No matter what the industry, our firm is no different than any other company when it comes to providing quality control; it is a journey and not a goal! As we start a new year, I will routinely use this column in parallel with the "Hvacr Designer Tips" column to provide some other "back to basic" needs that will focus on quality control.

To begin the journey, I think every company should have their own design engineer's manual. Why? Well, if you look at the ASHRAE Handbooks, these four manuals offer the guidelines to hvac engineering but they don't necessarily tell you how to do something. The handbooks offer the fundamentals for sizing pipes and ducts, application of various systems, and design criteria for various applications (to mention a few). It is up to the individual design engineer to apply what they read in these handbooks and this is where quality control is needed.