Mojet Pack Product Development

8/6/2019 Mojet Pack Product Development

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Making the Case for Quality

Singapore Housing and Development Board MoJet Pack:

Using Quality Tools forProduct Development

SingaporesHousingandDevelopmentBoardusedqualitytoolstodevelopanewproduct,theMoJetPack,totestwatertightnessandpreventseepageinhomes.

Injustoneyear,useoftheMoJetPackbroughtabouta90-percentdecreaseinthenumberofseepagedefectcases

perhousingcontract.UseoftheMoJetPacksavescontractors165worker-hoursperresidentialblock.

AtaGlance...

As the main source of housing for the people of Singapore, the Housing and Development Board (HDB)

has the mission of providing affordable homes of quality and value. So it was cause for concern when aquality assurance study showed that from 2004 to 2006, water seepage was the most frequently reported

defect during the first year of occupancy.

Staff suspected that the high occurrence of seepage defect cases was due to an inaccurate, time-con-

suming, and costly water tightness test. A special team from the Sustainability and Building Research

Section of the Building Technology Department (BTD) was enlisted to develop a more accurate, faster

and less costly way to test water tightness. Little did the team know that their efforts would result in an

innovative new product that would drastically reduce the number of seepage defect cases, or that they

would qualify as finalists in the ASQ International Team Excellence Award process.

About the Housing Development Board

Founded in 1960, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) is the public housing authority ofSingapore. Its mission is to provide affordable homes of quality and value, create vibrant and sustain-

able towns, and promote the building of active and cohesive communities. More than 80 percent of

Singapores populationapproximately three million peoplelives in HDB-constructed housing.

The Sustainability and Building Research Section of HDBs BTD provides professional technical

expertise and management support services and promotes technology transfer to industry to enhance the

performance and service life of HDB properties. In August 2003 a group of employees from this section

formed an Innovation and Quality Circle, named Quantum Circle, and began attending innovation- and

quality-related courses and conferences to enhance their understanding of quality tools and techniques.

Fighting Seepage

Since its inception, HDB has progressed from building housing on-site to using a prefabricationmethod in which building components are pre-cast in factories and then installed on-site. The prefab-

rication technology has significantly enhanced building quality overall. However, the presence of pre-ca

joints between building elements increases the likelihood of water seepage in homes, a serious concern

in Singapore, where the tropical climate often brings large amounts of torrential rainfall.

To identify seepage issues, contractors perform a water tightness test during construction. With this test, any

seepage issues can be discovered and corrected before residents occupy their homes. But prior to 2007, there

was no standardized procedure for testing water tightness in HDB buildings. Individual contractors pro-

posed their own testing methodologies and equipment, consultants assessed the suitability of the contractors

by Molly K. Brush

June2009

ASQ www.asq.org Page1of4
http://www.asq.org/http://www.asq.org/


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proposals, and HDB gave final approval. A wide range of testing

procedures varied greatly in both methodology and equipment.

It came as no surprise, then, that when HDBs Building

Technology Department studied trends among defects, engineers

found that the most frequently reported defect during the first

year of occupancy, known as the defects liability period, was

water seepage. In an effort to reduce the number of water seep-

age cases during the defects liability period, a team from HDBs

Sustainability and Building Research Section decided to addressthe quality of the water tightness test.

Getting Started

Six members of Quantum Circle were selected to work on the

water tightness test project based on their specialized skills and

expertise. The first task was to align the project with the HDB

mission statement. Deciding that the mission statements first

point, We provide affordable homes of quality and value, best

related to the project, the team developed two guiding statements:

Improving the quality of the water tightness test will improve

the quality of the home. Enhancing the accuracy of the water tightness test will

reduce future seepage problems.

After aligning the project with the HDB mission statement, the

team established its goals for the project:

Enhanced accuracy of the water tightness test

Improved worksite safety

Reduced testing time

Reduced cost

Meeting these goals would result in:

Improved building quality and customer service

Safety effectiveness

Enhanced service delivery

Cost effectiveness

The team also identified the groups of internal and external

stakeholders with which it would be working throughout the

project. Figure 1 presents a list of stakeholder groups and their

roles in the process.

Identifying the Problem

Quantum Circle first conducted a brainstorming session to analyze

the current situation. The session yielded three separate problem

areas of the water tightness test that needed to be addressed:

Inaccurate results

Costly work processes

Lengthy work processes

The team then collected data on the cost and duration of current

water tightness test methodologies. Performing testing on three

HDB buildings in different contracts, the team collected data and

compiled them in a flowchart diagram to show the entire work

process and time taken on each step. It also held discussions

with relevant stakeholder groups to gather feedback about the

work process.

Using information from the brainstorming session, the flowchart

diagram, and the stakeholder discussions, the team created a cause

and effect diagram to identify the root causes of the problem areas

The team also used an entity-relationship diagram to study the

relationship between the cause and effect diagram and the proj-

ect goals. This helped reveal how the problem areas root causes

related to the project goals and helped identify potential solutions

for improving the water tightness test. Figure 2 shows the cause

and effect diagram illustrating improvement opportunities.

Developing the Solution

Quantum Circle turned to another set of quality tools to develop a

solution for improving the water tightness test. The team decided

that, first and foremost, any solution must meet the project goals:

It must enhance the accuracy of the water quality test, improve

worksite safety, reduce testing time, and reduce the cost of the testThe paired comparison analysis tool (PCAT) helped determine

which of these criteria was the most important by weighting each

one. Enhanced accuracy was selected as the most important, fol-

lowed by worksite safety, reduced testing time, and reduced cost.

In order to generate ideas about what other features a solution

should have, the team used the random entry method, in which

a word is selected randomly and used in a brainstorming session.

Using the words washing machine, team members visualized

images of a washing machine and generated a list of its key fea-

tures, then thought about how these features could be applied to

a solution for water tightness testing. For example, after visual-izing a washing machines display panel, the team realized that

a water tightness testing device could have a similar feature that

provided information about the water flow rate from the device,

which would meet the project goal of enhancing accuracy.

Combining the information from the PCAT and the random entry

brainstorm into a tree diagram, the team determined which features

best aligned with the project goals. The results of the tree diagram

were used to develop a blueprint for a preliminary solution.


Figure 1HDB water tightness test stakeholders

Internal Stakeholders Role(s)

HDBmaintenanceofficers

Preparebuildingspecifications

Ensurebuildingquality

Carryoutdefectsrectification

HDBsafetyofficers Conductsiteauditcheckstoensuresitesafety

External Stakeholders

Residents NotifyHDBabout seepagedefect cases

Consultants Assesswatertightnesstestmethodology

Supervisewatertightnesstest

Contractors Proposewatertightnesstestmethodology

Conductwatertightnesstest


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The teams preliminary solution included several key criteria.

According to the criteria, the solution must:

Be self-contained.

Be able to maintain water pressure for the duration of the test.

Have a piping system that is flexible enough for all faade,

wall, and window types.

Be simple and foolproof to operate.

Be mobile.

After outlining the key criteria, the team engaged a manufacturer

to develop a device based on its blueprint.

The MoJet Pack

The manufacturer developed a prototype that met Quantum Circles

key criteria. The prototype was tested at HDBs Prefabrication

Technology Centre (PTC) Testing Lab. The team also conducted

trial runs of the prototype at selected construction sites.

At this point in the process, stakeholders were given the oppor-

tunity to provide feedback about the prototype and express any

concerns. HDBs maintenance officers were concerned about the

accuracy of the new device, while HDBs safety officers were

concerned about safety issues related to its installation, pipe con-

nection, and weight. Consultants wanted to ensure that the new

device could accurately perform a large number of water tightness

tests, while contractors were concerned about the cost of retrain-

ing workers to use a new testing method. Both consultants and

contractors expressed concern about the cost of the new device.

In order to ensure buy-in from the stakeholder groups, Quantum

Circle worked closely with them to address their concerns.

Results from the PTC Testing Lab were shared with the HDB

maintenance officers and consultants to demonstrate that the

device could accurately perform a large number of water tight-

ness tests. The manufacturer also incorporated all safety features

suggested by HDB safety officers into the design of the device.

In addition, the team demonstrated to contractors that the device

was easy to operate and required no retraining of workers.

Finally, to address concerns about cost, HDB developed a plan

to lease the device to contactors at an affordable rate.

After conducting testing and receiving feedback, the manufacturer

and Quantum Circle made a number of adjustments to the device.

The final result was the Mobile Water Jetspray Pack, or MoJet Pack

shown in Figure 3. The MoJet Pack has three main components:

A reservoir tank with a built-in sensor that detects the water

level in the tank.

A modular piping system with color-coded stainless steel

pipes with nozzles that deliver the required spraying pattern.

A pre-programmed digital control panel that controls test

parameters such as water pressure.

With the help of HDBs legal department, Quantum Circle filed

for a patent for the MoJet Pack in May 2007.


Figure 2Cause and effect diagram

Water test results inconsistent

Inconsistent water flowand equipment results

Cost incurred toemploy skilled workers

Extra time needed tosecure the testing device

Different testing deviceand method usedby the contractors

Contractors preferences

No restriction of method usedfor water tightness test

Costly to engage contractorswith skilled workers

Lack of skilled workersin the market

Tedious in settingup water test

Time consuming in logisticsfor manpower and materials

A lot of parts and workersinvolved in the test

Extra effort needed to ensurethe accuracy of test result

Extra effort needed to ensurethe accuracy of test result

A lot of parts and joints need to beassembled and disassembled after each test

Unskilled workersused during test

No properobservation by

workers

Manual operationson the test

Time-consumingsubmitting proposed

water tightnesstest method

Seepage defect casesreported during defects

liability period

Man Material

Difficult to achieveaccurate results

Costly work process Long time spentTime spent in

monitoring water pressuremeter during test

Difficulty in achievingaccurate results complying

to HDB specifications

Water pump is not auto regulated

Monitoring of water pressuredone by unskilled workers

Require PE to approveset up of gondola

for external wall/windowwater testing

Ensure safe workingplatform for workers

Extra time needed tosecure the testing device

Engage professionalengineers endorsement

Use of gondola

One of the methodsused by contractor

Site safetyrequirements

Testing device consists ofmany interlocking parts

To ensure safety requirementcompliance

No self-monitoring ofwater pressure meterNo restriction of

method used forwater tightness test

Method Environment


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Achieving Results

During the solution development phase of the project, the team

set several quantitative goals to measure progress toward the

overall project goals of enhanced accuracy, improved safety,

reduced testing time, and reduced cost.

The first quantitative goal was to reduce by 75 percent the

number of seepage defect cases per contract during the defects

liability period. Between the years 2004 and 2006, the average

number of cases reported was 10 per contract. During 2007, the

first year during which the MoJet Pack was used on HDB homes,

the average was one per contract, a reduction of 90 percent. The

second goal was to reduce by 37 percent the duration of the

water tightness test. The team calculated that use of the MoJet

Pack saved contractors 165 worker-hours per residential block, a

reduction of 62 percent (see Figure 4).

The MoJet Pack also helped meet HDBs mission of providing

affordable housing of quality and value. By using the MoJet

Pack during the construction process, HDB was able to:

Conduct water tightness testing with better accuracy during

the construction stage and fewer rectification works post-

construction.

Deliver housing to residents in a timely manner.

Construct housing in an environmentally friendly manner,

using reusable and interchangeable water testing pipes.

In addition, the product development process helped Quantum

Circle improve working relationships with its business partners,

including the device manufacturer, consultants, and contractors.

Other benefits included increased team morale and improved

work efficiency for all stakeholders.

Sharing the Quality Journey

Now that the MoJet Pack has become the standard device for

testing water tightness in HDB housing, Quantum Circle has

taken steps to ensure that it will be used for all future HDB

projects. The team has documented its product development

process in HDBs building construction specifications. It has

also arranged for the devices manufacturer to provide ongoing

maintenance support.

Quantum Circle has shared its product development process

through various vehicles, including site audits, feedback sessions

with consultants and contractors, publications, and technology

transfer seminars. In 2008, the team earned international recogni

tion by qualifying as one of 26 finalists in the ASQ International

Team Excellence Award Process. Team representatives traveled

to present their process and results before a panel of judges

at ASQs World Conference on Quality and Improvement. By

sharing its experiences with others in industry and government,

Quantum Circle is spreading the message that using quality tools

can result in the development of innovative new products that

enhance quality and increase efficiency.

For More Information

To learn more about the Singapore Housing and

Development Board, visit www.hdb.gov.sg.

For details on the ASQ International Team Excellence

Award Process, visit wcqi.asq.org/team-competition/

participants.html.

Two other Singapore HDB teams qualified as finalists in

2008. Read their stories:

M.A.G.I.C. Huddles: Handbook Motivates Staff and

Improves Customer Service (www.asq.org/2009/06/

quality-tools/magic-huddles.pdf)

Quality Tools Help Singapore Housing and DevelopmentBoard Develop Award-Winning New Product (www.

asq.org/2009/06/quality-tools/develop-award-winning-

product.pdf)

Figure 3MoJet Pack

02004 2005

Year

Num

bero

fseepagecases

during

DLP/contract

2006 2007

90%

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Figure 4Key results bar graph
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