Big projects rarely get derailed by one dramatic failure.

More often, they’re weakened by a series of smaller misses caught too late.

The best projects (the ones that build reputations and open the door to the next opportunity) are usually those where risk is managed well from the start.

Toyota has built the Camry millions of times. They refine, repeat, automate, and perfect. But no two buildings are ever the same. Building is inherently complex.

Every project brings a different mix of code requirements, site conditions, consultants, client priorities, contractors, and moving targets. Not to mention always-changing building codes, evolving industry standards, shifting AHJ interpretations, and unique funding source requirements.

The question is not whether issues will arise.

What’s important is how they’re addressed.

Protecting the Project, Not Just the Drawings

Most architecture firms care about quality. The difference is whether that commitment is built into the way every project progresses.

At MSA, QA/QC is not informal, inconsistent, or limited to a late-stage document review.

It’s a defined, firmwide process that is led by a dedicated Director of Quality, Jay Longtin, AIA. His role goes beyond reviewing documents. He leads a repeatable framework for architectural quality control across teams, stages, and project types. It goes beyond reviewing details, code and energy requirements, and the shifting interpretations that come with jurisdictions, funding sources, and evolving standards.

“I appreciate MSA’s attention to detail in assembling a set of drawings that are clean, well organized, and easy to navigate.”

– Ken Heath, NHHFA Plan Reviewer for Maynard Homes Redevelopment

Our QA/QC process starts early, stays active through key milestones, and is designed to catch issues while there is still time to address them well.

That matters because small misses don’t stay small for long.

A wall modeled even half an inch too narrow can create a real field problem. A missing furring condition can force a fix after plumbing is already routed. A coordination gap between architecture, structure, and MEP can look minor on paper and become expensive during construction.

This is where QA/QC proves its value: in the real, everyday decisions that keep projects moving.

Where QA/QC Can Creates Real Value

Earlier review means less rework, fewer downstream surprises, and more reliable progress for our clients. Better outcomes through earlier, sharper review.

Making QA/QC a formal part of the MSA culture was a strategic decision.

“As MSA grew, we made a deliberate decision to formalize QA/QC at a leadership level. Our clients benefit from this in very practical ways: clearer documents, stronger coordination, earlier issue resolution, and a more dependable process from design through construction.”

– Adam Wagner, AIA, Founder & Principal

QA/QC links every MSA team member, from emerging professionals to senior leadership, and every project, from small fit-outs to large, complex developments.

What to Expect for Your Project: MSA’s QA/QC Process in Practice

Day-to-day, if you peek behind the curtain at MSA, the dedication to quality looks like:

• Responsibility matrices that clearly align staff and consultants.
• Contract clarity: Ensuring our project teams know precisely what was promised.
• Scheduled document reviews at every phase, with backchecks and documented outcomes.
• Checklists that are custom-built for each project type.
• Typical assemblies adjusted for climate zone, insulation requirements, and allowable building leakage.
• Incorporating 3rd-party reviews, as appropriate.
• Helping our clients understand any risks associated with their design choices.
• Office-wide QC meetings that invite younger staff to present current projects, fostering shared learning and team-wide accountability.

MSA’s QA/QC process is built to flex. A multifamily building is not reviewed the same way as a senior living community, or a corporate fit-up.

But the rigor stays the same. The effort is predictable and repeatable.

There is a baseline for everything we do, but it’s a living standard. It grows and adapts with each project, as each lesson learned, each code update, and each detail get folded back into the standard to strengthen the next job.

“MSA exemplifies design excellence, creativity, technical precision, and problem solving. Those qualities, paired with a deep understanding of our goals are the reasons we choose MSA time and time again as that partner.”

 – David Andronico, Jones Street Investment Partners

What clients should ask any architect about QA/QC

QC isn’t a bottleneck; it’s a valuable resource.

It provides a reliable path forward by protecting design intent, reducing risk, supporting project teams, and ultimately delivering better buildings for our clients.

Before hiring a design team, clients should ask a few direct questions:

• When does your QA/QC process begin?
• Who is responsible for reviews?
• How do you adapt the process by project type?
• How are comments tracked and backchecked?
• How does your process help protect schedule, budget, and construction?

Those questions help you determine how your project will actually be protected during the design process.

The right approach to QA/QC delivers:

• fewer surprises that slow the project down
• clearer drawings that support better pricing and smoother execution
• stronger alignment between design intent, code, cost, and constructability
• a more predictable path through pricing, permitting, and construction

A strong architect QA/QC process can’t eliminate every challenge in a complex project. But it will reduce avoidable risk, improve reliability, and give clients more confidence that the work is protected from the start.

To talk with us about a peer review of drawings, an upcoming project, or learn more about how MSA’s design team takes quality seriously from day one, reach out to schedule a conversation.

Meet Jay Longtin, AIA

Director of Quality Control at Market Square Architects

“There’s is a very specific kind of person who genuinely enjoys staring at drawings for hours, hunting for overlooked details, mismatched connections, and inconsistencies that might cause real-world problems later.

Voila – that’s me.

Even the best design teams occasionally miss a nuance, a condition, or a connection that didn’t stand out until the building was already rising out of the ground.

It’s incredibly difficult to spot and correct those issues before they turn into problems.
That’s the part I love.

Not just because better drawings appeal to my fastidious nature, but because better drawings help everybody, most importantly our clients.

How did I end up with this role? There has always been a commitment to quality at MSA. Before stepping into this position in 2023, I led commercial projects for MSA. I’ve also worked on many different project types across my career. I know how decisions made during design affect our clients, consultants, and the field.

Today, I review every project MSA produces and lead our formal QA/QC procedures, checklists, and quality guidelines that support each stage of design. I get to help shape this system every day. I get to protect design intent, reduce risk, support teams, and ultimately deliver better buildings for our clients.

And yes, I still enjoy looking at drawings all day.”