We tend to look for Quality in everything we bump into – everything from food, clothing, shelter to travel, entertainment, life etc. It is quite simple and straight forward to define Quality for “tangible” products like toothpaste, detergent etc. in terms of standard of materials used, manufacturing process, packaging and delivery.
But.
How do we define Quality for “intangible” products or services like Design or an Expert advice? Can Creativity be measured?
Interestingly, Yes!
Architectural design and its creative outcomes are intangible in nature and hence subjective. One powerful approach to measure intangible outcomes in Architecture is to tangibilize it; by measuring how efficaciously the Design evolves, how optimally it is delivered and how nimbly it is executed.
How do we define Quality for “intangible” products or services like Design or an Expert advice? Can Creativity be measured?
Interestingly, Yes!
So, what are the ingredients of a high-quality Architectural Design?
Well. There is no standard recipe for producing a high-quality Design. However, it is very important to be aware of key factors that determine, control and influence Design quality. Let us take a look at each one of these elements:
- Reliability – How reliable is the Architect’s Design? How consistent is the Architect’s performance? To what extent can the client trust the Architect?
- Responsiveness – How responsive and passionate is the Architect, to provide service?
- Competence – Does the Architect demonstrate individual competency, required skill-sets and resourcefulness to produce a good Architectural creation?
- Access – Is the Architect easily approachable, helpful and available for internal team members, consultants as well as clients?
- Courtesy – Is the Architect polite, friendly and has respect and empathy for people?
- Communication – Does the Architect keep clients informed about the health and status of the project, approaching clients with an open mind, listening effectively and responding assertively throughout the project life-cycle?
- Credibility – Is the Architect trustworthy, believable, honest and is well-aligned with client’s best interest?
- Security – Does the Architect demonstrate capability and accountability to manage risks and provide assurance for the gamut of services offered?
- Understanding of the client – Does the Architect exhibit pro-activeness about knowing the client’s needs?
- Tangibles – Does the Architect provide a physical outcome or evidence representing fulfillment of the services assured?
(Reference:[1] Rao, K. Rama Mohana, Services Marketing, Pearson Education)
I strongly recommend that Architectural service firms deploy quality-driven managerial processes to be able to provide “quality-assured” services to clients.
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