2025 Supervising Engineer Exam: Quality Control

• The material is for the 2025 Supervising Engineer Exam, focusing on construction project target control in hydraulic engineering, specifically a textbook-strengthening course.
• The course covers "Construction Engineering Quality Control" and focuses on project quality control

Course Chapters

• Chapter 1: Overview of Hydraulic Engineering Quality Control (rated 4 stars)

• Chapter 2: Quality Control in the Construction Phase of Engineering (rated 3 stars)

• Chapter 3: Quality Control Points for Professional Engineering Construction (rated 5 stars)

• Chapter 4: Quality Inspection and Acceptance of Hydraulic Engineering

• Chapter 5: Quality Defects and Accidents in Hydraulic Engineering (rated 5 stars)

• Chapter 6: Statistical Analysis Methods for Engineering Quality Control (rated 3 stars)

• This course covers the first passage: Construction Project Quality Control worth 64 points

• This section includes 32 single-choice questions and 16 multiple-choice questions

Chapter Breakdown

• Chapter 1 (Overview of Hydraulic Engineering Quality Control) is worth 5 points
• Chapter 2 (Quality Control in the Construction Phase of Engineering) is worth 8 points
• Chapter 3 (Quality Control Points for Professional Engineering Construction) is worth 12 points
• Chapter 4 (Quality Inspection and Acceptance of Hydraulic Engineering) is worth 15 points
• Chapter 5 (Quality Defects and Accidents in Hydraulic Engineering) is worth 15 points
• Chapter 6 (Statistical Analysis Methods for Engineering Quality Control) is worth 9 points

Chapter 1: Overview of Construction Engineering Quality Control (Estimated 8 points)

• This chapter has 3 sections of study material: Basic Concepts, Hydraulic Engineering Quality Management System, Hydraulic Engineering Quality Management Responsibility System

Section 1: Basic Concepts

• Quality is defined as the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics of an object fulfills requirements
• Quality possesses both timeliness and relativity

Quality Characteristics

• Quality is inherent, not assigned
• Quality characteristics serve as the basis for evaluation, inspection, and assessment

Physical, Functional and Temporal Properties

• Physical: Strength, hardness, acid and alkali resistance, corrosion resistance, seepage prevention, and freeze-thaw resistance
• Functional: Characteristics relate to flood control, power generation, irrigation, and water supply
• Temporal characteristics relate to reliability and sustainability

Quality Control

• Quality control is the part of quality management focused on meeting quality requirements
• The goal is to meet customer and stakeholder requirements, meet expectations for products or services, and continuously improve product or service quality

Quality Assurance

• Quality assurance, a component of quality management, aims to provide confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled.
• Methods include supplier qualification, documented evidence, user testimonials, audits, and certifications from recognized bodies.
• Quality assurance is divided into external (evidence for users) and internal (evidence for managers) types

Internal vs External

• Internal quality assurance is a management tool, while external quality assurance is the end goal
• Quality control is the part of quality management that focuses on fulfilling quality requirements.
• The goal of quality control is to meet quality requirements

Quality Management

• Quality management includes setting quality policies, quality goals, and achieving these goals through planning, assurance, control, and improvement.
• Policies are the organization's goals and direction, officially released by top management.
• Objectives are what the organization intends to achieve

Components of Quality Management

• Quality Planning: Involves defining quality objectives and specifying the necessary processes and resources to achieve those objectives.
• Quality Improvement: Focuses on increasing the ability to meet quality requirements

Quality Control Refresher

• Quality control: a part of quality management, focuses on meeting quality requirements.

• Quality assurance: To guarantee the quality requirements can be trusted. (guarantees the products you deliver are high quality)

• Quality management: is a method to keep the quality high

• Total Quality Management (TQM) is expressed through "Total Quality Management, Total Process Quality Management, Total Staff Quality Management"

• TQM method consists of 4 stages and 8 steps, in a PDCA cycle

(PDCA) Cycle Steps

• Plan phase: Involves identifying the problem(s), arranging tasks, analyzing root causes and creating corresponding solutions and measures.
• Do phase: Implementing those solutions and measures.
• Check phase: Monitoring the effects of your implemented measures.
• Action phase: Focuses on solidifying and implementing successful measures and solutions, standardizing and institutionalizing the new methods, while looking for new problems for the next cycle and next area for improvement.

Core Aspects of TQM

• TQM is centered on quality, based on full participation of the staff, and is geared towards increasing long term success by satisfying both stakeholders and customers.
• The core of TQM is enhancing the caliber of individuals, boosting awareness of quality, fostering initiative, and improving the quality of both products and services

Key Viewpoints of TQM

• Quality-First Perspective: The ideological base for implementing and improving quality management
• User-Centric viewpoint: Is considered the essence of quality management

"Prevention First" Principle

• Shifts emphasis from final inspection to process control (quality in the production line)

Additional TQM Viewpoints

• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Utilizes statistical methods and relies on facts
• Comprehensive Management: Implements management across all personnel, processes, and departments

PDCA Cycles

• The process of planning, implementation, inspection, and action, is the foundation to improve engineering quality

Construction Engineering Quality Characteristics

• Functional performance refers to performance that ensures projects are built as expected (mechanical, structural, physical & chemical properties)
• Temporal performance relates to time that ensures the project functions correctly

Other construction considerations include:

• Economy (costs)
• Safety
• Coordination

Additional Quality characteristics include

• Mechanical: Strengths and elasticity of materials
• Physical/ Chemical: Dimension, corrosion, acidity and resistant properties
• Structural: Strength and stability
• Usage conditions: Does the dam control floods

Unique Features of Construction Engineering Quality

• Complex formation process
• Multiple influencing factors
• Quality concealment
• Large volatility
• Limitations off final inspections

Construction Engineering Quality in Relation to Investment and Timeline

• Quality costs include prevention, appraisal, and failure.
• Prevention costs involves measures during the project to prevent defects (planning, training, assessments)
• Evaluation costs involves assessing the project's quality (inspections, maintenance, fees)

Failure costs

• Internal failure costs happen before the product is sold.
• External failure costs happen when a product fails and may cost the company money.
• External: Costs from the production of a damage product such as complaints, replacement of product, cost of recalls.
• Internal: Internal cost to deal with damages product such as quality control, cost of inspections.

Mandatory Standards

• Mandatory Standards are mandatory for companies to maintain requirements (standards that must be followed)
• In the hydraulic industry the mandatory requirements cover the full text of documentation, while other requirements may specify only mandatory text of documentation.

Water Resources and Hydropower Projects

• The Water Resources and Hydropower Projects involve the safety and regulation of concrete

Key Technical Requirements outlined

• Non-load-bearing Sidewall template: The concrete is strong and has the structural integrity after the framework is placed in and removed with no cosmetic issues

Concrete Structure Requirements

• Armature structures should have at least 2.5Mpa or greater for strength (25 newtons for every square millimetre)
• ISO standardized components include: ISO9000, ISO9001ISO 9004, ISO 9011

ISO 9000 standards have these qualities of service:

• Customer attention
• Leadership
• Staff involvement

Additional qualities of service include

• Process approach for problem solving
• Maintain quality standards
• Consistently improve quality
• Take facts into account
• Work with your supplier

Section 2: Hydraulic Engineering Quality Management System

• Law and regulations: If a building is not up to standard it cannot be used.
• If a construction is built poorly then the people who constructed it will need to: Improve building quality, pay for all fees.
• Buildings should be built according to local standards, and alterations should be reported to headquarters

National Quality Law

• National standards apply equally to all construction
• Companies must provide a letter of guarantee that clarifies building integrity
• Hydraulic projects must be inspected by the state

Regulatory Compliance

• Project owners are responsible for their constructions and regulations
• The state is the body who will make sure compliance is in effect
• Always comply with the law to ensure ethical operation
• There are serious consequences of unethical building construction

New regulations in effect as of Aug 2023 issues from the Ministry of Water Resources.

• These state that by 2025, we should see much better quality in the construction business and more improvements. And aim to be modernized by 2035.

Section 3: Hydraulic Engineering Quality Management Responsibility System

Principal and Corporate Responsibilities

• Issue infrastructure to qualified contractors
• They must legally build, advertise and follow the protocols
• They must share building materials or be penalized

Safety Standards

• Do not force builders nor reduce working hours in building codes

• There are laws to protect company and workers, so be sure to uphold and advertise them legally.

• Building construction companies must have the responsibility to create construction drawing and documentation

• Documentation and other aspects are important so be sure to review them effectively

• Owners are inspected for ethical treatment of workers and safety

• The infrastructure must have the main company that build it labelled and listed to be monitored publicly

Construction Company Responsibilities

• Owners are in charge to make sure workers are being treated ethically.
• After the building is built create permanent markers that label responsible parties.

Design, Survey Standards

• Ensure the integrity, testing and other data is accurate
• Conduct survey, analyze and design document
• Ensure the date is correct when designing a project

The owner must include these factors

• Design specifications, dimension specifications and performance
• Designer must take account environmental impact and the use of equipment

Construction, regulations and project must provide all equipment for designer to be properly used and maintained. The companies should also follow standards or there will be penalties such as: Quality incidents, Technical support resolutions

Engineering Supervision Unit Responsibility

• Supervise and execute all legal requirements on the sites.
• Always have a stationed engineering team
• Companies will need to maintain good communication and have supervision teams.
• Supervision is important to verify integrity and that the project is up to standard

Supervising Team Responsibilities

• Supervise the integrity of the project and the materials that will be used
• The supervisors should have the test sample as well as a licensed license

Additional Requirements

• There needs to be additional testing and it needs to be reported if equipment or materials don't meet standards
• Any falsification is to be punished, not tolerated
• Supervisions of the sites are important, and the engineers need to sign all documents.

Construction Company Responsibilities

• Companies must provide and achieve a standardized contract of design

• All companies will be in charge of construction equipment

• Any company with a contract will not allow another company to interfere

• Always give the best quality product and use them according to the local standards.

• Companies need to communicate with the engineers of what the projects needs

• There must also be testing of the samples on site to confirm project integrity

• Underqualified personnel will be penalized appropriately

New Compliance Rules

• The companies that test the quality are under set of rules.
• And the companies need to be of standard and in contract with.
• You must submit the documentation required and have the licensed standard certification or there could be falsification. These should be properly tested too.
• Companies should maintain a record of documentation and report to headquarters or the building will be set to close due to regulation standards.

Monitoring Agency Responsibilities

• Testing agencies need to have all equipment in good condition

• Integrity documents and testing needs to also be maintained

• Never fabricate testing, and do not suggest these be falsified

• Raw resources, testing and products need to be tested to confirm integrity and standards

Government Quality and Compliance

• Government must always be aware of quality of the project
• There should always be an inspection from a higher up in government to maintain quality standards
• These entities shall implement laws, and follow government guidelines

Government Action Plan

• Government need to verify ethical, responsibility and licensed personnel are executing designs from their company guidelines
• These governmental laws need to also follow the national guides
• The higher up in government has the right to conduct sampling across the building to maintain building standards are being adhered to