Michael Dennis has a simple mantra: Deliver quality products to the customer, every time.
During his 23 years in the construction business, including eight working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this North Carolina native says he has learned a lot about what works and, more importantly, what doesn't work when inspecting projects for a customer. Since 2004, Dennis has been teaching those hard-won lessons learned to quality control contractors all over Europe as an instructor for the USACE Contractor Quality Control course .
"I have a lot of case studies of failures, where we have good lessons learned," said Dennis. "I teach them about those lessons. I tell them how it is out there."
The course is a requirement for QC contractors on direct contracts for the U.S. military throughout the world. A five-year certificate in quality control is given to graduates of the course, who Dennis said should be well-versed in the three-stage control system, which helps them spot even the smallest deficiency on a construction site.
According to Dennis, QCs mostly spend their time looking for the larger deficiencies, as they are the ones that can most easily lead to delays and cost overruns. But focusing on those deficiencies may lead to neglecting the smaller ones, Dennis said, which could lead to a failed project.
"The better I can teach the three-stage control system - which is the preparatory, the initial, and the follow-up phase of an inspection - the better these students will manage a contract," said Dennis.
As a senior construction representative at the Wiesbaden Resident Office, Dennis has worked with dozens of contractors on projects large and small and believes the QC is the most important person on a project.
"A QC is where the rubber meets the road," he said. "If there is a good QC onsite then the Corps will pass a good product on to the customer. And if the customer is happy, that's ultimate goal."
SKE Site manager and QC student Sascha Pueschel, who completed Dennis' July class, said the course tenets will help him manage the contracts for the U.S. military and work according to its regulations.
"It's necessary to understand the way building sites are managed here because it's completely different than the building sites outside the military projects," he said. "So, I really need to know what this course it teaching."
Pueschel said that learning the three-stage control system, the regulations, and the procedures for controlling project cost and schedule were helpful, but added that the best part of the course was getting to know the instructor.
"He's funny, entertaining and makes learning regulations fun," said Pueschel.
Dennis taught his last class in Europe in July - he returns to the U.S. in November.
"The course has been offered by the Corps since the 1970s and will continue after I'm gone," said Dennis. "I just won't be teaching it - but while I did, I loved it."
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