Quality at every step

20.10.23

Smooth processes, efficient and safe working methods, adherence to schedules, flawless end results, and seamless collaboration with partners and customers are evident in the satisfaction of all parties at the end of a project and also in NYAB’s success. High quality is the best way to maintain a good reputation and, therefore, ensure future projects.

All parties undoubtedly strive to ensure high quality, but it is natural that it is not always achieved. Deviation can be caused by various factors, such as the testing of new materials and work methods, changes in conditions and requirements, schedule pressures, growing efficiency targets, and the management of chained contracts. Therefore, quality assurance requires continuous improvement.

At NYAB, quality has been made a continuous focus, even though the current state is good according to customer surveys. Hanna-Kaisa Vesa, who started as NYAB’s Quality Manager in Finland earlier this year, is tasked with continuing to develop the working methods. “Quality is a natural part of our company culture and everyday work. We achieve our goals through collaboration, so every employee is responsible for our quality. It has been nice to notice that NYAB has a positive attitude towards the quality of work. It is important to understand that things are not documented in systems due to bureaucracy, but data is used to improve operations,” Hanna-Kaisa summarizes.

Collaboration is the foundation of everything

Hanna-Kaisa works closely with Minna Vartiainen, responsible for occupational safety, and Hanna Turunen, Quality Manager at Sitema. In addition, Hanna-Kaisa reports results and shares information about quality with the company’s management. Many companies have joined NYAB, so there is still some variation in operational methods and systems. Standardization has already been done to some extent, but there is still some work to be done in that area. “The needs of NYAB’s construction and electricity network business are quite different from Sitema, which offers design services. In addition, Niskanen Maansiirto has its own quality system. It is not worth trying to fit everything into the same mold, but common working methods are created to serve the functions,” Hanna-Kaisa points out.

Developing quality requires systematic work and controlled processes, but Hanna-Kaisa sees collaboration as the most important factor. “I want to share knowledge and understanding with employees because quality can only be achieved through collaboration. I try to visit all the construction sites and create a good dialogue with our employees. I encourage them to share their views and suggestions on how we can improve our quality. My tools are listening, asking, and encouraging. I do not represent a supervisory organization but am a colleague to everyone, whose task is to develop, help, and guide,” Hanna-Kaisa explains.

The pace of measurement doubles

Quality is often perceived as an abstract concept, but in reality, it is measured with very concrete metrics. NYAB Finland uses three quality standards, ISO9001, ISO14001, and ISO45001, which already require continuous monitoring and improvement. Monitoring projects is an important part of quality assurance, and feedback has been collected for many years. Now, the plan is to increase and systematize the assessment of success by introducing an NPS measurement, which will be conducted twice a year. “With a more comprehensive measurement, we will get more information and detect deviations more quickly. The NPS measurement tells us about the satisfaction of our customers, while project feedback provides detailed information and feedback on the success of the project,” Hanna-Kaisa says.