invisibly linked to the quality reviewing party, or to unwarrantedly encroach upon the fame of others).
That is, the problem is that the second pair of eyes not are always looking with good eyes, but as preying ones.
So I have nothing bad to say about ensuring quality, but I am not partisan of letting enter the fox into the barn. For the process not to produce the bad effects potential and actually seen, a more collaborative than competitive mind setup is required.
See, the works in a highway here have damaged through settlement another aqueduct of old. In days the reparation scheme has doubled in cost! Yes, better of course, but, I mean, Is it technical quality about we are talking about or are there always other agendas that deeply distort this?
RE: In-house Design Reviews & Quality Assurance
Just wandering
rentapen