Study guide
6.4 Quality Inspection & Testing
Certified Construction Manager Exam
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1 Program & Project Management Fundamentals
1.1 Project Management Fundamentals 1.2 Project Initiation & Chartering 1.3 Scope Management & WBS 1.4 Resource Allocation & Management 1.5 Project Relationships & Stakeholders
2 Chapter 2: Project Planning & Pre-Construction
2.1 Pre-Construction Phase Services 2.2 Project Delivery Methods 2.3 Bidding, Procurement & Award 2.4 Project Communications Management 2.5 Site Management & Logistics
3 Cost Management & Value Engineering
3.1 Cost Management Principles 3.2 Cost Estimating Techniques 3.3 Value Engineering Processes 3.4 Earned Value Management (EVM) 3.5 Progress Payments & Cost Control
4 Chapter 4: Time Management & CPM Scheduling
4.1 Time Management & Scheduling Fundamentals 4.2 Scheduling Techniques (CPM, GERT, Line of Balance, PERT) 4.3 CPM Network Calculations and Logic 4.4 Schedule Compression (Crashing, Fast-tracking, Leveling) 4.5 Time Extensions, Delay Analysis & Schedule Control
5 Chapter 5: Contract Administration & Project Documentation
5.1 Contract Management & Administration Principles 5.2 Contract Types & Payment Provisions 5.3 Submittals, Shop Drawings & RFIs 5.4 Change Orders & Change Directives 5.5 Project Closeout Procedures
6 Chapter 6: Quality Management & Commissioning
6.1 Quality Management Principles 6.2 Quality Management Systems 6.3 Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) 6.4 Quality Inspection & Testing 6.5 Building Commissioning
7 Chapter 7: Safety Management & Incident Prevention
7.1 Safety Management Principles 7.2 OSHA Compliance & Construction Standards 7.3 Hazard Identification & Mitigation 7.4 Safety Training & Communication 7.5 Accident Investigation & Safety Performance
8 Chapter 8: Risk Management, Insurance & Bonds
8.1 Risk Management Principles 8.2 Risk Identification & Assessment 8.3 Risk Response & Mitigation Planning 8.4 Construction Insurance & Bonds 8.5 Contingency Planning & Management
9 Chapter 9: Professional Practice & CMAA Standards
9.1 Professional Practice & Construction Law 9.2 Roles & Responsibilities of the CM 9.3 Ethics & Professional Conduct 9.4 CMAA Standards of Practice 9.5 Construction Claims & Disputes
10 Chapter 10: Sustainability & Environmental Compliance
10.1 Sustainability & Green Construction 10.2 Sustainable Practices & LEED 10.3 Environmental Compliance & Risk
11 Chapter 11: Construction Technology & BIM
11.1 Construction Technology & BIM 11.2 Project Management Software 11.3 Site Technology & Tools
6.4 Quality Inspection & Testing
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
The Three-Phase Control System (Preparatory, Initial, Follow-up) is a highly effective, proactive QC framework mandated on federal projects and widely adopted in the private sector.
Mock-ups and sample panels are critical preparatory tools that establish an objective, physical standard of quality before mass production begins.
A Non-Conformance Report (NCR) is the formal mechanism for documenting work that fails to meet specifications and tracking its remediation.
Destructive Testing (DT) damages the material being tested (e.g., concrete cylinder breaks), while Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) leaves the material intact (e.g., weld radiography).
Submittal reviews act as the first line of defense in QC by ensuring the contractor intends to procure and install the correct materials before they arrive on site.
Last updated: July 2026
Quality Control (QC) is the physical execution of the quality plan. It relies on rigorous inspection, testing, and documentation to ensure the final product matches the contract documents.
Submittals as the First QC Step
Long before physical work begins, QC starts with the submittal process. Submittals (shop drawings, product data, material samples) require the contractor to explicitly state what they intend to procure and install. The review of submittals by the design team and CM ensures that the proposed materials conform to the specifications. Catching an error during the submittal phase costs nothing but time; catching the same error after the material is installed results in massive rework costs.
The Three-Phase Inspection System
Originally developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), the Three-Phase Control System is widely considered the gold standard for construction QC and is heavily tested on the CCM exam. It applies a structured approach to every definable feature of work (DFOW).
1. Preparatory Phase
This phase occurs before any physical work begins on a specific task. Its goal is to ensure everything is ready for a successful installation.
Review applicable specifications and drawings.
Verify all submittals for the work are approved.
Check that the required materials and equipment are on-site and in good condition.
Verify that the work area is ready (e.g., preceding work is complete and accepted).
Discuss construction methods, safety hazards, and QC testing requirements with the foremen and crews.
Construct Mock-ups: Building a physical sample of the work (e.g., a 10x10 section of brick facade) to establish an agreed-upon standard of acceptable workmanship.
2. Initial Phase
This phase occurs when the work first begins (typically when a representative sample of the work has been completed).
Inspect the initial work to ensure it matches the approved mock-up and specifications.
Verify that the crews understand the required standards and are executing the work safely and correctly.
Resolve any differences in interpretation of the plans early, before the crew installs a massive quantity of defective work.
Repeat this phase if the crew changes or the quality of work starts to slip.
3. Follow-Up Phase
This phase occurs daily while the work is ongoing.
Conduct continuous, routine inspections to ensure the work continues to meet the standards established in the Initial Phase.
Verify that required testing is occurring at the specified frequencies.
Document the daily inspections in the QC reports.
Culminates in a final inspection of the definable feature of work before it is covered up by the next trade.
Inspection and Testing Methodologies
QC testing verifies material properties and system performance. The CM must understand the two broad categories of testing:
Destructive Testing (DT): The physical test destroys the sample, rendering it unusable for the actual project.
Examples: Breaking concrete cylinders in a compression machine to verify psi strength; pulling structural steel welds apart to test tensile strength; cutting a core sample out of an asphalt road to check density.
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT): The test evaluates the properties of a material, component, or system without causing damage, allowing the item to be used in the final project.
Examples: X-ray (radiography) or ultrasonic testing of steel welds; using a Schmidt hammer for estimating concrete strength; magnetic particle testing; thermal imaging of electrical panels.
Managing Non-Conformance
Despite the best prevention efforts, defects will occur. The mechanism for handling these is the Non-Conformance Report (NCR) .
An NCR is a formal document issued (usually by the Contractor's QC Manager or the CM) when a specific item or process fails to meet the contract requirements.
The NCR process typically follows these steps:
Identification: The defect is discovered, and work on that specific element is halted.
Documentation: The NCR is generated, clearly identifying the location, the nature of the defect, and the specific contract clause violated.
Proposed Disposition: The contractor proposes a solution. The main types of disposition are:
Rework: Bring the item into total compliance with the original specifications.
Repair: Fix the item so it functions as intended, even if it doesn't strictly meet the original spec (requires Engineer of Record approval).
Use-As-Is: Accept the defect as it is, usually accompanied by a financial credit to the owner (requires Engineer of Record and Owner approval).
Reject/Scrap: Demolish the item and start over completely.
Approval: The Designer of Record and Owner approve the disposition.
Verification and Close-Out: The contractor executes the fix, and the QC Manager (and CM) inspects the fix to verify compliance, officially closing the NCR.