Week 4: Day 4

Wednesday June 9, 2010

Snagging at Al Manara Villa

This morning both teams traveled to Al Manara Villa for a brief discussion of snagging with Mr. Abdallah and Mr. Mazen.  After learning about the difference between outstanding works and snags, the group split into three teams with one team spending an hour on each floor.  The groups went from room to room and gained a good knowledge of where snags can typically be found.  Each group used a booklet specific to its designated floor to note remarks for each area.  While in general, the villas finished were very impressive, under a close eye the groups found many common snags or outstanding works.  For example, on the ground floor, the main entrance area had some scratched marble and was missing the interior door handle and lock casings in the frame.   The snagging process is usually done four to five times and, like everything else in the construction process, follows its own schedule.  Most importantly, the snagging process must be scrupulously carried out to ensure DCC’s quality standards are met.

Lecture on Quality Standards from the Perspective of a Global Education Provider: Building one Brick at a Time

When the groups returned to the office, the groups worked on their respective presentations until lunch.  After lunch, a guest lecture was granted by Mr. Carl Bistany (Ryan’s father) who is the CEO of SABIS.  SABIS, which is derived from the combination of the two founders last names (Saad and Bistany), is a family-owned company that promotes higher learning by founding and running quality schools world-wide.  SABIS employees roughly 4700 employees and has over 70,000 students.  Unlike most schools, SABIS is financially independent and is run like a business.  Perhaps its most defining characteristic is its non-selective admission criteria.  SABIS accepts students on a first-come first-serve basis.  During the lecture, Mr. Carl pointed out that the success of the company is derived from its business run format and emphasis on quality.  The lecture was very motivating and thought-provoking.  By making parallels between SABIS and how a contractor business is run, the students were able to see how what we have learned during our time at DCC can be generalized and applied to almost any business or industry.