Quality Philosophy
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HCTS is a hospitality consulting firm specialising in the following disciplines: hospitality consultancy, foodservice planning, bar planning, commercial kitchen planning, commercial laundry planning, waste management, waste masterplanning, F&B masterplanning, hotel BoH facility planning, procurement services and project fitout management.
At HCTS we pursue quality in all the processes of our management system, and in all the technical tasks we undertake. We believe that overall project quality can best be delivered by adhering to a simple principle: if all the little steps are right, the outcome is very likely to be right. We recognise that financial targets are an important element of the design process and we have implemented a strict design to budget methodology to help achieve savings for our Clients.
Quality Statement​
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HCTS as an organization is dedicated to providing high quality service and deliverables in an efficient manner. We believe that this achieved by consistently good quality of design, documentation and all deliverables. Our success criteria is the achievement of the maximum protection of our Clients’ interests through the strictest standards of quality control. We believe that rigorous enforcement of codes and applicable industry standards are critical to ensuring quality.
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Our key objective is to seek excellence in every aspect of our work and practice. In order to maintain this approach to produce innovative, high quality work, it is necessary to ensure that HCTS implements protocols to make the most efficient use of time to maximise time for design and delivery. Our internal quality control and management procedures are implemented from concept to completion of each project to ensure that quality is maintained and the delivery of each project is assessed after completion in order to improve services in the future.
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Communication & Teamwork
Communication with the client/end-user and the other members of the design team is a vital ingredient of a good working system. The Client is always fully informed of the progress of our work at all stages from sketch design to work on site. It is our policy to give clear instructions, which are necessary to facilitate the planning, and execution of projects to the required quality and to meet the requirements of our Clients and their existing QA/QC systems as applicable on any project. We believe that the use of standardized procedures in project management and in the use of information technology and modern communication platforms are all essential tools in our work.
Excellent design and project execution results from an excellent client-architect relationship and consistent, thorough and open communication amongst the project team for the duration of a project. Clear lines of communication are established at the outset of the project as well as an overall project programme and project team meeting schedule. Meeting are generally minuted by us unless other parties are assuming this role and distributed to the client and relevant parties. All telephone conversations are noted and when necessary, distributed. All correspondence with consultants and statutory and other bodies are copied to the client. We maintain open communication within the project team, briefing individuals for tasks and clarifying the methods to be used as appropriate to the work at hand.
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Quality Assurance on Live Projects
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Quality assurance arrangements for our projects involves a Project Document Archive (PDA) established on our cloud server at the beginning of the project. The document archive includes detailed project information outlining the requirements of the brief, set project objectives, budget, preliminary project programmes and schedules and the organization of resources.
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The PDA records any client changes with respect to this information and also identifies information to be prepared at specific design stages and records relevant internal checking and approval procedures. The PDA records the structure of the project filing system of paper hard copies, digital computer files, file archiving and is automatically backed up on to our cloud servers in real-time. The PDA is regularly reviewed, updated and revised as necessary to suit the changing demands of the project.
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In addition HCTS regularly reviews the procedures for setting out the processes of project work, the responsibilities for them and the type and methods in which records are kept. As outlined in the PDA an electronic filing system is maintained throughout the project to ensure a clear audit trail relating to all decisions and correspondence. All digitally saved files and project work are automatically backed up to opur cloud servers. Standard systems of drawing revisions and drawing issue records are also maintained in full.
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Internal Reviews
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We regularly conduct formal internal reviews of project work carried out by our team. These reviews are used to monitor project performance against the requirements of the PDA, and that overall HCTS project standards are maintained. It is at this time that technical aspects of the design including health and safety are checked and verified. HCTS internal reviews are minuted and filed with project data in the PDA to ensure transparency, access and continuity.
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Quality Accreditation
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Our client base is not unanimously in favour of formal Quality Assurance (QA) arrangements which has to date not encouraged us to seek accreditation. We do have several systems in place to monitor project quality.The following quality control and management procedures are implemented through from concept to post completion of each project to ensure that quality is maintained and the delivery of each project is assessed after completion in order to improve services in the future. Our approach is intensely site and client specific, drawing from the broader cultural context of each project to produce work that meets the brief whilst communicating with the target audience.
Project Resourcing
For all projects a project director will be supported by a team comprising of a project manager, technical director, design manager, a team of CAD and/or BIM resources and the administrative services of a document controller. The project manager will provide a single point client contact. Other support will be added to the team as and when necessary.
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We seek to create conditions where people of high ability and high ideals, who share in our aims and objectives, are attracted to work with us. We encourage creativity, skill sharing, team work, professional and personal development. We operate in a manner that allows people freedom and flexibility to use their skills to the full. We continually seek to improve our performance and therefore the service given to our clients. We regard technical training and ongoing development of all staff as essential to be fully up to date with current design standards, technology and innovation.
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Project Method Statement
Our work is conducted according to the terms and conditions of the Client's standard forms of appointment which is usually alignment with the RIBA Plan of Work modified to meet the specific requirements of a given client’s brief. At completion of each Work Stage a client presentation will be prepared which may be accompanied by a cost study (by others) appropriate to the stage. Client approval will be sought prior to proceeding to any subsequent stage. We encourage a team approach throughout all stages of the project.
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Project Design Program
Realistic planning of design stages allowing adequate periods for cost analysis, consultant input and client approval is essential to achieving project program targets. All potential obstacles to project progress must be identified at the earliest stages, such statutory consents or in the case of existing buildings, special consideration to be made for building structure, mechanical services and accessibility. This, combined with a clear team commitment to communication and adherence to deadlines, will minimise program slippage. In previous projects we have consistently provided information and deliverables within extremely tight timeframes and well within client needs.