Specialist contractors' approach to quality management in Sweden

The term 'specialist contractor' in Sweden refers to all contractors who are involved in the construction process, apart from the general contractor. About 12 organizations from eight groups or trades were selected for interviews and the results of those interested and complying with ISO 9000 was varied with the most common problems for the specialist contractors easily identified.     

Assessing contractor quality performance

This paper proposes a radical change in industry practice that will improve the quality of the construction process and the levels of customer satisfaction derived from it by evaluating the quality performance of the contractor. An alternative theory is developed of what constitutes quality, client satisfaction, performance, and their interrelationships in the context of the construction industry. It should be noted here that the term construction client includes both the owner (i.e. the agency or organization funding the project) and the end-user of the construction (i.e. the general public). A comprehensive view of construction quality is proposed that deals with both the service (as received by the owner) and product (as received by the end-user) aspects of the construction project as well as the corporate quality culture. Such a dissection of construction activity facilitates developing strategies to define, operationalize, measure and improve construction quality. A frame4 work for the assessment of a contractor's quality performance is established. This involves gathering a list of contractor quality performance (CQP) indicators that are derived from various quality-related practices of the contractor at the corporate and project level. Finally, a contractor quality performance (CQP) evaluation model is introduced that can be used in a contractor prequalification and/or selection system. The CQP indicators are operationalized within the theoretical framework of the CQP evaluation model.     

Quality management in South African architectural practices

The building and construction industries worldwide are experiencing ever closer scrutiny of their operations as pressure mounts from clients to address the inefficiencies inherent therein. The issue of quality is of pivotal concern in this regard and this paper examines the status quo of a number of South African architectural practices with respect to how they are managing quality, and tests their opinions with regard to ISO 9000 certification as a means of addressing the issue. The results indicate that the architects in question generally have a poor grasp of quality management theory, although many of the eight main principles required for its implementation are already intrinsically present in the way they manage their practices; probably as a result of the small size of the average practice. A systematic and documented approach to quality management is however largely lacking in the profession and a great deal of negativity exists with regard to ISO 9000 certification.     

Quest for continuous quality improvement for public housing construction in Hong Kong

With mandatory implementation of the ISO 9000 quality system by the Housing Authority in Hong Kong, most construction firms there now claim to have initiated quality systems in their processes as defined in their quality manuals. In addition, an objective quality measuring yardstick, the Performance Assessment Scoring Scheme (PASS), has been administered by the Housing Authority of Hong Kong to monitor the performance quality of contractors. These two measures, coupled with the two other contractual requirements stipulating the use of mechanized formwork and precast facade units, are directed towards achievement of a desired quality standard. However, the PASS analysis has revealed that the general level of quality has not improved significantly and the expected continuous improvement in construction quality has not been realized over a specific time period. Quality appears far better on paper than does the actual work on site. This suggests that quality management in the construction setting is far more difficult to achieve than it is in other industries. This paper explores possible reasons for failure in the quest for quality in public housing construction, and proposes changes needed before the vision of continuous quality improvement can be realized.     

Integration, segmentalism and the maintenance of quality management systems in the construction industry

The authors concentrate on the application of the non-technical approach to help to promote an integrative environment for the development of change and innovation, with the primary objective of quality improvement. The case studies suggest that Company A is more segmentalist in nature than Company B which adopts an integrative approach. Les auteurs examinent l'adoption de l'approche non technique dans la creation d'un environnement integratif favorisant l'evolution et l'innovation, et de la, l'amelioration de la qualite. Les etudes de cas font apparaitre que l'entreprise A est de nature plus segmentaire que l'entreprise B ayant adopte une approche integrative.     

ISO 9000 in construction: An examination of its application in Turkey

ISO 9000, the quality management system standards developed by the International Standards Organization (ISO), is widely used in the construction industry, as it is in all industries in the world. Recently, a growing interest has been paid to the use of this system in the construction industry. Despite the growing interest, ISO 9000 use of construction firms has not been sufficiently studied from the perspective of developing countries. In this article, with regard to the ISO 9000 quality management system (QMS) in Turkey, the characteristics of contractor firms in the construction industry, the perceptions, behavior and experiences of the firms in regard to ISO 9000 QMS are discussed. A field study has been executed, and a questionnaire has been carried out. In total, 138 construction firms, members of Turkish Contractors Association and representing the top-level firms operating both in Turkey and in the international market, have been selected for this study. The evaluation of the data points to the fact that the surveyed construction firms generally have a positive approach toward ISO 9000 QMS and that ISO 9000 QMS provides important advantages for the firms. However ISO 9000 QMS cannot be made widespread and applied effectively due to certain disadvantages and difficulties in practice.     

A behavioural approach to the conduct of audits of quality management systems in construction applications

This paper represents a summary of observations over a 17-year period of conducting quality audits; guidance is given on how to deal with different types of auditee and how the auditor might conduct themselves throughout the audit.     

全面质量管理理论与ISO 9000质量管理体系标准

论述了全面质量管理理论的概念 ,介绍了 2 0 0 0版ISO 90 0 0质量管理体系标准与全面质量管理理论的关系 ,提出质量管理体系标准充分运用全面质量管理的方法 ,可使企业走上成功之路     

Development of quality matrix to measure the effectiveness of quality management systems in Turkish construction industry

Quality Management Systems (QMS) are being operated in some sectors in Turkey but it is rare to meet these systems in construction industry. There are many hinderances that make it difficult to apply these systems effectively due to the nature of construction and therefore, no objective way of measuring the effectiveness of these systems exists in construction industry.     

Quality management standardization in the French construction industry: singularities and internationalization prospects

Over the last 10 years quality management in the French construction industry has triggered a range of innovative ideas spanning all professions, ideas that have been developed further through action-research. The creation of quality clubs is one of the first examples of this, followed by the setting up of professional quality assurance references based on the ISO 9002 Standard, to be used first and foremost by construction contractors (QUALIBAT), but also by architects (AQC and QUALIARCH), and finally clients (QUALIMO). The clubs and QUALIBAT are today experiencing either a decrease in activity or a growth-caused crisis, made all the worse by the devastating effects of a long, drawn-out activity crisis which lasted from 1993 until 1998 and led to widespread abnormally low prices. A new impetus has been given to the sector by the Construction Branch of the French Movement for Quality (MFQ) through the combined force of the clubs experience and the development of professional quality references. The innovation consists of drawing up an experimental standard for quality management in the construction industry and actively participating in revising the ISO 9000 Standards for the year 2000. Although specifically French, other countries in southern Europe and Latin America with whom there has been regular contact since 1996 are interested in this initiative.     

施工企业贯标认证工作中若干难点问题的探讨

对企业贯标认证工作中较为关注的几个问题,作者谈了自己的一些观点和做法     

ISO 9000 certification and construction project performance: The Malaysian experience

Purpose

This paper explores the relationship between an ISO 9000 certified quality management system (QMS) and elements of performance in construction project environments.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey based approach is used to collect data from project managers working in the Malaysian construction sector in both ISO 9000 certified and non-certified organisations. Three elements of performance are explored: project management (PM) practices, financial management (FM) practices and Project Success. The Project Management Performance Assessment model (PMPA) (Bryde, 2003) is used as the framework for assessing PM Practices. 336 completed questionnaires are analysed, with a group of 73 being from ISO 9000 certified companies (a response rate of 48.3%) and a group of 262 being from non-certified companies (response rate = 32.6%). MANOVA are used to explore differences in levels of performance between the two groups.

Findings

Overall there is significance difference in mean scores at the 5% level in respect of each of the PM and FM Practice elements of performance, indicating that ISO 9000 certified companies have enhanced levels of performance in their project environments compared to those in non-certified companies. The two exceptions are the PM Practice related to establishing partnerships and managing resources and the FM Practice related to allowing for inflation and price escalations. The results also indicate that ISO 9000 certification has a positive moderating effect on the casual relationship between PM Practices and Project Success. Based on the survey results a Project Management Performance Assessment for Construction (PMPAC) model is developed, which extends the PMPA to include performance enablers linked to financial management activities.

Research limitations/implications

The survey focuses on the construction sector in Malaysia and further work is required to see if the findings are applicable to other countries and also to other business sectors beyond the construction sector.

Originality/value

The research reported in this paper is original in that prior research into the link of ISO 9000 certification and dimensions of organizational performance has not explicitly focused on project environments. The research findings provide evidence that those seeking to enhance their project performance could gain benefits from developing a QMS and seeking ISO 9000 accreditation. However the finding also indicate that an approach to performance management based solely on establishing a certified QMS may have its limitations in terms of establishing processes for managing the relationships on a project through partnership approaches and in dealing with uncertainty in the external environment, such as price fluctuations. The PMPAC model presented in this paper provides a framework for those working in construction project environments to ensure their project management systems incorporate the key activities that enable better performance.     

Development of a customer satisfaction evaluation model for construction project management

Construction project management (CPM) is a technical-oriented service for construction project clients. Evaluating the performance of service providers is beneficial both to purchasers, enabling them to appraise the services received, and to providers, helping them to improve their services. However, no appraisal system for such services exists. This study developed a novel customer satisfaction evaluation model for CPM services that was developed using a questionnaire-based survey and statistical analysis. Test results show that the developed model is a feasible system. Research using this model reveals that CPM services in Taiwan are satisfactory with acceptable performance for clients. The developed model is a good reference for evaluating and assessing CPM performance.     

将现代企业的“5S”理念引入到高校实验室管理中

在分析目前高校实验室管理中存在的问题的同时 ,吸取现代企业推行的“5S”理念的精髓 ,针对高校实验室管理中长期存在的制度不完善、执行标准不细化、责任不明确等弊病 ,提出几点旨在加强管理、提高效率的措施     

实验室的过程管理技术

将过程管理技术引入到实验室管理中 ,能更有效地利用教学资源 ,提高教学服务的水平和质量。但同样存在风险 ,实施过程管理的组织必须满足一定的条件 ,还要注意执行过程管理的组织其体制因素、个人的心理素质因素及领导决策能力等多种因素对实施效果的影响     

强化质量意识贯彻新版ISO 9000标准

结合某企业，介绍了ISO9000标准的贯标经验，从内部审核、领导作用、全员参与实施等方面进行了论述，指出只有全面实施标准化管理，强化质量意识，才能与世界接轨。     

ISO9000质量保证标准在国家体育场工程中的应用

以ISO9000质量体系与FIDIC合同管理在国家体育场建设中的运用为例,阐述了质量管理的预控在国家体育场工程中如何应用及ISO9000质量体系在施工中的贯彻方式,分析了个别合同管理上的失误并提出相关建议,总结经验从而促进我国建筑业的发展。     

Implementing environmental management systems in construction: lessons from quality systems

Quality has been a key issue in Singapore's construction industry since the late 1980s. ISO 9000 certification is now compulsory for large construction enterprises and is an important feature of the industry. Following the global trend, environmental issues are gaining prominence in the country. A few companies have been certified to the ISO 14000 standard. It is predicted that this standard will have an impact which is similar to that of ISO 9000. Organisations are being urged to implement integrated management systems (IMS).

A study was undertaken to assess the perceptions and expectations of contractors concerning ISO 9000 certification and the costs and benefits in practice. Contractors’ expectations of ISO 14000 certification were also ascertained, together with their environmental awareness, policies and current practices, and their views on measures which could promote its widespread adoption. The study was based on a postal survey. It was found that contractors had derived benefits from ISO 9000 but were driven by short-term cost-benefit considerations. Their attitude to ISO 14000 certification was generally similar. Suggestions for increasing the likelihood of a high uptake of ISO 14000, and IMS are made.     

The role of multi-firm satisfaction in construction project success

Construction project success depends on the multi-firm project organizations involved working together satisfactorily. Yet, satisfaction within multi-firm relationships has rarely been examined as a determinant of construction project success. A pioneering study is carried out to evaluate the extent to which construction project participants’ perception of each other’s performance reflects on the owner’s perception of project success. The data represent 580 performance evaluations carried out among the project owners, project consultants, main contractors and designers. The owner-evaluated performance factors related to the project goals form a dependent variable called Project Success. Dependencies between Project Success and the various performance factors are identified based on Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Dependencies were discovered between Project Success and all owner-related relationships and all but one of the non-owner-related relationships. Preliminary sets of discipline-specific and evaluator-specific success factors are identified. The results support the proposition that satisfaction within both owner-related and non-owner-related relationships is reflected on success. Therefore, researchers and practitioners are encouraged to consider project success in terms of multi-firm satisfaction and to engage with multi-firm performance measurement to better understand the heterogeneous performance factors contributing to multi-firm project success.