Construction Quality Management

Book excerpt: Quality management is essential for facilitating the competitiveness of modern day commercial organizations. Excellence in quality management is a requisite for construction organizations who seek to remain competitive and successful. The challenges presented by competitive construction markets and large projects that are dynamic and complex necessitate the adoption and application of quality management approaches. This textbook is written in line with the ISO 9001:2008 standard and provides a comprehensive evaluation of quality management systems and tools. Their effectiveness in achieving project objectives is explored, as well as applications in corporate performance enhancement. Both the strategic and operational dimensions of quality assurance are addressed by focusing on providing models of best practice. The reader is supported throughout by concise and clear explanations and with self-assessment questions. Practical case study examples show how various evaluative-based quality management systems and tools have been applied. Subjects covered include: business objectives – the stakeholder satisfaction methodology organizational culture and Health and Safety quality philosophy evaluation of organisational performance continuous quality improvement and development of a learning organization. The text should prove most useful to students on both undergraduate and postgraduate construction management or construction project management courses. It will also prove a valuable resource for practising construction managers and project managers.