“The quality system should serve you – not the other way around”

Sigrún is an engineer by education but says her interest in quality management didn't start in school. “The interest was sparked while working at Össur. In a job interview with them, I saw an opportunity that appealed to me, and I don't regret it at all today.”

In 2018, she moved to JÁVERK, where she has worked ever since. In her opinion, quality management is both a challenging and enjoyable field – especially when you succeed in simplifying complex issues.

“What appeals to me about quality management is simplifying things,” says Sigrún. “We have to meet all requirements, but we want to do it in the simplest way possible. The quality system should serve us – not the other way around.”

Quality management doesn't have to be complicated

Sigrún believes the discussion around quality management often gets unnecessarily complicated and points out that the term itself can seem overwhelming. “I think it's a concept that people find hard to grasp. They've overcomplicated it for themselves.”

That's why she focuses on helping people see that quality management is fundamentally a simple concept: doing things right, documenting what matters, and being able to find the information again.

Why does simplicity matter?

In Sigrún's view, a complicated quality system can do more harm than good. “If we have a complicated quality system, we might be wasting time and energy on things that don't matter. Creating records for the sake of creating records helps no one – it just increases costs and complexity.”

She also mentions that an overabundance of data can become a problem. “If you need to find data but can't because there's simply too much of it, then the system isn't working.”

The benefit of a good system, however, is clear: “If you do it well, you can definitely reduce costs. And when something comes up – or if a dispute arises after a project is completed – the data in the quality system is crucial. And let's not forget that these are legal requirements, and whether the requirement for a quality management system changes or not, the requirement for self-monitoring won't go away. Quality management is precisely about retaining and being able to find the right data to demonstrate that.”

A course for those who need to do it themselves

The course Sigrún teaches is specifically designed for smaller companies, subcontractors, and self-employed individuals in the construction industry. This is a group that needs to handle quality management alongside their other work.

“These are people who need to do this, but their operations aren't large enough to justify hiring a dedicated quality manager,” she explains.

The goal is for participants to gain an understanding of the basics of quality systems, the requirements of laws and regulations, and be able to build their own system.

“We go over what a quality system is and what we use it for, and we look at the requirements that need to be met,” says Sigrún. “Then we work on putting the requirements into context – including with a simple Excel quality system that people can use as a starting point. Participants can also get trial access to Ajour if they want.”

Common mistakes: doing nothing – or doing too much

When asked about the most common mistakes, Sigrún says they are twofold. “On one hand, it's simply not doing it. On the other hand, it's having a quality system but not using it.”

She also points to a common problem with ready-made systems. “People buy ready-made quality systems and don't adapt them to their own operations. There's no single right way – you need to adapt the quality system to what suits you.”

Finally, she emphasizes that people need to understand the purpose. “If you don't understand why you're doing this, the system won't work. And if the data isn't set up so you can find it, it's not useful either.”

Her message is clear: Quality management doesn't have to be complicated – but it does have to be sensible, simple, and usable.