What does SPQR mean in Construction?

Safety-Productivity-Quality-Risk

Background: About Fall of 2003, I started using SPQR as an acronym for construction operation agendas. My goal was to focus the project team (owners, designers, constructors, supervisors, vendors, and tradesmen } on four fundamental factors in any construction project: Safety, Productivity, Quality, and Risk. 'SPQR' is analogous to its original use by the Roman Republic to wit; the sovereign 'Populus' or 'mob' is akin to the tradesmen on site: 'SPOR derives its relavence from the mob of workers on site. Application: When a construction project is initiated, Stakeholders typically define its three aspects; 1) PERFORMANCE of the project; 2) TIME to complete the project; and 3) BUDGET for the project (aka “PTB"). At this stage, the Performance of a project is generally defined in terms of the expected functionality and purpose of the finished work; the start, finish, and hopefully interim milestones are established for the project’s Time frame; and finally, the Budget anticipated to complete the project is developed. As a project moves into the planning and execution phases, it is entrusted to design and construction teams to execute the project. Bringing a project to reality and meeting the Stakeholders’ expectations is the goal and responsibility of this team. To realize the project as defined by its Performance, Time, and Budget, the best process available to the field team is through rigorous attention to the SPQR methodology. In practice, the fundamental simplicity of the SPQR methodology guides and encourages the project team (and individuals) to take ownership of its work. Execution: The ‘S’ stands for Safety and the performance requirements are for everyone on the project to be responsible for creating and maintaining safe working conditions. This makes the safety expectations truly definable, realistic, and measurable throughout the project’s time frame. And, the budget associated with safety can be better targeted.The ‘P’ stands for Productivity and the performance requirement is to for everyone on the project to apply productive work practices, which necessarily includes correctly sequencing tasks and efficiently coordinating activities of the various members of the project team. This translates into definable, realistic, and measurable time and budget expectations.The ‘Q’ is for Quality, and everyone on site is responsible to achieve the Quality expectations in their respective work specialization, expect quality in other team members’ work, and as required by the project’s drawings and specifications. Only through these actions can the stakeholder’s expectations in the performance of the completed work be achieved.The ‘R’ is for Risk. The methods chosen to achieve project expectations for safety, productivity, and quality in each feature of the work are always proportional, equally critical, and absolutely essential to the identification of Risks to the project. Then, project leadership can determine the best means to manage those risks.

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