Autumn certainly arrived this week! With a crash and a bang, a storm swept through bringing with it a thorough soaking. Not to be deterred, it was business as usual for the team.
Monday – Right on Autumn’s cue, high winds and heavy showers saw Leon and I hunkered down at HQ carrying out vital planning functions to see us through to year end. We still managed to ride our e-bikes for a working lunch, timing it perfectly to avoid the showers.
Tuesday – We were onsite with our client’s team assisting with project planning and gathering the final site-wide elements to develop a fire strategy for the manufacture and erection of a unique timber frame building. Alongside this, we continued shaping the client’s health and safety management system, ensuring that as their business grows, the framework for managing risk stays robust, forward-looking, and proportionate.
Wednesday – We delivered a Quality Assurance workshop, hosted by one of our partners, focusing on achieving stated site quality goals through the use of quality plans and Inspection & Test Plans (ITPs). This sparked a valuable discussion around the Building Safety Act for non-high-risk buildings, and how ITPs might evolve into Integrated Test Plans. Done well, these could demonstrate a digital thread of compliance throughout design, build, and handover, mirroring aspects of the “Golden Thread” required for higher-risk buildings. Later, it was back to vital admin tasks and CDM support duties for a key client.
Thursday – The day was devoted to developing the fire safety strategy based on TRADA’s 16-Step Code for timber frame buildings. We issued this as a discussion document, enabling the client to select the most effective strategy for both manufacture and construction. We also caught up with our administrative support team to find new ways of improving client support, while progressing further work on the client’s health and safety management system.
Friday – Site visits originally planned earlier in the week were pushed back due to the weather. Instead, Friday saw a useful visit to a client’s office to discuss future compliance requirements as their staff and business continue to grow. We finished the week with fresh research and development for our Building Safety Act Awareness Training for Duty Holders. Watch this space! 👉 Expression of Interest Form
So, what have we learned?
We do love talking about the weather. OK, that’s not new!
So, what is new is how we continue to embed a continuous improvement mindset into everything we do. This week, much of our work naturally aligned with the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle:
- Plan: Strategic planning at HQ and with clients to anticipate year-end goals, strengthen fire and safety strategies, and develop training pathways under the Building Safety Act.
- Do: Delivering workshops, facilitating client discussions, and producing draft fire safety strategies that can shape decision-making.
- Check: Assessing how quality management tools like ITPs translate into tangible compliance proof, while also reviewing client needs through discussions and admin support systems.
- Act: Taking lessons learned, whether on improving client support, refining strategies, or enhancing compliance training, and building them into improved systems and services moving forward.
For us, PDCA isn’t just a model; it underpins the way we approach projects, client collaboration, and our own development as a team.
