EMJ’s Dallas team is preparing to begin work on a new Cinemark project in Frisco, Texas. The project team recently held a Quality Planning Meeting to ensure that all team members are aligned with the client’s goals for the project’s design and execution.
George Heath, Vice President of Retail- Single Tenant, Phillip Crissman, Senior Superintendent, and Matt Connors, Project Manager, shared three key reasons why a Quality Planning Meeting is beneficial to any project:
1. Client values
Before each Quality Planning Meeting, EMJ’s Quality Department prepares an agenda that outlines topics and questions that assist construction teams in defining what quality issues are most important to a client. These concerns or challenges may relate to aesthetics, functionality, or maintainability, and knowledge of these enables the team to proactively tackle issues and prepare for execution.
“The client was very experienced working with other contractors on these types of projects, so he came in knowing exactly what he didn’t want,” George says. “He had prior issues with fire sprinkler layout, cleanliness of units, damage to floor finish and leaks. My team is keeping these issues in mind as we plan to ensure that his experience with EMJ is a positive one.”
2. Team buy-in
Before breaking ground, the meeting brings the project manager, preconstruction manager, project engineer, superintendent, quality manager, environmental and safety team members together, jump-starting relationship building and accountability.
“The meeting gets buy-in and puts everyone on the same page with the same goals,” Phillip says. “It engages all team members, strengthens relationships, and it doesn’t take a whole lot of time, but the value is considerable.”
3. Perspective
Each meeting participant reviews the project drawings based on their expertise and previous experience. Bringing these project participants together in a safe space to explore ideas and be transparent about concerns for the project gives all team members a deeper understanding of the project as they analyze variables.
“Each team member has their own experience and lessons learned that they bring to the project. We all view the documents with the filter of, ‘What can we do to give this client a really high-quality project and experience?’ and these are the ways we can improve,” says Matt. “It’s extremely valuable.”
George and the team are set to begin construction of Cinemark on December 1, with completion of the new facility scheduled for September 2018.
Interested in hosting a Quality Planning Meeting on your next project? Contact Jonathan Horne, Director of Quality Assurance, for details at jonathan.horne@emjcorp.com.