Quality concepts
Rework
Also called: re-work
Rework is the labor of undoing and redoing installed work that did not pass — removing what was built wrong and building it again to meet the drawings and spec. As a nonconformance disposition it sits above repair: repair patches an item to an acceptable condition, rework replaces it. It is the most expensive way for a quality problem to end, because it burns labor and material twice and usually pulls the schedule back a step.
Why it matters
Rework is the whole argument for QA and hold points. Almost every tear-out was avoidable — a submittal that should have been caught, a hold point that should have stopped the next trade, a photo gate that should have flagged the concealed work before it was covered.
When rework does happen, it has to be verified like new work: re-inspected against the same criteria and re-photographed, not just marked done because a crew went back to it.
Common mistakes
Closing a nonconformance the moment rework is ordered rather than when it is finished and re-inspected. The item is not resolved until the corrected work passes and the record shows it.
Checklists that put rework to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- NonconformanceInstalled work that does not meet the drawings, spec or accepted submittal — formally identified so it gets dispositioned, not ignored.
- Corrective actionThe step taken to fix a nonconformance and stop it happening again — both the repair and the change that prevents a repeat.
- DeficiencyWork that is incomplete, missing or not up to standard — the catch-all a punch list and inspections use for anything that still needs attention.
- Hold pointA stop in the inspection and test plan where work cannot continue until a required party inspects and signs off the release.
- Quality assurance (QA)The planned system of procedures, plans and checkpoints set up before work starts so the right result is built the first time.
- Quality control (QC)The hands-on inspection and testing of installed work against the spec — checking the actual product, not the process that made it.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.