Contents

1. Quality in Construction Projects......................................................................................... 2

2. Quality Management Approach.......................................................................................... 3
3. Quality Management Requirements for Construction Projects .......................................... 4
3.1 Quality Assurance Program ............................................................................................. 4
3.2. Suitable Organization .................................................................................................. 5
3.3. Quality Assurance Documents .................................................................................... 5
1. Quality in Construction Projects
It was revealed that project or organization success is the most efficient key to assess
projects in construction industry, and the customer’s satisfaction as business
objectives, and iron triangle (cost, time, quality) are the most significant elements in
success of construction projects (Neyestani, 2016). Building process is considered as
a set of activities going from User’s needs and ends at User’s Satisfaction. From those
statements it clears about the management of organization for the sustained success.
In other way, it represents the quality management approach for customer satisfaction
and success of organization. Increasingly, customer satisfaction has become an
essential part of performance criteria in construction, as well. Traditionally, success in
construction is measured through the iron triangle: budget, quality and costs (Karna).
So customer satisfaction has been part of quality management approach.

Also quality has been the critical factor to consider in construction industry. Quality
has different meanings for different people. The American Society for Quality (ASQ)
glossary defines quality as

1. The characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy

stated or implied needs.
2. A product or service free of deficiencies.

The International Organization for Standardization ISO) defines quality as “the

totality of characteristics of an entity that bears on its ability to satisfy stated or
implied needs.”

Based on these definitions, it is possible to evolve a common definition of quality,

which is mainly related to the manufacturing, processes, and service industries as
follows:

1 Meeting the customer’s need

2 Fitness for use
3. Conforming to requirements

However, the definition of quality for construction projects is different from that of
manufacturing or services industries as the product is not repetitive but a unique piece
of work with specific requirements. Quality in construction projects is not only the
 quality of product and equipment used in the construction of a facility but the total
management approach to complete the facility. The quality of construction depends
mainly upon the control of construction, which is the primary responsibility of the
contractor. (Rumane, 2011), defined Construction project quality as the fulfillment of
the owner’s needs per defined scope of works within a budget and specified schedule
to satisfy the owner’s/user’s requirements. The phenomenon of these three
components can be called the “construction project trilogy”

2. Quality Management Approach

Quality is the most significant factor for the success of organization in construction
field which are more concerned with productivity, quality and quality system. But
quality can be related to the process, system and management as well (Neyestani,
2016). Quality Management approach can be implied in external aspects not only
internal aspects. According to (Rahim, 2004), quality approach is the systems that
involve internal and external aspects. An internal quality system covers activities
aimed at providing confidence to the management of an organization that the intended
quality is being achieved. This is called a “quality management system”. Successful
implementation of quality management system can contribute to an increase in
product quality, improvement in workmanship and efficiency, a decrease in wastage,
and increase profit. Meanwhile, an external quality system covers activities aimed at
inspiring confidence in the client that the supplier’s quality system will provide a
product or service that will satisfy the client’s quality requirements. This is called a
“quality assurance system”. So here it revealed the main components of quality
management approach that is quality management system as internal aspects that
direct affect the organizational structure whereas, quality assurance system as the
external aspects that results the customer satisfaction, and within time, budget and
quality so that it can assure or confirm for the best quality.

As per study done by (Neyestani, 2016) on Metro Manila the implementation of

quality management can be affected mostly on customer’s satisfaction, followed by
cost and time respectively, while minimum effectiveness of quality approach was on
scope. Further it also state that this approach include systematic approach,
documentation, guidance, and audit that can be a part of project management process
 from the beginning to the end of the project. It also relates quality management
approach as quality management and marketing tools for developing organizational
performance.

Quality management approach can be concluded as the systematic approach which

can be applied on either at organizational level or the project level. It also assures the
confirmation of quality as per specification, cost and time and assure the proper
management of system of organization. It can also interpret as documentation system
in order to analyze the progress of management. It is business or management tools
for improving quality/scope, reducing cost and time and promoting customer
satisfaction.

3. Quality Management Requirements for Construction Projects

(Kerzner, 2010) define the term successful project management that achieving the
project objectives as on time, within cost and quality to meet clients’ requirements. So
organization is said to be sustained if they can accomplished the work within time
frame and cost and scope. The contractor is main parties who is responsible for
planning and developing programme for achieving quality with confirmation of
customer satisfaction. According to (Al-Ani & Al-Adhmawi, 2011) quality
management requirements are as follows:
1. Quality Assurance Programme
2. Suitable Organization
3. Necessity Quality Assurance Documents

3.1 Quality Assurance Program

Contractors are responsible to plan, establish, implement and maintain an effective
quality assurance plan as per requirements of work quality. Quality is determined
by the design, drawings, specification, level of workships, etc. (Harris, 2004)
defined quality assurance as a set of activities whose purpose is to demonstrates
that an entity meets all quality requirements. According to EuroRoads, (2006), the
main objective of quality assurance measures in information processes is to fulfill
a required quality level. (Harris, 2004) continued that Quality assurance (QA)
 emphasizes defect prevention, unlike quality control that focuses on defect
detection once the item is produced or constructed. It was further established that
quality assurance concentrates on the production or construction management
methods and procedural approaches to ensure that quality is built into the
production system. So in order to achieve the quality as per clients or designer
quality assurance programme is required so that each activities can be controlled.

3.2. Suitable Organization

Organization should be organized with quality control working staff within the
organizational measures. Suitable organization should have limitations and
instructions which can be explained as follows:

- Clearly define the management policies, objectives and responsibilities for quality
assurance including subdivision of works
- Appointment of representative for report of changes in design, procurement,
materials delivery, etc.
- Define the responsibility and authority of personnel who are responsible for
quality control and their organizational independence during audits
- Use of qualified personnel for inspection and verified the inspection report and
correction or modification as per suggested by inspector
- Assure that the inspection and quality control personnel report to an adequate
level of management, excluding direct report to supervisors responsible for
producing the work being inspected.

3.3. Quality Assurance Documents

The contractor and his working team are responsible for preparing following
documents, which will be used as standards to control the work at the construction
site:

1. Quality assurance manual

2. Quality Plan

Quality Assurance Manual

Contractor shall
- Prepare a quality assurance manual, approved and signed by a senior management
official and submit it for the client’s concurrence before the contract is awarded or at
the latest before the site work is started.
- Review and update the manual to reflect current quality assurance policies and
procedures and resubmit the revised and updated manual.
- According to (Feigenbaum, 1997) quality assurance manual shall deal appropriately
with following:
a. Organization
b. Quality Plan
c. Quality Assurance procedures

- Implement the quality assurance program according to the provision specified in the
manual.

Quality Plan
Quality plan can be considered as a work program organized by the constructor and
the quality control staff. All the tests and inspections for any construction projects are
expected to be explained in this plan. To prepare the plan, the constructor shall
(Simmons, 2001):
1) Plan the inspections and test activities;
2) Identify in the quality plan that the inspections and tests to be performed on the
items are listed in the contract in compliance with contractual and/or technical
condition requirements;
3) Submit the plan for the client's concurrence following the award of the contract and
before the work start;
4) Up-date the plan during the project life to reflect the current conditions of
manufacturing, construction, inspecting and testing and resubmit the plan to the client.
The quality plan may be of any format to suit the execution approach that has been
followed by the constructor. The quality plan shall deal as appropriate with;
a. Identification of the characteristics or items to be inspected and tested;
b. Identification of required inspection, tests and special process operations and their
relative locations in the construction cycle;
 c. Identification of hold points beyond which the activity shall not proceed until the
required inspections or tests have shown satisfactory results and been documented;
d. Provisions for the client to insert witness points at which activities are to be observed.
The quality plans for subcontracted items or service, when are concurred by the contractor,
shall be submitted to the client, as applicable, for concurrence and insertion as witness points.
 4. Bibliography
Al-Ani, R., & Al-Adhmawi, F. I. (2011). Implementation of Quality Management Concepts
in Managing Engineering Project site. Jordan Journal of Civil Engineering, Volume 5, No.1 ,
96.

Feigenbaum. (1997). Total Quality Control- Engineering and Management. McGraw-Hill.

Harris, F. a. (2004). Analytical Quality Glossary. Quality Research International.

Karna, S. (n.d.). Factor specific approach to customer satisfaction with construction. 3.

Kerzner. (2010). Project Management. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

M., A. D. (2011). Project Management for Facility Construction: A guide for Engineers and
Architects. New York: Springer-Verlag.

Neyestani, B. (2016). Effectiveness of Quality Management System(QMS) on Construction

Projects. 11.

Rahim, A. (2004). Integration of Safety, Health, Environment and Quality Management

System in Construction: A review. Jurnal Kejuruteraan Awam, Vol. 16(1):24-37 , 14.

Rumane, A. R. (2011). Quality management in construction Projects. New York: CRC Press.

Simmons, D. (2001). Practical Quality Control. USA: Addition Wesley Publishing Comp.